The best method of getting the literary community to regard you as a serious writer and not a dilettante—even though you have yet to publish the Great American Novel or place an article in the Atlantic—is for you to manage the less-flashy aspects of your practice. That means treating your writing as both an art and a business. Many years elapsed before I came to this realization. Your overarching goal is to elevate your profile within your local—and, later, wider—literary world. That elevation will open a myriad of opportunities. While these five practices are only a beginning, they are a beginning that you and your writing deserve. Get after it! {read}