I haven't attempted to get published, but I have thought about it, and my motivation is somewhat similar to yours, in that I like positive feedback, so I can definitely relate with what you're saying.

I wrote an entry on this similar topic just a few days ago, and have written about this before, but, ultimately, I think, if your only goal is to get published, you're sacrificing your art for money and/or adoration, which can result in something not entirely true to you, which, to me, is an important aspect of your work to peserve entirely, stay pure.