We don’t know anything about breaking into today’s market
![Screengrab of Judith Merril introducing Doctor Who on TVOntario, in the 1970s.](https://i0.wp.com/pluralistic.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/1c3e8-1qqjpkzamn90b22shziix6w.png?w=840&ssl=1)
“Breaking In,” is my latest column for Locus Magazine; it’s both the story of how I broke into science fiction, and an explanation of why there’s so little to learn from that story.
When I was trying to sell my first stories, I obsessively sought career advice and memoirs from established writers. I sat in on countless science fiction convention panels in which bestselling writers explained how they’d butter up long-dead editors to sell to long-defunct publications.
Continue reading "Ignore Career Advice From Established Writers"