h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

i apologize for that incredibly unimaginative title. I'm feeling a little rattled. But hey, look, I'm doing it! I'm writing! Look, Ma, no hands! Well, not literally. I am typing with hands. Both of them, and all my fingers. I'm quite good at it. I got a little carried away there. Sorry.

Anyway, thought for the day. I am in the slightly weird position of being a Wannabe Writer (oh, bless, she's come out of the closet at last) and having worked in Publishing, reading fellow Wannabes' manuscripts and deciding whether to wake the Editor up or return manuscript with politely brusque letter along the lines of 'Our list is full... work not suited to our list... we read with great interest...' (Translations 'eeek! what are you, human at all?... work not suited to any list until you learn English... we laughed and laughed/ we shuddered and paled...'). Am I therefore the worst sort of traitor to my fellow wrestlers with the muses, or am I now a great and precious friend and asset to them, in that I can tell them the secrets of impressing the Junior Editor's Junior?

the slush pile?

you _might_ like 'Happiness TM' by Will Ferguson.

As far as I remember I was a bit disappointed by it, but then my expectations had been quite high (what a brilliant idea to start with: a self-help book that actually works - and by that alone brings about disaster..)

http://www.canongate.net/list/glp.taf?_p=6537

'A searing and compulsive satire on the publishing industry and all who flail in it.'

I'll look it out - I wonder if the local library will have it, buried in the Catherine Cooksons...

Thank you very much for the tip.

as for letter writing: do you know the 'Griffin and Sabine' books by Nick Bantock?


http://www.griffinandsabine.com/Gallery/gallery.html



I liked the first one best - haven't seen the last two yet.