The Practical Muse
 People in the publishing business will tell you (if
they're honest, and most are) that writing doesn’t
matter as much as having a good story, and a good
story doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t have a
platform.  

 By "platform" they mean a show on television or radio,
preferably both, plus a presence on the web and a cult
following as a traveling musician or raconteur.  Also, it
wouldn’t hurt if you became fast friends with Oprah,
Ellen, Elton, and anyone else recognizable by a single
name.

 In other words, publishing can no longer be a writer's
solitary goal.  A book has to come about as part of a
larger undertaking.  With this in mind, the savvy writer
tries to make himself known in every way possible.  

 Unfortunately, the legal system foresaw that a person
in such a predicament might try to profit from criminal
activity and made doing so illegal.  It’s not impossible,
mind you, but it’s tougher than it would be if the law
weren’t involved from the get-go.  Also, being published
from the bowels of some prison isn't the ideal situation.