# Where have you been published? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 17, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072 "2012-03-17T19:42:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072/1 "2012-03-17T19:42:55Z")
In response to [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=645269), I thought I’d do a poll to see where and how people on the board actually have been published. Multiple selections are allowed. Being published on a BBS is assumed, of course. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072/2 "2012-03-17T19:50:25Z")
**Scientific American New Jersey History Weatherwise Parabola Optics Communications Journal of the Optical Society of America American Journal of Physics Optics Communications Journal of Applied Physics Bulletin of the American Physical Society Physica Status Solidi Science News Double Star Observer Journal of the American Association of Variable Star Observers The Spectrograph (muliple times) Optics and Photonics News (a whole lotta times)** Plus one book. In addition, several pieces for Teemings online and several student publications (newspapers and literary magazines) ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072/3 "2012-03-17T19:55:39Z")
Couple peer reviewed journals, nothing anyone of you would ever have heard. ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072/4 "2012-03-17T20:09:51Z")
An article in **COMPUTE!'s Gazette** in 1985. I earned about $1,000 in royalties when they redistributed my program on a disk that went with the magazine. As a 16 year old, I considered $1K a lot of money. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072/5 "2012-03-17T20:12:04Z")
No option for “nowhere”? ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072/6 "2012-03-17T20:23:29Z")
Pieces/sections in several gaming books (fiction and game rules, both paper and online), one complete game supplement book, several self-published online novels, one self-published hardcopy novel that’s coming out in a couple of months (the book is finished–just waiting for the cover artist to finish), and occasional blog articles. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072/7 "2012-03-17T20:28:12Z")
No options for TV/movie/game scripts? ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072/8 "2012-03-17T20:40:10Z")
Back in the day, Alternative Press used to run a column called “Demorandum,” where unsigned bands would send in their demos for review. The guy who wrote the column advertised for volunteers, and two of my reviews were published. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072/9 "2012-03-17T21:54:18Z")
I had a few small essays and poetry in highschool and college newspapers, but now I’m only “publishing” on my blog. Which pretty much nobody reads, so I’m not sure it counts. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072/10 "2012-03-17T21:55:14Z")
The Straight Dope (I wrote a staff report once) The Washington Post Government Computer News LODGING Magazine The Wall Street Journal The Wall Street Journal Europe The Wall Street Journal Asia The Marietta Register The Parkersburg Register The Economist The Frontrunner The White House Bulletin Game Industry News I once tried to tally up the potential readership I’ve had by crossing stated circulation with publications and it’s WAY up there. Ridiculous, really. Really, I can’t list them all. I’ve been published in dozens of magazines and such that I’ve worked out usually without attribution. But those are the bigs. Some self-published webcomics and some comic books, too. Working on a deal for an original graphic novel right now but finding the time with the new day job is easier. And, of course, college and high school lit magazines and papers. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072/11 "2012-03-17T22:26:57Z")
The _Who Gives a Shit_ monthly. mmm ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072/12 "2012-03-17T22:32:49Z")
Skin mags to academic journals (and everything in between), plus several scholarly books. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072/13 "2012-03-17T22:40:38Z")
> [@AnalogSignal](#): > > An article in **COMPUTE!'s Gazette** in 1985. I earned about $1,000 in royalties when they redistributed my program on a disk that went with the magazine. As a 16 year old, I considered $1K a lot of money. I’m confused. Did you make the transition to digital before that or have you since switched back? That is awesome though. You probably got a few cents from me because I had the magazine then. What did the program do? ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072/14 "2012-03-17T22:48:12Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > Skin mags to academic journals (and everything in between), plus several scholarly books. Are you me? I’ve had the same experience. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072/15 "2012-03-17T22:54:39Z")
I’ve been published in ever so many places, and all I have to show for it is a scrapbook, some books on a shelf and an empty bank account. I managed to make a (crummy) living as a freelance newspaper/magazine/advertising writer in the 1990s, back before every idiot with a computer thought she was Dorothy Parker. \*Those \*days are over. I had a monthly column in _Movieline_, and wrote regularly for half a dozen weeklies and monthlies, and copy-edited on the side for extra cash. Now I contribute to friends’ blogs as a favor–no one gets \*paid \*anymore. I am now working on my eighth book–I only got an advance for my first one; the others have been for University presses and I get 10% of the take. They get nice reviews and sell OK (for University press books) and I just about make back what I’d spent on research, travel and photo publication rights. It’s a hobby–one I enjoy, but which I probably will have to stop now, I just do not have the time or the money to support it, unless those MacArthur bastards cough up some Genius Money. ---
**Author:** ![Diver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@Diver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diver)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072/16 "2012-03-17T22:56:53Z")
Other: Trade magazines PC Magazine Article and software in Volume 7 of The Encyclopedia for the TRS80. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072/17 "2012-03-17T22:57:03Z")
Do gov’t regulations, investigative reports, contingency plans, stuff like that count? Of course the company name (of whichever company I worked at when I wrote the report) is the name cited, not my name specifically, do I get an honorable mention? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072/18 "2012-03-17T23:16:48Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > **Scientific American > New Jersey History > Weatherwise > Parabola > Optics Communications…** > \ > > Plus one book. > In addition, several pieces for Teemings online and several student publications… Cripes. I was going to say I’m working on a comic that will be out at the end of the month, for which I am being paid, but that looks so much more impressive. Also, I wrote manuals at my old job. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072/19 "2012-03-17T23:24:08Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > \*\*Weatherwise You were in Weatherwise, Cal? I worked at the publisher for a couple of years. When were you in? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072/20 "2012-03-17T23:24:59Z")
Without giving anything away it’s tough, but I’ve written and edited fiction and non-fiction books. A book of mine was once talked about in a thread here on the Dope, positively, fortunately. Another was translated into several languages. I was a millionaire in Polish zlotys. That loses some cachet from noting that the conversion rate at the time was 13000 zlotys to the dollar but it was a good moment. As a freelancer I’ve done almost everything. Posters for corporations. Speeches for the Mayor. The anniversary tribute to a business school. Help files. All the sort of thing you find absolutely fascinating at the time of writing or you get out of the profession, but not the stuff you brag about. Some cooler stuff. Games magazine when Will Schortz was editor. Nature. Yes, the journal. Don’t become a writer because it sounds like a fun profession. It’s not. Become a writer because it’s what you have to be. That’s the only thing that makes it survivable. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-published/616072.md?page=2)