I'm a pretty big Jane Austen fan. Well, pretty much just Pride&Prejudice, which is one of my favorites. But you know who doesn't love her books? Publishers. David Lassman, the director of the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, has been unable to find a publisher for his novel. Which I am sure he thinks is brilliant. Curious to find out how difficult it is to find a literary agent today, he took three of Austen's novels, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion and Pride&Prejudice, changed names and locations and whatnot, and sent them out to 18 of the U.K.'s biggest publishing house.They were all rejected. What is amazing is that Lassman did not even change or take out the first line of P&P, one of the most famous and quoted opening lines in literary history. Only one response from the publishers noticed any connection to any Austen (and it wasn't the opening line). For shame.
2 comments:
I suppose this info about publishing is a sign that we ought to just pack away our would-be novels now before we get to invested.
And really, what might Lassman have done if someone did want to publish his "revised" copy of pride and prejudice? Yikes.
At the same time, is sending off Austen's novels as your own even worthy of any editor's response? I highly doubt it.
I have to think that David Lassman is not the first to have tried it on.
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