A. This is Pride and Prejudice, an extremely well-known novel. The fact that these agents and publishers can’t recognize something *that* well-known suggests that they may not have the background and skills to know a good book when they see it.

B. They are notoriously bad at being able to pick what will become bestsellers. I think Harry Potter, which is doing so well today, was rejected some 15 or 20 times before it found a–smaller–publisher. Now I’m wondering if some of the same people let that slip through their fingers too. (England is a small place after all.)

C. Jane Austen’s fanbase is easily as large as Harry Potter’s fanbase. They are still making movies of her books and writing sequels to her books and writing books about groups of people who read her books and MOVIES about groups of people who read her books. Believe me, if they found a new book of hers, the sales would be humongous. So to argue that she wouldn’t do well in today’s marketplace is–forgive me–kind of weak.

D. None of this changes the fact that when presented with top-notch writing, they apparently don’t recognize it as good enough to publish. As a writer, that’s something that offends me.

However, there has to be some perspective. I’m all but certain there was a gripe session by William Wordsworth about how the damned royal press had seemed to have all but forgotten about the brilliant works of former Poet Laureate Ben Johnson, who himself cried foul when that guy who ran the newfangled moveable printing press said that reprinting the works of Chaucer would not be profitable enough.

Business has always had a sinister symbiotic relationship with art, and this will not change. Jane Austen doesn’t sit on top of the New York Times best seller’s list. Harry Potter does. Agents and publishers are out there to make a living, just like writers. Their jobs aren’t just to assess talent, but also to judge what will command midnight book release parties, movie franchises, and Happy Meal toys. The English language is maleable, and so too is the interpretation of its mass appeal. Pride & Prejudice was published in 1816 not only because of it is a fine example of literature, but also because somebody figured they could make a few bucks.

One other thought. Were these manuscripts submitted to appropriate agents and publishers (aside from Penguin - that one is inexcusable)? Janet Evanovich’s publisher would probably no sooner consider a sample chapter from Pride & Prejudice than Pixar would consider the script for Citizen Kane.