Get off the slush pile (or rifle through it).

Photo by Flickr user Makani5

For most of my life I have been obsessed with reading and writing - I was a nerdy bookworm when I was a kid, and grew into a nerdy bookworm as an adult. I’ve always been fascinated by the publishing process; from submitting a manuscript, getting on the slush pile, getting an advance or being rejected, being edited and then finally published.

One of my favourite blogs was Miss Snark, a literary agent who dispensed advice on getting out of the slush pile and into the willing arms of a publisher. And I loved Happiness, where the protagonist was a book editor condemned into reading the ever growing slush pile to find anything worth publishing.

So it makes me so happy to hear that Harper Collins have just launched Authonomy, a “brand new community site for writers, readers and publishers”. Basically if you’re a writer you can submit your work and if you’re a reader you can help Harper Collins go through their slush pile and vote anything good up to the top so they can find the next big thing. (The slush pile is where unsolicited manuscripts sit until a junior has time to read and reject them).

It’s such a brilliant idea - to get readers who aren’t jaded and cynical (yet) to do the work for you (or at least make it easier), and readers get to discover new writers and stories. Benefits on both sides… the perfect community.

And I am delighted to report the slush pile is just as dreadful as I always imagined it. Terrible plot synopses, awful story-lines and ridiculous grammar. Yipee.

You can read the books submitted, back the book (vote for it) and also comment for the author. So far all of the comments have been incredibly constructive, with good advice and well thought through arguments (which will probably change for the worse once trolls find the site).

I’ve found a couple of books I’ll back, and this site is definitely going to become one of my regular pitt-stops - perfect for a morning tea break. If I ever do get that novel out of me, this will be my first stop.

This post is tagged under: innovation