Is it silly to decide not to approach a publisher whose own stories you'd read and found to be badly written? Would it put you off? Or doesn't it matter if the other writers the press publishes do write well enough?

Hello again, Becca, this is a good question. If the publisher was publishing good work by others, then no, I wouldn't be put off. I'd simply take it as a sign that s/he was more talented as a publisher than as an author. Just as Bernard Haitink is a better conductor than violinist (so he says).

Adele

I guess he might be able to judge what was good, even if he couldn't manage it himself.

Exactly. Those who can do etc etc

I once met an agent who took a year off to write a novel and said what she wrote was crap. But she is a highly respected agent.

I think it would depend whether the publisher published his/her own stories. If so, and they were crap, then I wouldn't feel too confident. Surely a publishing company is judged by the books it issues? If they were self published or short stories in magazines etc. and the publishing house list was of a high standard then it wouldn't put me off. I'd respect the publisher for trying and hope that he/she would have learnt what it was like from the other side and would be more amenable to an unpublished writer.
Sue
PS - could I have used the word publish in any more forms do you think?

Sue, yes. A publishing house is judged by the work it publishes, but I've been looking at other writers'work published by the same company, I think it's written well enough, but I am still a little put off, I can't help suspecting their grasp on things.
Becca.

Recently, I was talking to an editor who works for a publisher that turned down 'Artemis Fowl' because it was badly written (in my view it is very badly written). I asked her why she thought it had sold so well. She said because the publisher decided to hype it, throw a lot of money at promoting it, give it a glossy cover, etc. Who publishes Artemis Fowl? Puffin, who of course also publish some of the very best children's writers of all time. So, we're probably back to the old 'art' vs 'commercialism' argument again and I guess most large publishers simply don't bother arguing but put out books in both camps (although it does seem as if one of those is expanding by the minute at the expense of the other).

Becca, Yes i do complain to publishers.
I get books by a certain publisher, who ask me what i think and I often say this is not worth the paper its printed on.
Some writers seem to do the same tale in a different country and think the readers don't notice.
If more people complained,more would be done.
xx Alice

If I read a book that was badly written I'd send my stuff to that publisher straight away as they'd not notive my many many mistakes and lack of talent!

Publish and be damned!

In football, a referee runs around following the ball, making sure that the play is fair, within the set rules, and that the players behave in an appropriate manner.

The footballers therefore dance to the tune of the referee, who likely only referees because he can't play for s***.

Hi Alice, this was more about my hesitating to approach a publisher with my own work after I'd read his work published in his own publishing house and thought it bad.
James, it means he wouldn't be very discerning about the work he took in wouldn't it?
IB, Yes, good point, but this is a referee who is playing.
Becca.

I wouldn;t be surprised to see a referee playing sunday league football, either...

Becca send your work off.
If it gets sent back send it again and again to different publishers.
My first novel was written over 30 years ago.
Called ROOVACRAG.
Still got it under my desk,unpublished because i gave up.

I'd be slightly put off, but probably send it anyway. It could just be down to personal taste, or your book might be the one they've been waiting for.

James x