Welcome to my perfumed garden

To illustrate the vale of tears you enter when you try to get anything published these days, one David Lassman sent the first chapters of some of Jane Austen's works to literary agents and publishers. Not only did they not want to publish them - in all fairness, the 200 year-old style might have put more than a few off - only one recognised the plagarism.

This does not fill one with confidence - but then I've been at this game for years and I know what it's like; I could fit a new novel on the backs of the rejections I've had - just got a bright shiny new one this morning!