What Really Happens with the Slush Pile

The other day I was chatting to a young man about publishing. He revealed he'd spent the summer going through the slush pile of a local publishing house. I asked him what he'd learned from the experience. His response?

1. That many of the entries were written by people who were simply mad.

2. That many entries hadn't thought about who might want to read the material, which was far to personal to be of more general interest.

3. That it was truly incredible how many people sent in manuscripts without any thought for the suitability of the publisher for their work.

4. That it was daft to have a 20 year old judging manuscripts with a view to possible publication.

I actually found that rather cheering. It means that a literate writer who decides to get published and bothers to do their homework re publishers, presentation etc will actually stand out. And I'm not too bothered by the 20 year old bit - he was a sensitive and intelligent young man who had the wit not to dismiss the work out of hand because it didn't immediately appeal to him. If anything, he gave the impression that he'd conscientiously worked hard to overcome any age related bias.

Overall, it's better to have an agent than go through the slush pile, but take heart - if your manuscript is well presented, it should stand out and at least make it to the next round.

3 Reasons why you should hit the Slush Pile Now

Are you going on your summer holidays? I'm off in September, but lots of my friends are away now, and will be over the summer. The publishing industry is pretty much the same as the rest of the country; many have children so have planned their holidays to coincide with the school holidays. Staffing levels are low, so you might have thought it was the worst time to hit the slush pile.

Wrong! This is perhaps the best time ever to hit the slush pile!

1. For every member of staff who have children, there are as many - if not more - who don't. Publishing is stuffed with people in their 20s who are as yet child-free. But, perhaps because it's a female dominated industry, there will be many senior editors who will be taking time off. Things do slow down in the summer because people are away so there's less work to do, but lots of staff will be at their desks throughout the summer months - and even if they go away, it's only for a couple of weeks. Time to hit the slush pile.

2. What do you do when you're about to leave for a couple of weeks holiday? It's only human nature to want to leave a tidy/empty desk. Editors and agents often make a big effort to clear a slush pile back log before they go off on holiday. Take advantage of it.

3. Going through the slush pile is a nice occupation for a literate young student on work experience. They can't do too much harm, and are quite capable of weeding out the complete no-hopers. When do students do work experience? Yup - the summer holidays.

If you're ready to go, don't wait until September when agents and publishers start getting ready for the Frankfurt Book Fair at the beginning of October. Get in there now!