My first show was when I was a high school freshman, but it was at the junior class dance. My older friend and bandmate booked it.
You have to go out of your way as a suspense novelist to find situations where the protagonists are somewhat helpless and in real danger.
There were eleven publishers in New York City, and when it was all over, I think it went down to four or five, and then finally just the three of them, the Big Three.