Publishers fail to identify classic literature

Have you ever wondered if well-known, classic authors would be able to get published today? One man attempted to find out for himself. David Lassman tried an experiment where he would send out manuscripts of some of Jane Austen’s most timeless work, with a few minor changes. The experiment’s premise is that in todays publishing world, where blockbusters and marketability are everything, someone like Austen wouldn’t stand a chance of landing a publishing contract. Here’s what happened:

After making only minor changes, he sent off opening chapters and plot synopses to 18 of the UK’s biggest publishers and agents. He was amazed when they all sent the manuscripts back with polite but firm "no-thank-you’s" and almost all failed to spot that he was ripping off one of the world’s most famous literary figures.

Now remember that Jane Austen isn’t only known to the literary elite. And as the article from the Guardian Unlimited points out, her books have withstood the test of time and have sold millions of copies. Not to mention all the movie adaptations made from her writing. Jane Austen is definitely a literary powerhouse.

Yet the largest publishing houses in the UK failed to recognize these famous works, let-alone recognize someone had blatantly plaigarised her work by passing it off as his own.

Lassman even tried sending in one of Austen’s most famous works "Pride and Prejudice". But the result was still the same and the rejections continued to pour in:

Then he played his trump card, sending off Pride and Prejudice, calling it First Impressions, again an early title Austen had used for it. The names of the main characters and places were changed, but with no great guile.

The article continues, explaining he didn’t even change the famous opening line:

And he did not change the opening line, one of the most famous in world literature: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

The end result didn’t change:

Still the deception was not spotted and the rejection letters thudded on to Mr Lassman’s doormat, most notably one from Penguin. Its letter read: "Thank you for your recent letter and chapters from your book First Impressions. It seems like a really original and interesting read."

So what gives? How can this happen? Don’t we expect publishing editors and literary agents to be well read? After all, they are deciding what we read and what we don’t – I sure hope they’re well read! One theory I have is that editors and agents are so overworked and swamped with manuscripts from authors vying for a very limited number of slots in the book publishing business, that they simply did not take the time to notice what Lassman had done.

But is being overworked really an excuse? Perhaps not. The worst case scenario is that the editors and agents simply did not recognize Mr. Lassman’s manuscript as the work of Jane Austen. It went right over their heads.

I can easily forgive an agent or editor for not wanting to publish a work because it doesn’t fit their needs. After all, they have a constant finger on the pulse of the publishing industry, and they know what the current trends are. Some books just don’t fit with a publisher’s vision at a particular time. Manuscripts are rejected every day by the thousands for this very reason.

But what is harder to forgive is not recognizing the manuscript as the work of a classic. And, not calling out Mr. Lassman for his dishonesty and fraud. Obviously, since this was just an experiment on Lassman’s part, the worst that would happen would be that the publishers would just waste needless time dealing with the issue.

This experiment, no matter how you interpret the end results, raises questions about the publishing industry today that is feeding the public books. The biggest question I have is: are they actually reading the manuscripts? I have always maintained that every manuscript submitted, whether it’s to a big-house publisher or a small literary magazine, deserves a fair and honest reading. Nothing more, but certainly nothing less.

Check out the Guardian Unlimited article here:
The author and the Austen plot that exposed publishers’ pride and prejudice

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