Conversations in the Book Trade

Catheryn Kilgarriff -- publisher (Marion Boyars) talks to Conversations in the Book Trade

Many major publishers now refuse to accept "unsolicited" work; that is, they will not even consider work unless it is agented. Is this a sound policy from point of view of finding the best new literary voices? Isn't there a chance good writing will be squeezed out?

We have only taken one novel from the slush pile – a very good Irish writer living in Canada called Gerard Beirne. His novel, THE ESKIMO IN THE NET. If it had got onto a good prize long list, it would have done better.