I sent a query into a game magazine, for a nice long article in a theme issue. Got a message back a few hours later saying that it was a really good idea, but the theme issue was full and it wouldn't fit in any other issues. Fortunately for my self esteem, the editor said he liked it and would like to hear more queries from me. So its too bad I didn't get the job, but I have my foot in his door at least.
Good to hear! Rejection is part of the process, at least they kind about it. This was my first rejection letter (the story was later accepted by another publisher).
Domo, that is an awesome rejection. And Kyle, I can't believe anyone would try to be so unprofessional with a rejection letter.
Kyle that had to hurt. I know some rejections can be bad, but that was very unprofessional. Glad you sold it later. And Rei, I was actually happy with the response, I immediately looked back over their themes for upcoming magazines and started coming up with ideas. Nothings really gelling yet, but it will come. Cheers
Domoviye, your rejection letter did indeed sound like the "we can't use this one, but we think you have promise, and would like to see you submit something else" variety. Kyle, I agree with the others, that the letter you recieved was mean-spirited and completely unprofessional. It reflects more on that submissions editor than on you.
Editors don't often invite work from writers they don't want to hear from anymore, although I have seen some rejections that are sufficiently ambiguous to at least maintain consumer interest in their magazines. I'd follow up his invitation pretty quickly with another query if I had reason to believe he might've meant it (a handwritten note, maybe, appended to a form rejection? e.g.).
I really don't agree that this is unprofessional. In my view, it's far better than a rejection that says nothing substantive at all about the reason for rejection. This editor has given both pluses and minuses and has been specific. You can't often expect even that from a busy editor. Yes, it reflects the editor more than your story. And, as you discovered from your subsequent acceptance, this doesn't mean another editor will share the same opinion. I've had acceptances where some editors were quite critical in comparison to others. Discovering that editors can read the same thing differently is, itself, a valuable lesson many writers never learn. I dunno. I'd rather have a reason for rejection (however badly worded) than to have a form letter that just says no thanks (or even, for that matter, an acceptance that says nothing).
Sorry D. Sounds like they like your work though. If you could, I would try to think of something else that might interest them and send another query. Kyle, that was a very mean letter. Sorry!
Don't wait...submit it to his closest competitor magazine. I sold a number of articles that way when I was writing for the fishing industry magazines.
This would normally be a really good idea, but there is a problem. Its a game magazine. Their few competitors are much more interested in articles that encourage their own rules system, my article was much more general and didn't deal with a specific game system. I'll still look for another area for the article, but it won't be easy. Also since I thought of it in 10 minutes and took another 10 writing it down, it did its job of getting the editors attention. If it had been accepted I'd have used information I'd collected for a novel idea that eventually went in the trash. So I really didn't have anything invested in the article. I got the rejection letter this morning, and after a lot more thought I just sent in another query. It concerns psychic powers and the CIA, for an upcoming magazine of theirs with psychics as the theme. So I'm acting as quickly as I reasonably can. Thanks for the kind words everyone, I'll keep you posted. Edit: No hand written note, it was all done by e-mail and took about 6 hours for the editor to get it, look it over and reply. Here is his reply at the end of the letter: "Still, please feel free to submit queries for future issues. Currently, everything after the Space Exploration issue is wide open... although, obviously, issues fill as time goes by." I'm encouraged by it.
Your first rejection letter! Wow! Frame it - it's the first step to sucsess. Now I'm dissapointed I haven't recieved a rejection letter yet...
It would have been tempting to write back and thank them for their comma splice (Thank you for your submission, we are rejecting it).
This is my first rejection, the other places I've sent queries to never bothered to reply. As for the second query it was just accepted. So I'm free to write it up and send it in. Than hopefully they'll publish it and pay me. Cheers
"Thank you for your comma splice, I am enjoying it." I doubt you could get away with that unless you were already pretty well-known on the circuit, though.
Just a suggest, you might want to check out some teen mags. Sometimes they take that kind of thing. Or even a tech mag, you never know. I don't know the exact theme of the article, so I can't say for sure where it will fit. Sometimes you have to get creative when you think about markets though.
It would have been about Amerindian towns in North America (not counting Mexico) right before the Spanish came along. Focusing on how they can be used in various games. With work it might be suitable for some children/teen magazines about history, but like I said it was just a quick idea with the research from other areas. I'm not that concerned about. But because of that query I now get to write an article about psychics in the CIA. That one will probably be rewritten and expanded to fit into a paranormal magazine.
It's not the fact that it offered specific comments, but the attitude with which is gave them. I've been critiqued by professionals several times, and they were never this rude when pointing out weaknesses.
You're absolutely right, to the extent that part of being "professional" is to be polite, although I think that care with language on the part of editors is not always demonstrated. The contrast I was thinking of was more the comparison between form rejections that may or may not even include the author's name (correctly spelled or otherwise) and examples I've seen where the story title wasn't even entered in the space designated "story title"--or worse, the absence of any response whatsoever--all of which I think is less professional than revealing one's own "atittude" about the writing. Being more selective about the editors we choose to work with is certainly something to consider. Ignoring those who have an "unprofessional" demeanor in their rejections goes a long way toward showing professionalism on the part of the writer. May we all be as fortunate as you have been and as strong as others like LordKyle who are able to succeed in any case. Thank you for reminding us that many editors can be exceptionally helpful and that publishing is a joint venture that requires some effort, common sense, and courtesy on both sides.
