Thank you, Kathleen for answering the publishing company question so thoroughly.

I'd be happy if you could answer another question for me.

You mentioned that marketing strategies are primarily the author's responsibility. Do you think publishers and agents would automatically reject a manuscript because the author lives outside the US? I have been getting hundreds of automatic standard rejections, without any personal comment. Obviously my proposals aren't even being read. Could it be because my return address is in Germany?

Since my book is written in English and is targeted at the American woman, I don't need or want to look for a publisher in Germany. Should I just give up? I'd appreciate your opinion on this.