If you are writer, you are probably aware of the fact that many publishers will not even look at manuscripts submitted by unagented writers, and getting an agent can be a real challenge. My Wall Street Journal reading father, is always helpfully passing on articles he finds interesting, and the latest was this article on the death of the slush pile which appeared in yesterday’s paper.
Among other things, it makes the case that the internet, which was supposed to level the playing field, may have actually made it even more difficult for new writers to get published, because the internet itself is like one big, overwhelming slush pile.
That said, I know for a fact that the slush pile has not been killed off completely. There are still some publishers out there who accept manuscripts from unagented writers. I submitted my own manuscript for The Balderdash Semesters directly to Flux, a small publisher specializing in YA fiction who still accepts manuscripts directly from authors. Digging through that pile of slush, editor Brian Farrey found my manuscript and decided that it was worthy of publication.
So, take that Wall Street Journal article and any other advice that warns you that it’s next to impossible for a new writer to get published, with a grain of salt.
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I couldn’t agree more. Where there is a will, there’s a way. Unfortunately the internet has made the slush pile astronomically huge, but we just have to find better ways of rising to the top of it!
.-= Heather´s last blog ..Monday’s Muse~Patagonia =-.
Heather: The internet has also brought some advantages to writers, giving them new methods of promoting their work and also bringing them a whole online support community of other writers and publishing professionals.