Slush pile

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In publishing, the slush pile is the set of unsolicited manuscripts either sent directly to the publisher by authors, or sent through an agent not known to the publisher.

Sifting through the slush pile is often a job (called "publisher's reader" or "first reader") given to young assistants to the editors. If they find something interesting there and can persuade a more senior editor to consider it, they may get some credit for themselves, especially if it is subsequently published and sells respectably.

Many publishers around the world officially do not accept unsolicited manuscripts. However, in practice, editors will briefly look at most submissions for fear of missing the "next big thing".