|
Writer Chuck Ross
described an experiment that he had conducted to test if unsolicited manuscripts were
actually read by major publishers, and if they were, to see how much careful consideration
was given by the readers. Ross typed and submitted Jerzy Kosinski's Steps —
a National Book Award winner and a book that had sold over 400,000 copies in paperback
— to publishing houses as a new, unpublished work. Random House, the original publisher, rejected it. So did Houghton Mifflin, Doubleday and Harcourt Brace Jovanovich— all houses which had published other works by Kosinski. Ten other leading publishers rejected the work, as did twenty-six literary agents. Only Houghton Mifflin commented that the style reminded the reader of Kosinski, "though this new author was not in his league." As Ross quite rightly stated, "I thought I had made and proved my point about unsolicited manuscripts: they are probably ignored, or if they are read the readers at publishing houses do not recognize good work." |
|
|
||
