Of Publishers and Failures

When I was in college, I started looking into publishing. Not an idealistic coed, thinking about writing the next great novel after Freshman English. No, I was a junior or senior, doing some research for a boyfriend who wanted to publish his first novel.

I learned how writers position themselves with potential publishers. The triple spacing, the well-written first five pages, the cover letter, the self-stamped return envelope and the packing materials.

But then I heard about A Confederacy of Dunces, a novel written by John Kennedy Toole. You see, Mr. Toole wrote this amazing book, and then he tried to get the book published. It has sex, New Orleans, weird characters, and wonderful writing. Anyway, after he tried to get the book published, he, possibly distraught about the turns of his life, or that his corn flakes did not taste the same way, kills himself without seeing his book published. His mother (and writer Walker Percy), always believing in him, eventually gets his book published (11 years after his death, in 1980). Oh, and this story may have never been heard, but the book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981. And how can so many publishers have been wrong. All passed on what won the Pulitzer Prize in 1981.

Then I heard about Lord of the Rings. Now, I am not a J. R. R. Tolkien fan per se. I got through the books once (sorry, but I know this is great literature but it was not my cup-o-tea). Allen & Unwin originally published the works, splitting them up into three books, to J. R. R. Tolkien displeasure. What is fascinating is that Rayner S. Unwin (the son of one of the principals in the company) actually first read Tolkien's work (starting with the Hobbit). So some child suggested that Allen & Unwin publish the works.

Anyway, so I am seeing how some books are published, and I am wondering about the whole publishing industry. I mean, really, I can understand it. And, yeah, I know, I purposefully picked two examples where publishers were a bit bizarre. But I want to be a bit bizarre today.

Well, I wonder if most publishers are failed writers. I mean, publishers love books, I would guess. Either that or they were children of publishers who just happened to inherit a family business. But still, I would think that most publishers love books. To think, you get a pile of books each day, most of which from writers who are less skilled than the publisher. And you have to say "no" to most of these books. And, occasionally, you say "no" to a great book, a book of note.

I am not sure I would want to be a publisher. I would rather write books that never get read than to read books and decide which ones had promise for profit, for shelf-space, for whatever.