Sewage
As unpleasant a subject as it may be, sewage is a part of our everyday lives. I know we don't like to think of it, but it is there, and if it wasn't for the sewage treatment plants, we would probably be knee deep in it by now. As it is, our environment is still relatively clean (I know some people would argue with that, but can you imagine our world without treating the sewage!)
Some time ago I made comments about the change to the world of publishing.
The chance to publish what you write is available to everyone who owns a computer.
And let's face it, if you are writing, the chances are you do own a computer. Finish the manuscript, spellcheck (maybe) and your masterpiece is ready to go on the internet for all to see. Right? Wrong.
I didn't see it then, but I do now. Something is missing from the picture. See the link yet? The filtration system is not in place. Just because Aunty Mabel and Grandma think you have created something worthy of Shakespeare, it doesn't mean you have. Agents and Publishers act as the filtration plants. They sift out all the manuscripts that need work, editing, putting in the bin.
However, history is littered with best-selling authors who failed on the first, second, and subsequent attempts to get published. JK Rowling was rejected many times, but I'm sure her and her bank account don't mind now. So you see, agents and publishers don't always get it right. But then neither do writers.
A visit to a well-known online publisher will illustrate the point. The amount of 'waste' we have to wade through in order to find something worth reading has increased many-fold. We do need a filtration system; we do need people to tell us we haven't got it right. On the other hand we do need manuscripts to be given a fair chance.
What will I do if my manuscripts are rejected? Self-publish of course (that was always the plan, but things change when we least expect it). After all, my family think they are brilliant, and they couldn't possibly be wrong, could they?
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