What Publisher Rejection Letters Really Mean
April 14, 2014
Thanks to The Guardian, the Twitterverse engaged in a hashtag fest not too long ago (#publishingeuphemisms) to get to the bottom, in a semi-humorous way, of the real meaning of phrases that publishers use when rejecting or recommending authors. I say "semi-humorous," because — while funny — they also sting a bit to those of us on the receiving end. Here are some of the most clever contributions:
-
"Just a couple of tiny changes needed." = I'm about to send you 27 pages of edits.
-
"I hate the cover too, but my hands are tied." = The publisher's niece did it.
-
"This is too British for the American market." = I have no idea what this is about.
-
"It's a new classic." = Same as an old classic but the names are changed and it probably has vampires.
-
"Literary-commercial cross-over." = Has a plot but not too many adverbs.
-
"The author is highly promotable." = The author is smoking hot.
-
"Sorry but our list is currently closed" = We are too busy chasing celebrity deals to bother with hoi-polloi.
-
"The novel never quite reached the huge potential of its promise." =Your pitch letter was better than the book.
-
"Fast-paced page turner." = Lots of one line paragraphs and short chapters.
Tags:





Featured Posts
Recent Posts
October 24, 2014
October 9, 2014
September 29, 2014
September 21, 2014
September 8, 2014
September 2, 2014
August 24, 2014
August 18, 2014
June 30, 2014