I know, I know. You're probably thinking that maybe my book just isn't that good.

That's what I'd think if someone told me that she or he had written a book that kept getting rejected.

I don't think that’s it, though. Maybe mine is a book with an unusual premise. A book that won't appeal to everyone. A book that won't top any bestseller list. But in my time, I've written a whole lot of this and that, and I believe that I'm able to distinguish between my more mediocre writing and the real thing.

 If only there were some way to

establish that a literary work has merit—kind of like a polygraph test. Not scientific enough for its results to be admissible in a court of law, but still somehow compelling.

I was thinking maybe this could be another use of apple cider vinegar. It’s one of those be-all, do-all substances—a swallow can cure a belly ache; a smear of it on the skin can test a friend’s loyalty. Would I gulp some down then read through the whole book? Or should I dribble a small amount on the first sentence of each chapter and wait for the wet spot to turn red? I’d hate to experiment, though, and ruin all those pages. One photocopy of a novel manuscript costs about twenty bucks.

Better, I think, just to trust myself.