In a long bad-news article, this is the “good” news: “One slush stalwart—the Paris Review— has college interns and graduate students in the magazine’s Tribeca loft-office read the 1,000 unsolicited works submitted each month. Each short story is read by at least two people. If one likes it and the other doesn’t, it is read by a third. Any submission that receives two “Ps” for “pass” as opposed to “R” for “reject” is read by an editor. ‘We take the democratic ideal represented by the slush pile seriously, says managing editor Caitlin Roper.The literary journal publishes one piece from the slush pile each year. That leaves each unsolicited submission a .008% chance of rising to the top of the pile.” via WSJ.com.
“The line that once sharply separated traditional publishing (“We pay you”) and vanity publishing (“You pay us”) has all but dissolved in this corrosive environment of fabulous riches.” — Richard Curtis via E-Reads
For your reference, links to key posts on this issue:
“Why has the launch of Harlequin Horizons provoked such a gigantic firestorm of indignation” when similar ventures haven’t?” asks Victoria Strauss via Writer Beware Blogs!
“Author Solutions has teamed up with Harlequin to form Harlequin Horizons, a new imprint for self-published romance authors. The imprint will recruit writers in two ways: authors whose manuscripts have been rejected by Harlequin will be made aware of the Harlequin Horizons option and authors who sign with Author Solutions will be given the opportunity to be published under the Harlequin Horizons imprint. According to an Author Solutions spokesperson, the imprint will offer special services aimed at the romance market, including unique marketing and distribution services. All services are on a pay-for-service basis.” via Publishers Weekly (bold, italics are mine)
“”The offer is reprehensible: For between $600 and $1,600 you can pretend to be a published author. You won’t be, really published, because no commercial publisher liked your book well enough to bring it to market. They will just pretend to offer it for sale if you pay the costs.” via Ashley Grayson Literary Agency Blog
“Vanity press is called vanity for a reason. You’re paying for your ego. That’s fine, dealer’s choice. But it’s a different matter when a big brand publisher uses its name and its resources to sell this as dream fulfillment, advertises it as such while trying to claim it’s not really their brand being used to make money on mss they’ve rejected as not worthy of that brand in the first place.” via Nora Roberts 11.19.09 at 03:40 AM, Smart Bitches Trashy Books Blog
“To reiterate: if your work isn’t good enough for Harlequin to pay you to publish your book, you can still pay Harlequin to print your not-good-enough book and then not distribute it.” A detailed overview of the issue via Jackie Kessler – Insert Witty Title Here.
“The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. (SFWA) finds it extremely disappointing that Harlequin has chosen to launch an imprint whose sole purpose appears to be the enrichment of the corporate coffers at the expense of aspiring writers.” via SFWA Statement
RWA, MWA and SFWA speak out against Harlequin’s self-publishing imprint. Harlequin says it will change imprint’s name. via Publishers Weekly
Ernest Hemingway’s biographer, A.E. Hotchner, comments on a new “restored edition” of A Moveable Feast, revised by an heir. “All publishers, Scribner included, are guardians of the books that authors entrust to them. Someone who inherits an author’s copyright is not entitled to amend his work. There is always the possibility that the inheritor could write his own book offering his own corrections.” [New York Times]
Mary Ann de Stefano
