schmooze schmooze schmooze! Go to events where you know people in the "industry" are going to be. Be charming, be confident, drop information into conversations...if someone asks what you do it's because they are truly interested...tell them. "I write songs." Be diplomatically shameless. Don't let refusals hinder your efforts. Believe in your songs and if someone asks, are you any good, tell them you're brilliant. Go out on a limb and ring labels and ask for permission to submit. That is something that always baffles the hell out of me, you search for a list only to find "unsolicited material not accepted". Listen critically to your songs and imagine someone else covering them then seek out the person responsible for supplying this artist with material and say "would be perfect for"...or "written with so and so in mind". We have music parties here at the house and invite people we meet who are in the industry, then our friends and ourselves have the opportunity to "trot out our stuff". I've been trying to get to as many singer/songwriter venues as possible. I think it's totally a matter of being in the right place at the right time....put yourself in as many places as many times and you up your chances.