After writing the novel Elinor and Marianna, Austen wrote First Impressions. Austen did not negotiate with publishers for herself until late in her career. Her father tried to help get an early version of Pride and Prejudice (First Impressions) published in 1796, but the publisher, Cadell, denied the manuscript without having read it. 

Bloom, Harold. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Facts on File, Inc, 1996. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=38669&site=ehost-live.