Melville House Books

During my brief reign over the slush pile at Verso, and a more prolonged period as Commissioning Editor at The Drawbridge, I have, reluctantly, become used to writing rejection letters. As an “emerging” writer myself, I know the pain of receiving them, so I tend to err on the side of benevolence. “Dear Mr. X, thank you for sending us a proporal for your book, Is He Cheating? How to Catch Him in the Act. Unfortunately, as a radical left wing publisher, we do not have any space on our list for books about adultery. Perhaps you should research your targets more thoroughly ….” My own efforts have not always met with such kindness. The other day, I submitted a piece to Private Eye, the British satirical news magazine. I didn’t really think they’d buy it, so I wasn’t to despondent at the response. More haiku than missive, it combined brevity with courtesy: Thanks for sending; sorry not to use.”