I keep a list of lit mags who have sent me 'positive rejections'. My story might not be a good fit for them RIGHT NOW, but they liked it, they liked the plot/characters/writing and encourage me to submit to them again in the future.
Rejects are the name of the game and you just have to have a thick skin and a morbid sense of humor. Life is too short to fret over it, even if it is one story that's been rejected 20 times. Maybe that 21st submission will be accepted.
When I got my first rejection letter from an agent, it was kind and seemed as though it has been written specifically for me. It was my first and — yes — I sat there and cried. What did I think? I was going to be accepted by the first agent that read my work? (Silly me!) As I received more and more (and more) rejections (even got one yesterday and one the day before that) I realised that they say the same thing, use the same chunks of language. I don’t know how to make sense of any of it. Their stock response juxtaposed against my careful honing of each query letter, the sometimes-feeling I get that perhaps my work isn’t good enough, and that maybe I should just throw it all in. But as The Crazy Cat Lady Writes says, you do have to have a morbid sense of humor and grow a thick skin.
After a while, I realized that rejections are the norm - not just for me, but for any writer. I've had stacks of them over the years. I stopped taking it personally a long time ago. Submitting a MS is like fishing. Sometimes they are biting, sometimes they just are not. All the rejections make that one acceptance that much sweeter! I remember running around my neighborhood one time yelling " I got in! I got in! I got in!" I figured finally my genius had been recognized. ha ha ha. Thanks for caring enough to write this post, Erica. Beautifully said.
Rejections are hard to handle, I wouldn’t want to be in your position for sure. All I can say, the nicest ones I received (and when I read them, I remember thinking “what a cute rejection!”) were kind, insightful, specific (I could tell they had really read it beyond the first paragraph) and constructive (they mentioned both something good and bad) and motivating.
This is interesting what you are doing- it looks like the first 7 days of each month are open for submission. Might I ask what are the parameters- length, subject matter, form (poetry, prose, memoir, essay, etc)? If you have answered such questions previously my apologies for missing it! Thank you 😊😊
You ask a great question. I should account for these answers in the Submissions Open posts that are sent every 1st of the month. I will make sure to add these answers for anyone who may ask as well.
I really should’ve had these answers there in the first place! Thank you!
To answer your questions: Microfiction, anything under 500 words. Some of us like to writes stories that are a specific word count (6, 50, 100, etc). The forms we accept are any kind that are FICTION (poetry & prose). Any genre.
My best selling book was rejected by 20 publishers. I finally got a yes along with an $800 advance. The book has sold over 1 million copies.
Rejections work!
I keep a list of lit mags who have sent me 'positive rejections'. My story might not be a good fit for them RIGHT NOW, but they liked it, they liked the plot/characters/writing and encourage me to submit to them again in the future.
Rejects are the name of the game and you just have to have a thick skin and a morbid sense of humor. Life is too short to fret over it, even if it is one story that's been rejected 20 times. Maybe that 21st submission will be accepted.
When I got my first rejection letter from an agent, it was kind and seemed as though it has been written specifically for me. It was my first and — yes — I sat there and cried. What did I think? I was going to be accepted by the first agent that read my work? (Silly me!) As I received more and more (and more) rejections (even got one yesterday and one the day before that) I realised that they say the same thing, use the same chunks of language. I don’t know how to make sense of any of it. Their stock response juxtaposed against my careful honing of each query letter, the sometimes-feeling I get that perhaps my work isn’t good enough, and that maybe I should just throw it all in. But as The Crazy Cat Lady Writes says, you do have to have a morbid sense of humor and grow a thick skin.
After a while, I realized that rejections are the norm - not just for me, but for any writer. I've had stacks of them over the years. I stopped taking it personally a long time ago. Submitting a MS is like fishing. Sometimes they are biting, sometimes they just are not. All the rejections make that one acceptance that much sweeter! I remember running around my neighborhood one time yelling " I got in! I got in! I got in!" I figured finally my genius had been recognized. ha ha ha. Thanks for caring enough to write this post, Erica. Beautifully said.
Rejections are hard to handle, I wouldn’t want to be in your position for sure. All I can say, the nicest ones I received (and when I read them, I remember thinking “what a cute rejection!”) were kind, insightful, specific (I could tell they had really read it beyond the first paragraph) and constructive (they mentioned both something good and bad) and motivating.
I am sure I saw it before but couldn’t find it- thanks so much, I’ve got it now and looking forward to submitting next month! 😊😊🙏🏼
This is interesting what you are doing- it looks like the first 7 days of each month are open for submission. Might I ask what are the parameters- length, subject matter, form (poetry, prose, memoir, essay, etc)? If you have answered such questions previously my apologies for missing it! Thank you 😊😊
You ask a great question. I should account for these answers in the Submissions Open posts that are sent every 1st of the month. I will make sure to add these answers for anyone who may ask as well.
I really should’ve had these answers there in the first place! Thank you!
To answer your questions: Microfiction, anything under 500 words. Some of us like to writes stories that are a specific word count (6, 50, 100, etc). The forms we accept are any kind that are FICTION (poetry & prose). Any genre.