Comments on: The dirt on the publishing slush pile http://virginialloyd.com/vblog/?p=832 On writing and other not-for-profit interests of Virginia Lloyd, author of The Young Widow's Book of Home Improvement. Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:21:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Virginia http://virginialloyd.com/vblog/?p=832&cpage=1#comment-56761 Virginia Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:06:37 +0000 http://virginialloyd.com/vblog/?p=832#comment-56761 I agree that there is a degree of cruelty, however indirectly expressed, in the 'Margaret Rodgers' system. However, it underlines my point about writers needing to better understand the ways and culture of the publishing industry in order to strengthen their likelihood of eventual publication. Unless you have slaved over a manuscript yourself, it is too easy to consider manuscripts en masse as a 'pile', irrespective of the quality of manuscripts constituting the pile. The vast majority of people who work in publishing have never published a single word. It's much easier to be offhand and dismissive about aspiring authors when you've never tried to write anything yourself. Moreover, editorial staff in publishing houses are usually at the bottom of the pecking order (sales and marketing do battle for the top position), feeling overworked and underpaid for a job that, when done properly, is completely invisible. So they are not, generally speaking, well disposed to the anonymous contents of the slush pile. My point is that aspiring authors need to understand these dynamics in order to manage their expectations and give themselves a better chance of success. I agree that there is a degree of cruelty, however indirectly expressed, in the ‘Margaret Rodgers’ system. However, it underlines my point about writers needing to better understand the ways and culture of the publishing industry in order to strengthen their likelihood of eventual publication.
Unless you have slaved over a manuscript yourself, it is too easy to consider manuscripts en masse as a ‘pile’, irrespective of the quality of manuscripts constituting the pile. The vast majority of people who work in publishing have never published a single word. It’s much easier to be offhand and dismissive about aspiring authors when you’ve never tried to write anything yourself.
Moreover, editorial staff in publishing houses are usually at the bottom of the pecking order (sales and marketing do battle for the top position), feeling overworked and underpaid for a job that, when done properly, is completely invisible. So they are not, generally speaking, well disposed to the anonymous contents of the slush pile. My point is that aspiring authors need to understand these dynamics in order to manage their expectations and give themselves a better chance of success.

]]> By: Charlotte http://virginialloyd.com/vblog/?p=832&cpage=1#comment-56736 Charlotte Thu, 21 Jan 2010 03:00:46 +0000 http://virginialloyd.com/vblog/?p=832#comment-56736 Very interesting stuff Virginia - bracing advice for aspiring writers. And no doubt depressing as hell, too. The bit that got me was aspirants being told to send ms to Margaret Rodgers, nonexistent, simply code for Manuscript Rejection. Is it perhaps a TAD cruel to make jokes at the unwitting writers' expense before ignoring them? I think I'm right in believing this place to be my own former publisher... nice. Very interesting stuff Virginia – bracing advice for aspiring writers. And no doubt depressing as hell, too.

The bit that got me was aspirants being told to send ms to Margaret Rodgers, nonexistent, simply code for Manuscript Rejection. Is it perhaps a TAD cruel to make jokes at the unwitting writers’ expense before ignoring them?

I think I’m right in believing this place to be my own former publisher… nice.

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