A bit late discovering this post, but Merrie Haskell first makes all kinds of behind-the-scenes library work sound surprisingly interesting and then ties the idea of “process” work to publishing:
I learned how processes work. How production works. I learned how to do knowledge work, information work at production work speeds.
And that is also how I learned why it’s important to follow publishing guidelines–for agents, for editors, for contests, for slush piles. . .
Even more than that, the slush pile cost-benefit ratio is way lower than the line at Blimpy’s or my queue of incoming requests. At least each burger at Blimpy nets them some profit. At least each request we process in interlibrary loan brings the department $15. The last time I heard an agent express how many gems they found in the slush each year? It was like… 5. Five new authors in a year. Out of hundreds of requests a day.
It’s an interesting post, and includes a moral. Read the whole thing.
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