A Show of Pride and Prejudice by Major Publishing Houses

There is still a trail out there to be blazed on behalf of the self-publishing industry, as evidenced by an expose put forth by the Daily Mail, a London-based publication found online at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/.

The article, written by David Lassman, appeared online last month and describes Mr. Lassman's (attempted) venture into the world of internationally renowned publishing houses. He begins the article by commenting that the results speak to how many people purport to have read the great classics of literature and may just be feigning the perceived status of being "well read," but his story also underlines the persisting near-hostility toward self-publishing and self-published authors.

Lassman submitted the first few chapters of three Jane Austen novels, Northanger Abbey, Pride and Prejudice, and Persuasion, changing titles and characters' names. He left clues pointing to the original works such as signing the manuscripts as "Alison Laydee," a reference to Austen's pseudonym "A Lady." He also entitled his version of Pride and Prejudice as First Impressions, the novel's original title. The return address he listed as the that of the Jane Austen Center, location of the Jane Austen Festival, Bath, England.

Submitted to 18 publishing houses, the work garnered responses varying from "not confident of placing this material with a publisher" to "seems like a really original and interesting read" (Penguin, the current publisher of Pride and Prejudice). Only one house, Jonathan Cape publishers, returned the manuscript with the comment

"I suggest you reach for your copy of Pride and Prejudice, which I'd guess
lives in close proximity to your typewriter and make sure that your opening
pages don't too closely mimic the book's opening. After all, there is such a
thing as plagiarism."

Lassman reports that he first came up with his experiment whilst trying to have his own novel published.

It may be true that the period-specific language and situation of Austen's novels, though timeless in story and theme, may not demand the type of attention from the monolithic publishing houses of today, but good writing is good writing. That somewhat intangible ability of a book to move and affect a reader should yet be considered by the publisher, not solely the ability to move itself off bookstore shelves.

Visit the original article in the Daily Mail (July 18, 2007) by clicking on the link above.

*If you are interested in finding out how self-publishing may be for you, visit the Mill City Press website at http://www.millcitypress.net/.