My good friend's novel was recently rejected from several top publishers. He is an excellent writer and should be on the bestseller list with all the greats. However, my friend has one major flaw -- he is a brilliant Chinese novelist, not a brilliant white novelist. Here are some of the comments that were given to his agent:
"The novel was a fascinating take on Asian American culture. We were very impressed by his poignant and humorous story. However, we are currently publishing the books of 'Famous Asian' writer so we believe there may be some overlap if we take this book on. We wish 'Asian Friend' all the very best in his writing endeavors."
The "Famous Asian" writer wrote tear-jerking literary novels about being tortured under Chairman Mao. My friend's novel was a contemporary comedy on growing up as an Asian- American.