Good news, perhaps, for would-be authors who fear their work has been forever lost in the hard-copy slush pile ("Oops, I seem to have filed the unsolicited manuscripts in the recycling bin!"), for with the launch of HarperCollins' Authonomy, the pile not only goes online, it goes (apparently) democratic.
Officially, Authonomy is a "social network for writers and book-lovers alike". Just as MySpace allowed bands to succeed without the prior approval and investment of record companies, so Authonomy will theoretically help separate the unpublished wheat from the chaff. The idea is that aspirant scribes can upload up to 10,000 words to the site and then have their masterworks judged by what HarperCollins refers to as "keen, talent-spotting readers" - other people, that is, who have registered on the network.
Thus, the democracy. No longer will the disgruntled writing masses be able to complain that their work has not been published because it has been vetoed by elite, snobbish publishing industry professionals. Now they will be kyboshing each other. (Or launching each other's careers.) Of course, this isn't remotely the first time a social network for writers has been launched - there are numerous sites on which thousands of people upload their work and have it critiqued by others. YouWriteOn.com (funded by the Arts Council) and thefrontlist.com have both been used as sources for new material by agents and publishers, although only to a limited extent.
But I remain unsure whether this really provides a great service for writers or whether it will level the playing field. I imagine that the hearts of those behind Authonomy are in the right place, but it's hard to ignore the suspicion that what they are really doing is outsourcing the unlovely task of sluicing through the slush pile. Of course, outsourcing is totally within publishers' (and agents') rights. Reading and responding to the slush pile doesn't generally make them any money, with the cost of the time spent most likely outweighing any profit made from finding a very, very occasional diamond amongst all the rough.
Being realistic, I think Authonomy may end up being a nice polite way for the publishers to say that they're not accepting unsolicited submissions anymore. If the launch goes well, I'd wager that anyone asking about submissions will be directed to hit the site, keeping editors' (and editorial assistants') desks clear for them to get on with the books agents have sent them, the ones they are genuinely interested in.
The official line is that the most popular books will be considered for publication, but a guarantee of consideration (the promise of an actual rejection letter!) is not a very fulsome commitment, is it? It will be interesting to see whether the pressure of the masses will be enough to make HarperCollins actually go to print with anything - especially since the masses will only be reading the first eighth of a book, which may not live up to its promise after the 10,000th word. Just ask anyone who had the misfortune to read my first (and last) attempt at a novel.
