It is not so far-fetched to imagine the comparison of a writer to a farmer. Each toils at their job working to produce a product. The writer may write for the pure pleasure of writing; the farmer may raise crops for personal consumption.

Then again, the writer may write with the idea of producing a product (novel, short story, etc.) that will sell. The farmer may farm his land to produce crops to bring to the marketplace. Both have to put in the work to make the end product that is acceptable and able to be sold.

A writer can write well, ensuring the chances of marketability. Hopefully, they will find acceptance in the marketplace for their story and a publisher will get it published. A farmer can labor in the fields, watering, weeding, tending the crop thereby ensuring the chances of marketability. Hopefully, they will find a manufacturer who will purchase the crop, prepare it, and make it available to the general public.

In the traditional publishing market, a writer’s chances for success are improved by having a great story to begin with. A writer with a poorly executed story will struggle, and probably fail, to land a literary agent to move it to a publisher and into the marketplace to sell. A farmer will have a difficult time finding a market for bushels of rotten tomatoes or bug-ridden beans.

In the end, in a competitive marketplace, only the best of the best have the greatest chance for success in their respective markets.