Slush pile

In publishing, the slush pile is the unending pile of unsolicited manuscripts either sent directly to the publisher by optimistic authors, or sent through an agent not known to the publisher.

Related Topics:
Publishing - Manuscript - Agent

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Unfortunately, most slush-pile submissions are written either by illiterates or cranks or are otherwise unpublishable, and are rejected, usually before the reader has finished reading the first page. Others, such as books in a genre not handled by that publisher, simply fail to meet the publisher's criteria for acceptance. Only a tiny proportion of slush pile contributions are seriously considered for publication, and less than one in a thousand is published.

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Sifting through the slush pile is the privilege of young, first-jobbing assistants to the editors. If they find something interesting there and can persuade a commissioning editor to consider it, they may get some credit for themselves, especially if it is subsequently published and sells respectably.

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