Many colleges of business demand A-level journal publications from marketing faculty as a condition for professional advancement. Yet only around 10 percent of marketing academics ever publish in the "Big 4," A-level journals ("Journal of Marketing," "Journal of Marketing Research," "Journal of Consumer Research," and "Marketing Science"). This motivates the questions explored in the present study: How do marketing academics view A-level journals and what distinguishes successful Big 4 journal authors from individuals striving to publish work in these journals? Results of a national survey of marketing faculty at colleges accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) show perceptual and motivational differences between published and striving-to-publish Big 4 journal authors, as well as different beliefs regarding success factors for publishing in A-level journals. The results, viewed through the theoretic lenses of the Motivation-Ability-Opportunity (MAO) model, construal level theory, and attribution theory, provide direction for individual career strategies.