- To Stephen King about Carrie, one fine publisher said: "We are not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias. They do not sell."
- To Nabokov about Lolita, a publisher hoped that the manuscript could "be buried under a stone for a thousand years."
- To George Orwell, about Animal Farm, an editor replied: "Impossible to sell animal stories in the US."
- To Joseph Heller about Catch-22, some dimwit felt compelled to confess that he didn't have "the foggiest idea" what the author was trying to say, and that according to his assessment the book was "really not funny on any intellectual level."
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Really Wrong Editors
Okay, let's cheer up and review. Sometimes an editor can be right about a project. That is true. But sometimes...so wrong. Here's a list featuring some quotes from rejection letters of my favorite books:
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To Stephen King about Carrie, one fine publisher said: "We are not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias. They do not sell." Ouch! Another good lesson. Read what you are rejecting if you plan on being specific in the rejection letter. If Carrie is SF, I am the queen of England.
To George Orwell, about Animal Farm, an editor replied: "Impossible to sell animal stories in the US." Never say never - or impossible. It's quite possible if you have the guts to try.
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