NYT: Rejected by the Publishers
This sort of thing happens periodically and illustrates the insanity and foibles of publishing. And makes a far more exquisite comment thany any words I could muster. Read it and weep!
From Today's New York Times
Submitted to 20 publishers and agents, the typed manuscripts of the opening chapters of two books were assumed to be the work of aspiring novelists. Of 21 replies, all but one were rejections. Sent by The Sunday Times of London, the manuscripts were the opening chapters of novels that won Booker Prizes in the 1970's. One was "Holiday," by Stanley Middleton; the other was "In a Free State," by Sir V. S. Naipaul, winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Literature. Mr. Middleton said he wasn't surprised. "People don't seem to know what a good novel is nowadays," he said. Mr. Naipaul said: "To see something is well written and appetizingly written takes a lot of talent, and there is not a great deal of that around. With all the other forms of entertainment today, there are very few people around who would understand what a good paragraph is."
posted by Lewis Perdue at 1/04/2006 08:23:00 AM
2 Comments:
That gives me hope. Not that I can write in any way like these award-winning authors ... but it gives me hope!
Thanks for visiting my blog. I reckon it was by mistake but I'm glad you did. At any rate, it led me to your site and allowed to me to learn some very interesting facts. I am vastly impressed. And terribly intimidated.
I will be looking out for your books now - especially Daughter of God. Sounds very me.
I don't know all the facts but I wish you all the best in your battle. Have a great new year!
"Not that I can write in any way like these award-winning authors" ... you haveb to think bigger than that ... and keep writing, writing, writing.
Prize-winning authors are those who ENTER their books in contests.
And often the best writers don't do that at all.
Post a Comment
<< Home