I haven't submitted to a publication since four or five months after I joined. Yet, despite that, some of my pieces are doing very well. One piece, in particular, written in April, has had 98,000 views and more than 60,000 reads. Others aren't quite as high, but they're pretty high.

I read something that Tony wrote - that some pieces get a lot of hits, not because they are boosted, but because they are popular.

I know that my pieces will never get boosted because I don't submit to publications, so I make peace with what will be, will be. :)