I think I might have done something very stupid on Twitter. Last week I tweeted the real meaning of phrases that publishers use when rejecting authors under the hashtag #publishingeuphemisms and deciphered glib phrases such as: "this is too literary for our list" (it's boring); "the novel never quite reached the huge potential of its promise" (your pitch letter was better than the book); and "sadly we are publishing a book similar to this next spring" (it too has a beginning, middle and end).
As Twitter responded with more of the hidden language that gets publishers through their day, it became funnier and truer. It even spread to the US with comments such as: "You should join Twitter" (we are not spending a dime on your publicity).
I'm on Twitter to de-mystify the publishing process, but later that day, an author came in to discuss her new novel and I found myself stumbling over my words. I had robbed myself of my tools. But it was strangely liberating.
