The Dark One
Auror
As I said above...if you have the right product it's easy to get published, and it doesn't absolutely have to be finished. If you have a great idea and have enough of a showcase of your writing (first few chapters minimum) to demonstrate that you can carry it off, you might be surprised. The first book I had accepted by a commercial publisher, I'd only written about two thirds when I contacted a publisher and he accepted it within four days of first contact. The first publisher to whom I sent it.I didn't mean to imply that it's a good idea to half-finish your book and start shopping it around; most of what I've read implies that traditional publication is such a long process that getting someone interested can happen well before the finalized stage. But maybe that's changed with the continuing evolution of the publishing industry; I guess publishers/agents are no longer interested in the hard work of helping an author develop a promising piece of writing.
I know how unusual that story is - but it rather proves my point. Prior to that I had been trying to get published for 15 years, sending stuff out with all sorts of different synopses and cover letters etc. None of it mattered because I'd never had quite the right product before. Get the product right and all the rest takes care of itself.