0 a pile of manuscripts (= early versions) of books that have been sent by writers to a publisher and that will probably n+ot be published: --
She also read the slush piles for all the magazines, and was quickly given more responsibility.
Hence, an unknown writer whose unsolicited work had been drawn from the slush pile, could be selected for publication based on literary merit, not just because of an established reputation.
In addition to writing, he worked at various times as a hospital orderly, computer consultant, slush pile reader, and copy editor.
But we do not actively search through the slush pile for anything but good writing.
