3 Novels

When you write a story, you will be excited about it. You put a lot of work into it, and you want people to see it.

You'll probably want to get it published to get it out to the world.

But a lot of people jump the gun. They're carried away with their success at finishing something after so much hard work.
They take their first story and try to find a publishing agent.
Well, that doesn't really work. Writing is like any other art form. It takes practice, honing your skill, research, and critiques.
Your first novel is important. Everything you write is important. It's the practice you need to become excellent.
But your first full-length work is almost definitely not good enough to be published.

An agent's blog recommended that you write at least 3 novels before you think about getting published.
Probably more.

I just checked my list of works. Holy heck, I've written a lot.
I mean, half of it is fanfic, but I'm well beyond three novels. Hopefully that's a good sign.