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July 19, 2007 5:10 PM
Publishers fail to recognise Austen
There's an entertaining article in the Guardian about David Lassman, the director of the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, who decided to find out what sort of reception Austen might get if she approached publishers and agents today.
"After making only minor changes, he sent off opening chapters and plot synopses to 18 of the UK's biggest publishers and agents. He was amazed when they all sent the manuscripts back with polite but firm "no-thank-you's" and almost all failed to spot that he was ripping off one of the world's most famous literary figures."
He didn't even change the opening line to Pride & Prejudice - one of the most famous opening lines in literature - and yet only one publisher commented on it. Since my agent is currently sending my novel out to publishers, I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
Related posts: Austen week | Pride & Prejudice movie review
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Posted by Keris on July 19, 2007 in Book related | Permalink
Comments
You are probably not going to believe this, but I have never read a Jane Austen book. I just haven't gotten around to it. So, I'd probably be one of those who didn't recognize her work right off the bat. But since I'm not an editor, perhaps I won't be put to shame?
Posted by: Lucie Simone | July 19, 2007 5:35 PM
There is quite a good 'publishers response' to this on the Penguin blog today.. check it out...http://thepenguinblog.typepad.com/the_penguin_blog/2007/07/you-can-tell-it.html
Posted by: Katie | July 19, 2007 8:54 PM
Thanks for sharing that! Now I don't feel so bad for not having read any Austen!
Posted by: Lucie Simone | July 19, 2007 11:57 PM
Laugh.
Cry.
And get ready to publish you book yourself.
F*ck a major.
Posted by: m.dot | July 20, 2007 8:23 AM
It's not very surprising, though, for all the reasons listed on the Penguin site. That's such a blatant bit of plagiarism that even editorial assistants/agents' assistants would take one look at the opening paragraphs and think, 'ooooookay...' before sending it back with a standard letter. You don't want to get into correspondence with people who'd copy out an entire Jane Austen novel and try to pass it off as their own - for whatever strange reasons they might have.
Posted by: Hester | July 20, 2007 3:31 PM
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