Some people are brain dead, or close to it.

I receive many submissions for 4RV Publishing. Most submitters are polite, looking for a home for their manuscripts. Most go to our website and follow our submission guidelines, like people do who really want to be accepted by a publisher or agent.

However, some people don't believe rules apply to them, or only the rules they choose to follow do. They are the ones who send back a reply to an email stating that submissions not following the guidelines are automatically rejected. Some of these responses show that the senders are brain dead or close to it. I'm cussed by email because I follow "petty" rules rather than recognizing the great American novel.

The latest automatic rejection, which stated we expected submissions to follow the guidelines and which included a link to the guidelines, triggered the following reply, "So you will let a great novel slip by because of some silly rule?"

I didn't send a response, but if I had, I would have said, "So you will allow your ego and lack of brains keep your novel from being considered? Now who or what is silly?"

I just don't understand. Don't writers realize that they need publishers or agents more than publishers or agents need them? 4RV has at least forty submissions for each opening in our schedule. People who refuse to follow the guidelines give us a quick and easy way to reject something (which is something even the major agents and publishers do).

Currently, almost all traditional publishing houses are cutting back on the number of manuscripts they accept. Yet, apparently the zombies walk -- guess it is the season -- or write. Why wouldn't any writer want to do anything and everything possible to make a good impression if he wants to have a chance to be published? What makes people think they are doing publishers or agents a favor by submitting?

I don't have an answer.

What happened to good writing manners?

As the head of 4RV Publishing I see messages and submissions from all kinds and types. Some submissions are well-written and acceptable; others aren't.

Most submitters follow the guidelines and work hard to have an acceptable submission; others have ideas of grandeur and believe their work is so wonderful that they don't have to follow the "rules."

Every rejected submission from us includes an evaluation to help the writer know some of the improvements needed, to help writers. A few thank us for our help, although thanks are not expected. We want to help, and a form rejection is no help.

However, in the past six months, two rejected submissions resulted in arguments from the submitters. I was called petty because we expected the submitter to follow the guidelines. He kept arguing about his "rights" to submit whatever and however he wanted because his novel would be so wonderful. The other person who threw an email temper tantrum actually used profanity because I didn't have the right to reject his work, I was being too picky. When I started searching to find out more about the second person, I discovered that he hadn't even bothered to follow the guidelines. He could have been rejected immediately without an editor evaluating his manuscript.

I can't believe the lack of good writing manners. I do not have to give a reason for rejecting anything. I pay the bills and take the risks, not the immature wanna-be-authors. 4RV is "nice" enough to help by sending an evaluation.

By the way, any editors or publishing houses out there who want more information about the two brats, just email me.



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