"Our reading period is mid-November to mid-January. All writers will be notified of their work by the end of March the following year." ok, does this mean March 2024 or March 2025????
Deadrats, in case I haven't mentioned it lately, I purely admire your dedication, perseverence, and constancy.
Rejections are no fun but once you start to get acceptances, the rejections become a bit easier to take. I have a friend who has started submitting things and is taking rejections very personally. He got a rejection from somewhere that accepted me, and will now hear no good about that publication as they rejected him. They said it wasn’t a good fit but he refuses to believe that and says they obviously just hated his story. He was surprised to have been rejected as he said he could see no reason his story wouldn’t be accepted. I have tried telling him this is normal but he won’t hear it, just blacklists the publications that reject him!
He's not going to get very far doing that. It's hard for writers, especially new writers, to understand that stories and articles are viewed by potential buyers as products.
Yeah, they're screwed with that attitude. It's a product like anything else. No different than trying to sell string cheese or a dildo on that business level.
I'm surprised every time a place doesn't reject me. It would do good if you could help your friend swap his way of thinking. One thing that might help is to encourage him to actually read some short story publications. This made me think no way can I actually do this like these authors, but it also made me sure want to try. And I think reading might just be the most important part of this process. If He's got a birthday or something coming up, give him a gift subscription to somewhere. It good end up having really great benefits to your friend as a short story writer and also just be a great read. Rejection is as hard as we let it be. When I have what I feel is a good story and it starts getting rejected by a few or a lot of places, I just feel like that's bringing me closer to where it actually belongs. Some stories I'll give up on along the way if I come to feel that they're not quite as good as I thought. Sometimes I'll put them through extensive revision before putting them back on submission. But, mostly, for my work that has been accepted it has just been a matter of matching it up with the right publication. That can me a little tricky and take some time, but when that is the case every rejection just brings me closer to getting that story in the hands of the right place. You have to keep submitting no matter how you feel about the rejection. I hope your friend knows or will come to know that. I know you've been with us a long time here on the rejection thread, @Woodstock Writer. Your friend is lucky to have you, knowing the ropes a bit more than he probably does. And also knowing rejection is really just part of all this. And that a lot of rejection is normal. And that it's also normal to actually expect a lot of rejection, A beginner just doesn't think that, ands if they do they seem to truly believe they will be the exception. Oh, silly, little submitters. We all learn, don't we?
Something happened. I almost want to smile, but I can't bring myself to mark it with that symbol. Not yet, at least. I just found out I've been nominated for a really big and prestigious award. I'm sort of floored by just being nominated. Not gonna lie, the money with this award would be awesome. This award doesn't directly involve publication, but I do think being a recipient of any big literary award kinda helps everything. I just can't believe it. I wish I had more people to tell. I'm not trying to brag, but nothing at this level has ever happened to me. And I am still talking about just being nominated. So, before winners are announced might be my only time to say I'm up for XXXXX and feel super good about myself. But also so humbled to have been nominated. This sort of thing makes me change the way I see myself as a writer. It feels like I'm allowed to take myself and my work more seriously. This is the best news that has come my way this year.
Reporting the facts is not bragging. Please, please, please tell us which one? Oh. Too modest? Too supertitious? I get it. But...
Now I'm imagining a line of dildos made from string cheese. Ugh, gross, but I suppose it could be a lucrative sideline or side dish in certain restaurants.
It's honestly one I had never heard of, but it seems like a pretty big deal. I'm really honored and touched to have been nominated. I only list the places that reject me here, but, who knows what will happen with the award. It's just really nice to have someone view your writing this way. I'm all about the small presses that nominate for big awards.
Heard back from The Fabulist Flash with my contract, apparently the initial mention of the payment on acceptance was an error and we get paid on publication instead, but it definitely says $100!
So, I was going through email to make sure I was caught up logging all my rejections and I realized a rejection I thought was a form was really one of the nicest personal rejections I've gotten. The first paragraph was like a form. But this was a 4-paragraph rejection. They said to keep sending this particular story out to places because someone will publish it. It sounds like it was sort of a split decision to reject it. And because of everything they said I really believe that they want to see more work from me. Knowing this story was so close helps me know what to send them next. Also, the rejection is signed by the fiction editor with his name as opposed to just "the editors." I must say that I think this was needed. I was planning on pulling this story when I heard from all the places it's currently at. But now I think I'm going to keep this one in my rotation and send it out to a few more places. As for the publication that rejected it (and let me down oh so easy) it's just too bad that their current submission window has closed. I am defiantly going to keep sending them stories. I've always seen my work sort of fitting in with them from reading their issues. I think they feel the same way. Now it's just a matter of getting them the right story at the right time. Just a note to all of you -- Make sure you read the whole rejection. I think a lot of personals (not all) can start out sounding like a form, but then they get into the specifics of your piece and can turn quite encouraging.
Is this just something they put at the end of form rejections? I mean, they aren't actually asking for more, right? "We wish you the best of luck with your writing. We hope you will consider submitting to us in the future."
I've seen that, and not seen that, on a bunch of rejections. They don't have to say it, and I imagine no editor is going to encourage more submissions from someone that's not likely to ever meet muster. It's not like they'll struggle for contributors. I'd take it for what it is, an encouragement that what you submitted had merit and suggestion that you, the writer, might be worth hearing from again.
Most of the time, it means they do want to see more. Generally, that's the wording of a higher-tier form rejection. If you submit to them again, be sure to mention they requested more of your work. If you're ever wondering if a form rejection is standard or higher tier, Rejection Wiki is a great place to look.
