[neilmarr]

Folks, I must do this on a daily basis as part of my more than full-time job as an editor. It's the very worst part of my day. Sheer bloody drudgery. And it's enough to wring tears of despair from your eyes and coax curses of anger and frustration from your lips. Wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

There is a reason why this unsolicited material from wannabes is known in the business as the 'slush pile' and is largely ignored or handed to a student intern in the bigger houses. Slush pile, trash can, garbage heap; call it what you will.

With a hit rate, in my case, of maybe one possibility in two hundred submissions, it's a wonderful way to waste 99.5% of the long and dreary hours it takes. Do it for fun? Sure, by all means.

But, personally, I would rather spend my fun time French-kissing a ferret. Neil