Quote:
Originally Posted by DMcCunney
Publishers are filters. Because they want to sell books, they have an incentive to pick work they think they can sell, and work with the author to make it as good as possible before offering it for sale. The most important service they may perform be rejecting works that should never see the light of day.
Every publisher has the "slush pile" - manuscripts submitted by hopeful new writers. The vast majority is appallingly bad, and reading slush is the least favorite part of an editor's job. Many publishers now only accept submissions from recognized agents to reduce the amount of unsuitable work they have to wade through. The fact that it comes from an agent isn't a guarantee they'll think it salable, but it at least means it won't be actively painful to read.
With the ease of self-publication, the Internet is now the world's largest slush pile, and readers looking for decent work must endure what editors are all heartily sick of for good reason.
I have far better things to do with my time. There is probably good stuff out there in self-published land, but I can't be bothered to go and look. There's more actual published work that I want to read than I have time for.
______
Dennis
|
Re: J. K. Rowling
Thanks for the insight into the publisher's viewpoint. Fits well with the pricing arguments of the agency cartel...