If you want to succeed as a Novelist, or American Manga-ka, Nothing Is Standing In Your Way, EXCEPT The Things on These Lists

When it comes to writing novels and drawing manga, some industry people people will tell you, “Nothing is stopping you from succeeding or getting in your way, but yourself. But as it turns out, when you really look at the market more intensely, you'll find there are a TON of factors standing in your way and stopping you from success, and succeeding at work

Here's a bullet point list of the main ones.

Novel

Plagiarism
Insult, Mock Parodies
Rip-Off Books
The Amount of Physical Work Involved
The Daily Discipline Required
Life getting in the way
No quiet time to work
Daily Family Noise (if you live around parents or siblings)
A Crowded Market
The Oncoming Irrelevance of Brick and Mortar Bookstores (Borders)
The rise of ebooks
Print books not selling as well
Arrogant, Picky, and Stuck Up Publishers and Agents Never responding to Unsolicited Submissions

American Manga

Japanese Anti-American Philosophy and other Snobbery
“American Manga isn't real. It's not real manga.”
Hatred from Fans of American Manga
Plagiairism, slander, and cyberbullying from peers and industry
Not very high sales
Not as popular as many other comics, even webcomics
Digital Art monopolizing a once hand drawn industry
The Difficulty and Labor-Intensiveness of the work. Hard work
Hypercompetitive World Industry

If you're “Failing” (I.E. Working) at the goal of novels and manga, and feel held back from success, it is likely one of these factors is standing your way and holding you back, if not blocking you entirely.

Don't blame yourself, blame the SHIT ON THESE LISTS AND THE SHITHEADS ON IT.