Editing Slush pile (section)

{{Multiple issues|
{{update|date=August 2018}}
{{unreliable sources|date=August 2018}}
}}
{{Short description|Unsolicited, unpublished, and unwanted letters or manuscripts sent to a publisher}}

In [[publishing]], a '''slush pile''' is a set of unsolicited [[query letter]]s or [[manuscript]]s that have either been directly sent to a publisher by an [[author]], or which have been delivered via a [[literary agent]] representing the author who may or may not be familiar to the publisher.<ref>[[Mike Resnick|Resnick, Mike]]. "Editor's Page: 'Slush'" ''Jim Baen's Universe'' v.2, #2 (August 2007){{cite web |url=http://baens-universe.com/articles/Editorial__Vol_2__Number_2__Slush |title=Slush, by Mike Resnick &#124; Columns &#124; Jim Baen's Universe |access-date=2009-03-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228021718/http://baens-universe.com/articles/Editorial__Vol_2__Number_2__Slush |archive-date=2009-02-28 }}</ref> The responsibility of sifting through slush piles is usually reserved either to editor assistants or to outside contractors called [[publisher's reader]]s or "first readers". If the reader finds something of interest and can convince a senior editor to accept it, they may earn credit.

Most agents and major publishing houses do not accept unsolicited manuscripts and slush piles are on average usually regarded as undesirable in many literary circles due to the large number of both aspiring and former writers who often produce content of unsatisfactory quality.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.agentquery.com/writer_la.aspx|title=AgentQuery|accessdate=24 October 2011}}</ref> However, this is not always the case with many [[Small press|smaller publishers]] or independent editors who are often open to both inexperienced and formerly established writers—both of whom may be able to create original content for the publisher and potentially turn a profit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.agentquery.com/publishing_ip.aspx|title=AgentQuery|accessdate=24 October 2011}}</ref>

In 2008, [[HarperCollins]] introduced a website, [[authonomy]], to manage and exploit the slush pile from a web-based perspective, but it was closed in 2015 because writers were gaming the system.<ref>{{cite web |title=Authonomy writing community closed by HarperCollins |date=2015-08-20 |website=[[The Guardian]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404191950/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/20/authonomy-writing-community-closed-by-harpercollins |archive-date=2023-04-04 |url-status=live |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/20/authonomy-writing-community-closed-by-harpercollins}}</ref> Website [[Youwriteon]] acts as a slush pile filter for [[Random House]], [[Orion Publishing Group]] and [[Bloomsbury Publishing]].<ref>{{cite web|publisher=YouWriteOn|url=http://www.youwriteon.com|title=YouWriteOn}}</ref>