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Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 1731
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 09, 2006 - 11:46 am: | 
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The Sunday Times - Britain
The Sunday Times January 01, 2006
Publishers toss Booker winners into the reject pile
Jonathan Calvert and Will Iredale
THEY can’t judge a book without its cover. Publishers and agents have rejected two Booker prize-winning novels submitted as works by aspiring authors.
One of the books considered unworthy by the publishing industry was by V S Naipaul, one of Britain’s greatest living writers, who won the Nobel prize for literature.
The exercise by The Sunday Times draws attention to concerns that the industry has become incapable of spotting genuine literary talent.
Typed manuscripts of the opening chapters of Naipaul’s In a Free State and a second novel, Holiday, by Stanley Middleton, were sent to 20 publishers and agents.
None appears to have recognised them as Booker prizewinners from the 1970s that were lauded as British novel writing at its best. Of the 21 replies, all but one were rejections.
Only Barbara Levy, a London literary agent, expressed an interest, and that was for Middleton’s novel.
She was unimpressed by Naipaul’s book. She wrote: “We . . . thought it was quite original. In the end though I’m afraid we just weren’t quite enthusiastic enough to be able to offer to take things further.”
The rejections for Middleton’s book came from major publishing houses such as Bloomsbury and Time Warner as well as well-known agents such as Christopher Little, who discovered J K Rowling.
The major literary agencies PFD, Blake Friedmann and Lucas Alexander Whitley all turned down V S Naipaul’s book, which has received only a handful of replies.
Critics say the publishing industry has become obsessed with celebrity authors and “bright marketable young things” at the expense of serious writers.
Most large publishers no longer accept unsolicited manuscripts from first-time authors, leaving the literary agencies to discover new talent.
Many of the agencies find it hard to cope with the volume of submissions. One said last week that she receives up to 50 manuscripts a day, but takes on a maximum of only six new writers a year.
Last week, leading literary figures expressed surprise that Naipaul, in particular, had not been talent spotted. Doris Lessing, the author who was once rejected by her own publishers when she submitted a novel under a pseudonym, said: “I’m astounded as Naipaul is an absolutely wonderful writer.”
Andrew Motion, the poet laureate, who teaches creative writing, said: “It is surprising that the people who read it (Naipaul’s book) didn’t recognise it. He is certainly up there as one of our greatest living writers.”
While arguing that the best books would still always find a publisher, he added: “We need to keep the publishers on their toes as good books are as rare as hens’ teeth.”
Middleton, 86, whose books have a devoted following, wasn’t surprised. “People don’t seem to know what a good novel is nowadays,” he said. Naipaul, 73, said the “world had moved on” since he wrote the novel. He added: “To see that something is well written and appetisingly 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.”
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Emanuel
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 140
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 09, 2006 - 05:35 pm: |
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I think this has less to do with publishers recognizing manuscript quality than it does the lack of time publishers are dedicating to finding quality work. Publishers probably assume that most manuscripts are guilty until proven innocent unless they have a celebrity name attached to them or information on previous successes. Does a new talented author even have a chance without these credentials? And even great manuscripts of the past may be hard to market in today's society. |
Schakspir
Veteran Poster
Username: Schakspir
Post Number: 64
Registered: 12-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 09, 2006 - 06:18 pm: |
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Even back in the day--decades ago--great writers like Beckett(well, that's a matter of opinion)had their stuff rejected, usually with extremely insulting remarks. John Kennedy Toole's book (A Confederacy of Dunces) was rejected so many times that he killed himself. My own first book was rejected by the same publisher that later accepted it. Their reason? The book was "thin and unconvincing" and "lacking in real interest," living on its "exaggerated kinkiness". So editors usually talk out of their asses--usually because they are deluged with so much total crap that even when they see a good manuscript, they can't even tell it apart from a bad one. |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 1732
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 10, 2006 - 01:58 pm: |
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This is somewhat different and worse.
This means that the ones who are judging the quality of submissions are culturally illiterate |
Michael_t_owens
Regular Poster
Username: Michael_t_owens
Post Number: 31
Registered: 07-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 12, 2006 - 12:31 am: |
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Just a classic case of throwing mud against a wall and seeing what sticks LOL! That's pretty much the premise of any type of entertainment biz. |
A_womon
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: A_womon
Post Number: 1290
Registered: 05-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2006 - 02:22 pm: |
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Actually, it is as it always was. To get published by a mainstream publisher, and receive an advance, you should get a good agent to sell your manuscript for you. Most reputable agents will not charge you a dime once they agree to represent your work until if/when they sell it!
Publishers and agents are ALWAYS looking for new writers--if they weren't how could they possibly stay in business? After all writers are just like the rest of us, they have to grow old and die too.
if you're a writer who is getting rejected a lot, then maybe you should keep rewriting your project, and submit to different agents/publishers. And remember, no matter how many times you are rejected---NEVER GIVE UP! |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 3466
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 09:52 am: |
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So what else is new? |
A_womon
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: A_womon
Post Number: 1291
Registered: 05-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 21, 2006 - 01:32 pm: |
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HA! As if, cynique! as if!!! hahahahahaha! |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 3497
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 21, 2006 - 01:36 pm: |
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Yes, a-woman, I'm sure all of those professional and seasoned writers really appreciated your telling them what they already knew. |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 1763
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 23, 2006 - 11:20 am: |
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Cynique--can't you get along with anybody? |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 3517
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 23, 2006 - 12:53 pm: |
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I could if I wanted to. Haven't you figured that out? |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 1769
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 02:02 pm: |
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Do it--for me, puddin'. |
Michael_t_owens
Regular Poster
Username: Michael_t_owens
Post Number: 33
Registered: 07-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 25, 2006 - 03:35 pm: |
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It's always interesting how these topics morph into something wild LOL. |
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