I couldn't adequately state the question in the title. Basically, long I ago I tried to plan a strategy for my writing career. I looked into every available option by which I could get my stories out there. For a long time I considered self-publishing with Lightning Source, and it's still an appealing option to me. However I am eager to get some of my work published the old fashioned way, and ultimately decided that what I'd do is submit my short stories to e-zines (whether paying or not), and gradually build up a résumé for myself.
Now that I'm here amongst writers, and other professionals, I'd like to ask whether or not that will actually help me when it comes to getting myself published. I had the impression from what I'd learned that past credits were a good thing, and it's certainly something that most e-zines emphasise on their "Submissions" page. On the other hand, I'm thinking now that surely all that will matter is how good the work that's put before a publisher is.
So is my strategy a legitimate one, or are there better ways to go about this? The logic was that if you have some writing credits to your name (in my case from e-zines), then a publisher is simply more likely to give your work the time of day. Have I overestimated this factor?
Now that I'm here amongst writers, and other professionals, I'd like to ask whether or not that will actually help me when it comes to getting myself published. I had the impression from what I'd learned that past credits were a good thing, and it's certainly something that most e-zines emphasise on their "Submissions" page. On the other hand, I'm thinking now that surely all that will matter is how good the work that's put before a publisher is.
So is my strategy a legitimate one, or are there better ways to go about this? The logic was that if you have some writing credits to your name (in my case from e-zines), then a publisher is simply more likely to give your work the time of day. Have I overestimated this factor?
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