One thing the Boston Herald article didn’t mention was the “blook”, — posting an entire book on a blog. This is a way to demonstrate both writing quality and marketability. Especially in fiction, there aren’t that many gatekeepers one can interest in a book, and evidence (and their own blogs) suggest they tend to focus on what interests them, versus the public at large. (I suspect their recognition of that was one reason they were hooking onto popular blogs.) Posting a blook may not ultimately result in mainstream publication, but it can bring some satisfaction to the writer, and some good reading to those who find it. Mine has worked out quite well (“Rad Decision” is a thriller written about my profession of nuclear power) and another example would be Ian Hocking’s technothriller “Deja Vu”. ( ianhocking.com/thiswritinglife.html )