It's not silly at all! Most people on this forum aren't submitting, but when we are there are threads about it (mostly our progress journals, which maybe you don't see). I moan endlessly about the submissions process; sometimes it's all that keeps me sane.
A little venting never hurts. Rejection is part of life as a writer, but it sure as hell isn't an easy part.
I don't know if going through the MFA program really has anything at all to do with getting published in the Antioch Review. And I'm not just saying that because I'm stupid (LOL). I really am serious. I don't know that any/all MFAs give you a prep for that sort of thing. Lord...the creative writing I took sure didn't. I don't think it's foolish at all to bring it up. If it bothers you, you should talk about it. At the very least you find out people care about how you feel and try to help you and at least pick up a little human warmth and sympathy.
The only thing that keeps me sane is seeing how many tic-tacs I can fit in my left ear. If you're wondering: 6.
I haven't submitted via email to any major publications yet or even a manuscript but I have submitted poetry works and all of them have been denied. Most recently, I submitted three poems to IndianaReview and even paid a fee of 20$ to get it through but no luck either.. But I'm 25 and I don't see myself putting any effort into anything else but this so I'm in for the long haul.
The reason I pursued an MFA was to write for these sort of places. I wanted to write stories like the ones I love reading so much. Obviously, there are no guarantees, but I do think my chances are much better now. I would like to hope so, but who knows? It's really tough out there. I think mentioning an MFA in a cover letter just shows that this is something you take seriously and it shows that you already got through the gatekeepers at one level to get into the program. Of course, having a book published or having already sold stories to publications that are equally as good can hold more weight than the degree, but I don't have those thing. I don't think anyone needs an MFA to write at all, but it's something I really wanted to do. It was something I felt would help me as a writer, and it did take my writing to another level. I wasn't bad before, but I'm a better writer now. I think when someone mentions in a cover letter that they have an MFA, things get read a little closer. I know from working for journals, usually when someone said they had an MFA in their cover letter, the writing was clean and the stories tended to be a little better. I do know most of those were still rejected.
You must have entered a contest because Indiana Review doesn't charge reading fees for general submissions last time I checked, anyway. And reading fees are never that high unless it's for a contest. I would be quite happy with something in there. It's a good journal.
what is MFA ? (Masters of Fine arts ? ) - I feel like i'm missing something as we don't really have that over here (our masters programs are generally MSc or Ma)
Do they ? that's passed me by ( I have an MSc from UCL and about 3/5s of an MBA from EBS ) , its not something I've really given much thought , mind you the sort of thing I tend to write isn't likely to make it into a littrary review anyway (FHM or Penthouse on the other hand.... )
Yeah, they're there. But I agree, they aren't likely something you'd find if you weren't looking for them, not anywhere.
I just got another rejection. This one said the editors were split on their decision. I don't know how to feel about that. This is the closest I've come to publishing in a really big place like this that I've ever been made aware of. But it's still a cold, hard rejection. I'm not sure being almost good enough is any better than completely sucking.
Was there any other feedback? That actually sounds like a rejection where they might be willing to give you some ideas, since it was so close...
There was literally nothing. Nothing said about what they liked or why it was a split decision, just that it was. I think that's part of the reason this feels a little hard to process. Why wouldn't they say any more than that? I know editors at these places work hard and are busy, but how much time would it have really taken to give me a little more than that? I'm talking a sentence or two.
If I were you, I think this time I would contact them - thanks for the time, really encouraging to know I almost got it, but discouraging to not know what to improve. Any chance of some feedback? They'll probably decline, but I don't think they'd blackball you or anything, so... nothing to lose?
As much as I would like to do that, it goes against everything I've been told. Also, I wouldn't know who to contact exactly. It was signed "the editors." And if they wanted to say more, they would have. I just really don't want to seem unprofessional in any way. But it is frustrating. Truth is, even if they had said any more, I probably wouldn't know what to do with that information.
Asking once, politely, is not unprofessional. Asking repeatedly would be unprofessional, or demanding would be unprofessional, but asking isn't. Really.
Was it a paper rejection? If e-mailed, you could just hit "reply". I agree with @Tenderiser that a politely worded, single request isn't unprofessional. I mean, I don't write literary AND I don't submit to journals, so I'm not an expert. But it really seems like it should be okay, given that they said they were torn...
But I have no idea how or who to even ask. It was just signed "the editors." And I really wouldn't be comfortable tracking down an editor's email, guessing on who to contact, and bothering them with this when I know that I am unlikely to get any kind of response. And I just can't imagine anything they could say even being much help. Anyway, I the way most of these places operate is through a submission manager. You simply can't respond like if it had come from an editor's email. It's a little different. Maybe that means I really wasn't that close. Man, I feel really bummed about this.
Sorry to hear about your latest rejection. Yeah, it sucks when you don't know why you were rejected. (I was once rejected because I submitted a book that I'd self published the previous year (go figure!).) The only advice I have, is, don't you dare give up! (((hugs)))
