Taking the following steps should help: 1. If you imagine the knowledge in your field as mountains (like the Rocky Mountains, or the Alps), then you need to de

Taking the following steps should help: 1. If you imagine the knowledge in your field as mountains (like the Rocky Mountains, or the Alps), then you need to describe very clearly where exactly your contribution is located. Which summit do you elevate further? What are the neighborhood summits (alternatives to your solution)? Pointing this out in the introduction shows the reader that you are part of the community. It doesn't matter then that you have no formal academic position. 2. Choose the venue wisely. There are two factors to consider: a) it makes sense to publish where the work you build on and/or compete with was already published. You know these venues if you have done step 1. Some authors of your 'neighborhood' papers will probably be your reviewers. b) if you think that you have a significant contribution, select a tier-1 venue to maximize impact; if you think you have a minor contribution, it makes more sense to go for tier 2. Seek advice by a researcher in your field which journals and/or conferences in your field belong to which tier, and ask them for their opinion which venue would be suitable. 3. When you have chosen your preferred journal/conference, identify the 10 most-cited papers from the past 5 years, and carefully analyze their structure and the used methods. Use them as role models for your own paper, together with your 'neighborhood' papers from step 1. 4. Your paper will likely be rejected initially. Read the reviews carefully. Some reviewers are crappy and just "don't like" your work, but many reviewers raise helpful and constructive points. And even the crappy reviews give you hints on how the community works, so you can revise your paper and try again somewhere else (or the next year, for a conference). Don't give up quickly, but also expect that you will have to invest significant effort on improvements. My experience is about publishing in CS, not sure if my suggestions would also apply to other sciences.