Why are writers special? Because, according to book commentator Michael Allen, we are prey to suffering "psychological and physical damage" from the great odds of professional failure. So read "On the Survival of Rats in the Slush Pile" with caution (maybe a lifejacket, or a friend) as Allen details your small odds of making through the slush pile, and ways of possibly doing so. Do him a favor and read it, because it took him a long time to write it and it's free. (PDF)