LUCKY BREAK: Jan Burke landed a publisher...

LUCKY BREAK: Jan Burke landed a publisher without an agent for her debut mystery novel, “Goodnight, Irene.” (E1) But the Long Beach author, who grew up in Orange County, doesn’t recommend doing it this way. The odds are too slim. . . . In fact, she’s editing a booklet to help writers sell their first novels: “Of all the published authors who have responded, absolutely no one has said this is the way to go.”