Douglas Adams- How did he get published?

Did Douglas Adams have a hard time publishing his books, or did things go pretty smoothly?  It just seems strange to read a book with his writing style, because normally editors would dencounce it as amatuer at first glance.  Like internet fanfics, there's plenty of silliness and asides that wouldn't get through an editor who has to skim through unprofessional writing to find a "professional, by the book" book.  His style seems very non-standard, when editors typically look for normal written manuscripts that meet strict criteria.  Did he just have a generous editor or agent he was friends with, or did he have trouble getting it published?

It probably helped that he wrote for a radio show first.

It helps to have a few feet wedged in the proverbial door in order to get your literal piece of literature published well. Independant publishers are the square root of a pile of dung.

I find nothing wrong with his style; I rather enjoy the randomness of it.

Yes, but how likely could someone nowadays write a comedic novel like that and have it published?  Publishers would dismiss is as juvenile randomness unless.  Unless you had your own radio show to show some history.

It was the radio show that helped him get a publisher for the book. In fact, after the radio show got popular they were basically demanding that he do a book. It's the popularity that pushed the whole series.

after the book
comes the text-based game and around 20 years later comes the film

If only he knew he was going to die.  Then he could finish The Salmon of Doubt.

>>8
What, he didn't know he was going to die?

Not before he finished his book.  Unless he was that lazy.  Which I hear he was.

>>5
Never heard of "Real Ultimate Power" I see.  The most randomly juvenile book I've ever laid eyes on.  Pretty much the same as the web site.

it just who you know or how much money you have that decides if and how you get published.

He got published because the radio series was infinitely popular.

What, didn't you know it wasn't a book first?

shit at first i thought you were talking about douglas coupland

>>10
He wasn't la lazy man - he did a lot of things which didn't get a lot of attention though.  I went to a meeting of the Environmental Agency at the National Geographic Centre in London a few years ago, and was amazed to find Adams doing a major presentation on wildlife preservation in the Asian continent.  He was brilliant throughout - he obviosly did a lot of research for the evening (his speaking style was almost the same as his writing style - very entertaining), and afterwards he hung around for hours answering questions, signing things and talking with the crowd - none of whom wanted to go home.  I think he gave the appearance of someone who is lazy because of his relaxed manner, but the truth was something else.

>>5
Peple still do publish comedic novels like that nowadays.  Go pick up a Terry Pratchett book sometime.  Pratchett is to fantasy what Douglas Adams is to Sci-fi.

I like Terry Pratchett, but his books are really not that good anymore, not enough to compare them to Douglas Adams

Pratchett's novels have gotten much better, although they're also becoming more "serious ps here's a philosophical message" than comedy.

I've never found Adams's books to be all that good aside from the obvious Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. In general, they all seemed to roll downhill from there into a sort of bland/half-hearted style that I didn't fully enjoy. He was a smart and witty man, I'll agree, but his later books were vastly insuperior to Hitchhikers.