One Big UK Book Retailer Admits To Promotion Charging!

I'm not clear what this anecdotal stuff is meant to tell us. Both those Orwell books were published - despite Animal Farm being highly politically contentious at the time it was written. The fact that one publisher chose to not publish them doesn't tell us anything at all about publishing. Poe's experiences don't tell us anything about publishing today. My suggestion is that most novels that a significant number of people would buy or choose to read do get published. And then on top of that thousands that few people would buy or choose to read get published, too because publishers think they're good or important.

"Breaking into writing for people who don't have the right connections is fiendishly difficult." The below is from Susan Hill's blog - JUST NEVER LET ME HEAR ANYONE SAY IT AGAIN by Susan Hill on Sat 30 Sep 2006 21:28 BST | Permanent Link A few years ago a schoolteacher went on a creative writing course at the Arvon Foundation. She worked hard. She has worked hard for several years since on her first novel. Her name is Diane Setterfield and she is a client of my own agent. Her first novel is called THE THIRTEENTH TALE and it has just become the Number 1 US Bestseller, it has been sold in 30 countries and it will make her a multi millionaire. Recently, Marie Philips, who works part time at my favourite London bookshop Crockett and Powell, went away for a few days to revise her novel, GODS BEHAVING BADLY. She worked on it night and day. She had submitted it for the Long Barn Books first novel competition but it wasn`t shortlisted, not because I didn`t feel it was good -though it needed revision - and deserved to find a publisher, but because it just wasn`t right for my publishing house. Some things aren`t. I wouldn`t have published ULYSSES. But Marie has just got a great deal from Jonathan Cape who will publish her novel in hardback, with Random House`s paperback arm, Vintage, doing that. Now neither of these women started out with any especial advantage/contact in the trade/membership of whatever Old Boy network people believe operates in publishing. They just wrote good books, which they sent in to agents and/or publishers - and the books got them what they deserve. And yet I still hear the whingeing voices. It`s not fair. Nobody wants first novels. Nobody wants to publish unknown writers. Nobody can find a publisher unless they have an agent and nobody can get an agent. They only publish books by their friends. We don`t stand a chance. There`s a conspiracy against us. Oh for God`s sake. I just watched POP IDOL. I don`t watch the early audition rounds. Too much lack of talent. Too painful. Too embarassing. But about now it gets exciting. And time and time and time again I watched people who had worked themselves into a state of collapse say how much they dreamed of this, how much it meant to them, what they had done to get this far... no whinges Not a single one. Just determination. Hard work. Talent. And guts. The pop music business is the most egalitarian there is. No OB network. Everyone gets a chance if they go for it. Whether you like the music or not, you have to admire the ambition. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps, the well publicised story of THE THIRTEENTH TALE and the book which will get a lot of attention next year, by Marie Philips, will convince all those who believe there is no chance of first timers finding a publisher. Or an agent. Or both. Beause all that agents and publishers are hungry for is good books. Write one that is good enough. That`s all you have to do." I don't have any connections - but I now have an agent and my next book is to be published by Jonathan Cape. It wasn't easy but I worked at it for years. There's absolutely no point moaning that the world is against you. If you are so cynical about the publishing industry it must be a huge relief that you are not part of it. http://homepage.ntlworld.com/drew.gummerson2

As I understand it, most books published barely manage to break even, many make a loss. Publishers need big hits to make up. Thing is, searching for the next big hit can lead to bidding wars and daft advances which raise the stakes even higher for publishers. I thought the Macmillan New Writing imprint was a great idea. They removed the agent filter, meaning new authors could more easily be read. It also meant they could ditch advances and have a standard contract. Less layout, less risk - more likely to take a chance. (Transparent Imprint by Micael Barnard explains it all, well worth a read.) And of course an ABCer has had his book published by MNW... http://www.panmacmillan.com/titles/displayPage.asp?PageTitle=Individual%... ~ www.fabulousmother.com

Pat, one thing I am sure of is a ranty, bitter moan about it ain't going to do you any favours. I have no idea what you are hoping to achieve.

btw Enzo, Ben, I liked your book. Drew xxx

Aww thanks Drew. And thanks Dan too for the earlier comment. I wasn't fishing. The feedback means a lot coming from the two of you. (By the way, Drew: I expect to be able to get my copy of your new book signed personally when the time comes)

Of course. xxxx

"People who read about Orwell know that he had a devil of a time getting AF published and was even considering publishing it himself. The Walsh tale does indeed tell us something about publishing today. It's recent. But essentially what the tales all tell us is that publishing is thought of on business lines." That's not a revelation. Publishing companies are businesses but, as I and others have said, they're generally more idealistic and less profit-driven than most. You're just wrong on the Orwell stuff, though. He did have trouble getting it published but that was because it was politically controversial. It was mostly rejected by publishers who either had Soviet sympathies or didn't want to piss off the Soviets at the time - the end of the 2nd World War in which Britian and the USSR had been allies. Your line seems to be that publishers were too stupid to see that Animal Farm was a good book. This is complete rubbbish.

BBF is right. I'd suggest the reason why your thriller hasn't been published by a mainstream publisher is - in an extremely competive genre - it's just not good enough. In the thriller genre there are people like, for example, Greg Iles, who do similar things but are far better at writing than you. A reviewer's logical professional judgement would be that if a thriller has not been published by a mainstream publisher it is probably not as good as those that have been. You can string a sentence together but so can lots of people who never get a book published or reviewed. Being successful at something that lots of people are trying to do is really difficult. Individuals in publishing and book-selling obviously do make errors but it's not a conspiracy, it's just reality.