Re: how to get published
Tim O'Connor (tim@roughdraft.org)
Thu, 23 Sep 1999 23:57:09 -0400
At 8:29 PM +0100 on 9/23/1999, Scottie wrote:
> I was given very much the same advice thirty years ago -
> yet when that unforgettable letter arrived from Longman's
> it was out of the blue & without benefit of any 'inside'
> contacts whatever. I can't believe that things have really
> changed all that much.
Ah, you were one of the fortunates who made it out of what is here called
the "slush pile." (It gives you an idea of how much contempt publishers
have for unsolicited material from unknown people. Usually the task of
slogging through it is given to the people at the bottom of the ladder --
recent college graduates, say. Not exactly well-trained to recognize
quality, but well-acquainted with slop.)
> On the bright side,
> one should never forget that most people are absolutely
> useless.
A Scottie-ism! Whew! I've missed them. <*grin*>
> Things look different from the other side of the rejection
> slip (which EVERYONE has to learn to take).
Absolutely. For a long time I used to tape mine over the toilet, until
they started to fall into the toilet, where they were quickly introduced to
the New York underground. (I always saved the personal notes from the New
Yorker, however. Even though I couldn't cash them at the bank, they always
seemed more special than the other rejections.) But this advice is
invaluable: learn to grow a thick skin, which is something our patron saint
of Cornish seems never to have done.
> Publishing is far too serious a business
> to waste one's time indulging one's buddies.
The sad part now is that while some idealistic people still believe this,
the majority of publishers look at books as if they were toothpaste or acne
cream. I know some of those idealistic people, and I cheer them on and
tell them that they are the future of publishing -- not the marketers, who
will never be satisfied with an industry that has such a low return on
investment.
> Jim's advice is the best. Try to find the right agent for
> your particular line of goods, send a careful letter & try
> to present your stuff in legible, ATTRACTIVE form
Yes (as Molly Bloom said), yes, yes, yes ... if you're in the slush pile
and your submission stands out from the slop, and some hungry young
assistant editor happens upon it, you might get a set of intelligent eyes
that read it and want to help it see the light of day. Just as it is when
going to the bank to beg for a loan: presentation counts!
> The sad truth remains that if you wish to win
> the lottery you must at least buy a ticket -
> which, in this context, means write something publishable.
> That's much more difficult than finding a publisher.
Now, THOSE are words to think about when you face that blank page.
Scottie, in many ways you've got it with deadly accuracy (though they like
good-looking *lads* as well as women, and those of us cursed with the face
of the Laughing Man [the fictional one, not our subscriber!] have to work
hard on our photogenic exercises....
Great, succinct message!
--tim