# Publishers rejected classics in disguise **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 5, 2014, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486 "2014-10-05T21:33:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486/21 "2014-10-06T18:39:12Z")
I’ve done a similar experiment online before. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486/22 "2014-10-06T19:25:57Z")
The same gag, at [the other end of the quality spectrum](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlefield_Earth_(film)#Filming): > [@](#): > > As _[Battlefield: Earth]_ was entering post-production, the alternative newspaper _Mean Magazine_ obtained a copy of the screenplay. _Mean_’s staffers changed the script’s title to “Dark Forces” by “Desmond Finch” and circulated it to readers at major Hollywood film production companies. The comments that came back were unfavorable: “a thoroughly silly plotline is made all the more ludicrous by its hamfisted dialog and ridiculously shallow characterizations”, “a completely predictable story that just isn’t written well enough to make up for its lack of originality”. One reviewer labeled the screenplay “as entertaining as watching a fly breathe”. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486/23 "2014-10-06T20:25:16Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > The same gag, at [the other end of the quality spectrum](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlefield_Earth_(film)#Filming): And you’ve cheated by just quoting the actual film’s reviews. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486/24 "2014-10-06T20:54:18Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Sigh. What is this supposed to prove… Let’s consider one of their tests: > Is this supposed to demonstrate that none of them recognised great writing? Because it doesn’t. > > 1. Eight did not reply at all. Quite likely, they actually recognised the original. > > 2. the changed title may have something to do with it. How seriously should they take a novel using a word like \*Cracker \*in the title? > > 3. Presumably the novel won a Pulitzer for making some sort of statement. Maybe in 1931 the statement was bold and original. Maybe a lot of people read it, and said “I’ve never thought about it like that before.” Then 50 years later, the same statement is trite and obvious, or possibly offensive to modern thought. > > 4. likewise the plot may have been copied a hundred times in 50 years. Even if the publishers don’t know the original, they’ve seen the imitators and are left thinking “oh no, not this again.” > > 5. Perhaps the prose style is 50 years out of fashion and may not appeal to modern audiences. > > So, really there are a lot of reasons why it might be rejected, and says nothing about the publishers. 1. The person doing the slush reading might be the wrong person to judge potentially popular writing (which is what they’re usually screening for): [http://www.bachelorsdegreeonline.com/blog/2012/40-famous-manuscripts-that-were-rejected-at-first/](http://www.bachelorsdegreeonline.com/blog/2012/40-famous-manuscripts-that-were-rejected-at-first/) ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486/25 "2014-10-06T22:57:37Z")
[20 Brilliant Authors Whose Work Was Initially Rejected](http://www.buzzfeed.com/stmartinspress/20-brilliant-authors-whose-work-was-initially-reje-7rut) “Dune by Frank Herbert was rejected 23 times before it was published.” ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486/26 "2014-10-06T23:57:45Z")
> [@FXMastermind](#): > > [20 Brilliant Authors Whose Work Was Initially Rejected](http://www.buzzfeed.com/stmartinspress/20-brilliant-authors-whose-work-was-initially-reje-7rut) > > “Dune by Frank Herbert was rejected 23 times before it was published.” …and when it was finally published, it was published by Chilton’s. Yes, the auto manual people. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486/27 "2014-10-07T01:50:41Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I thought it was that there’s no such thing as expertise in any endeavor at all… Unless you’re a licensed pilot. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486/28 "2014-10-07T02:18:59Z")
or a surgeon ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486/29 "2014-10-07T02:27:31Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > …and when it was finally published, it was published by Chilton’s. > Yes, the auto manual people. I thought this was a joke. Oy. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486/30 "2014-10-07T02:47:40Z")
No joke. ---
**Author:** ![Junior\_Spaceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Junior\_Spaceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Junior_Spaceman)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486/31 "2014-10-07T02:48:21Z")
I really hope somebody pitches the Jack Benny Show to a TV station. I’d love to see him back on the air, and see how he deals with life in 2014. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486/32 "2014-10-07T02:58:24Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > …and when it was finally published, it was published by Chilton’s. > Yes, the auto manual people. That is a very cool fact. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486/33 "2014-10-07T03:15:22Z")
