I recently suffered a personal rout. It could be called, charitably, a shameful private defeat. A massacre, a decimation, an unconditional surrender.

The Intrinsic Perspective

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2024-03-30 01:00:02

I recently suffered a personal rout. It could be called, charitably, a shameful private defeat. A massacre, a decimation, an unconditional surrender. Yes, today I have a piece out in The New York Times. I have written for them, that conglomerate of taste, and bowed my head to their editorial yoke.

This is despite all my bleating and justifications to the contrary that writers should mostly spend their time building their own audiences and that writing for outlets isn’t worth it anymore. In fact, you might remember just a few months ago where I wrote a post literally titled “ Why I keep turning down The New York Times” saying I had already refused the Times on multiple occasions.

… while outlets like The New York Times are considered traditionally prestigious places, there are misconceptions about the benefits of publishing with them. Personally, I’ve been reached out to and asked to write for The New York Times three or four times now. And I’ve always turned them down.

Well, fifth time’s the charm, I suppose. An editor reached out saying exactly that, and then strong-armed me, beating me handily in hand-to-hand combat and forcing a kind of groveling submission that marks me with shame to this day.