Tim Clare's five rules for getting published

From the longer article describing Clare's own experiences, published in The Independent:

1. Don't believe you dilute your vision by reading others' work.

2. Don't be afraid to lose faith in your original draft. To edit is not to scorn your infallible muse.

3. Don't submit your work with supporting material. Self-portraits in green crayon do not scream "I am creative".

4. Don't approach editors somewhere they could not reasonably be expecting to field submissions. Catching them off-guard will not get you a better deal.

5. The Writers' Handbook and Writers' and Artists' Yearbook are both produced by publishers. Ignore them at your peril.