[j. d. worthington]

I don't recall the particulars, but about 20-25 years ago, something very similar happened. A fellow who had received rejection after rejection finally copied almost verbatim a popular novel that had been a high-seller, and it went the rounds and collected rejection slips for quite a while, usually with some note saying it was a good book, but simply not the sort of thing that would sell, etc. Finally, someone spotted what it was, and got in touch with the man. He explained why he'd done it; intrigued, they took at look at his manuscript, and thought it stood a chance. While I don't believe it became an all-time bestseller, if I remember correctly, it did do rather well, and he never had trouble selling another book, last I'd heard.

This sort of thing happens periodically... what is surprising is that, whether it be a literary classic or a more recent best-seller, only one or two of the people it's submitted to even have a notion that it's a previously published and well-known book. I've got to admit that I'm curious as to why that is; is it because they read such a plethora of material that it simply doesn't stick? Or are they simply not that well-read except for the things submitted to them? Or...?