Yes, I know that headline exceeds the ! point limit. Deal.
Here’s a rumor I’ve been hearing:
Traditional publishers are having a harder time finding good projects. Some are opening up to unagented submissions after years of being closed. And, for the projects they’re getting, they’re not as good as they used to be. The quality is lower.
It’s a rumor, so who knows. But if it’s true, you know why? Because the midlist has walked in numbers sufficient to have an impact. Authors good enough to sell a project to NY are looking at the numbers and terms and saying, why would I do that?