[JohnFen]

A wise man once clued me in about getting published in print. He said that publishers have a problem -- they own a very expensive printing press that costs a fortune whether it's printing something or not. So they're always desperate for material to feed the beast with.

The reason it seems like it's difficult to get published is that they also have another problem -- they are inundated with crap submissions. "Crap" doesn't even mean bad writing, it includes pieces that aren't suitable for the particular publication -- wrong writing style/tone, wrong audience, etc.

The trick to getting published is to understand the publisher's problem and help them solve it. You do this by paying attention to what they publish, noting the style/tone, length, topics, etc., and give them something that fits and is high quality. They'll love you to death.

Once I really internalized that, I found it was pretty easy to get published.

Online publishing changes the economics a bit, but even there, publishers have limited resources and the same rules still apply.

[em-bee]

Once I really internalized that, I found it was pretty easy to get published.

yes, but then you only write what publishers want and not what your creativity drives you to write. i am not sure that letting publishers be gatekeepers is a good thing.

this is a hard problem though. and i don't know what is the right answer.

[JohnFen]

That's not precisely true. What you do is find the right publication for what you want to write. There's a HUGE variety to choose from. The odds are that there's one somewhere who is on the same page as you.

But it is also true that it's a business, and if you want to be published (and don't want to self-publish), then you'll have to do business-related work in addition to creative work. Or, if you're lucky or successful, have a literary agent who will do it for you (for a price).

[pmontra]

> this is a hard problem though. and i don't know what is the right answer.

The hard problem is always the same, how to be happy making what we like. Sometimes the solution involves making a reasonable amount of money.

> then you only write what publishers want

Most software developers write only what their customers / bosses want and not what they would like to write. That allows them to pay their bills and live their lives. Local optima, often easy to reach.