> [@FXMastermind](#): > > That is a very cool fact. Thanks. Oh yeah - drove book collectors crazy. Because Chilton wasn’t a traditional fiction publisher, they didn’t follow standard convention to mark a First Edition on the copyright page. So when Dune became popular, it was very difficult to figure out what was the true first. I think collector/dealer LW Currey was the one who stated that a first was identifiable by a combo of factors, including the number of cities listed on the Chilton imprint on the rear dustflap. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Simus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@Don\_Simus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Simus)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486/34 "2014-10-07T19:57:05Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I thought it was that there’s no such thing as expertise in any endeavor at all… Of course? expertise exists. For example, at Mammoth Mountain they rate trails as beginner, intermediate, advanced, expert, and pro. This video I took on “expert” trail: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/BoS54q5w4FQ/hqdefault.jpg "Mammoth Mountain Twilight Zone") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoS54q5w4FQ) Anyone can see that this trail is not for beginners. In the case of abstract art, beginner level works are praised as masterpieces by art dealers. In other areas I have seen many times when two artists or writers are on the same “pro” level but one is famous and another unknown. I suspected that there may be a difference which I just don’t see. However those publishers who propelled the famous writers to stardom don’t see that difference themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486/35 "2014-10-07T20:13:46Z")
> [@FXMastermind](#): > > [20 Brilliant Authors Whose Work Was Initially Rejected](http://www.buzzfeed.com/stmartinspress/20-brilliant-authors-whose-work-was-initially-reje-7rut) > > “Dune by Frank Herbert was rejected 23 times before it was published.” What lists like that have to leave out, though, because it’s impossible to document, is the far greater percentage of execrable rubbish which was also rejected because it genuinely wasn’t publishable. It’s the Colombus Solecism: “they called Colombus crazy, and Colombus was right\*; they call me crazy, therefore I must be right too.” What it leaves out is that they called a lot more crazy people crazy too. \*Yeah, I know. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486/36 "2014-10-07T20:23:55Z")
> [@Reno\_Nevada](#): > > Reading that article makes me wonder what a publisher would do if he received a manuscript from an unknown name that was clearly recognized as 100% plagiarism. “Throw it away and don’t dignify it with a response” seems like a definite possibility. That would be my guess. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486/37 "2014-10-07T20:33:56Z")
> [@Don\_Simus](#): > > Of course? expertise exists. > > For example, at Mammoth Mountain they rate trails as beginner, intermediate, advanced, expert, and pro. This video I took on “expert” trail: > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoS54q5w4FQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoS54q5w4FQ) > > Anyone can see that this trail is not for beginners. > > In the case of abstract art, beginner level works are praised as masterpieces by art dealers. In other areas I have seen many times when two artists or writers are on the same “pro” level but one is famous and another unknown. I suspected that there may be a difference which I just don’t see. However those publishers who propelled the famous writers to stardom don’t see that difference themselves. And so it continues. :rolleyes: Anyone can see that Rothko is not for beginners 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Simus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@Don\_Simus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Simus)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486/38 "2014-10-07T23:13:48Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > And so it continues. :rolleyes: > > Anyone can see that Rothko is not for beginners 😃 Of course there are people who say that Rothko is wonderful. However scientific research shows that they can’t tell him from an clumsy work of a bored scientist. This is pretty much clear by now. An interesting new twist is that: I suspect that there are very very few people (may be nobody at all) who can ride that trail, the video of which I had posted, and also admire Rothko. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486/39 "2014-10-07T23:50:06Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > That would be my guess. The publisher would respond, simply to let the author know not to bother them any more. A lack of response could lead to queries about what was happening to their manuscript. So they would send a rejection to let them know you’re not interested and hope you go away. It’s also a courtesy. Suppose the writer actual does write a publishable novel in ten years. You don’t want to be the people who pissed him off. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486/40 "2014-10-08T00:07:35Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Oh yeah - drove book collectors crazy. Because Chilton wasn’t a traditional fiction publisher, they didn’t follow standard convention to mark a First Edition on the copyright page. So when Dune became popular, it was very difficult to figure out what was the true first. I think collector/dealer LW Currey was the one who stated that a first was identifiable by a combo of factors, including the number of cities listed on the Chilton imprint on the rear dustflap. Sheesh. Plus the original edition didn’t have the color spark plug diagnostic sheet or information on California models. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/publishers-rejected-classics-in-disguise/700486.md?page=3)