frustrations of the nearly man

You're probably knowing on the door. The only way to know for sure is to keep submitting and see what happens.

Seriously, if they're asking for more of your work, they're not just being nice. You didn't make it either because the big cheese wasn't interested or because all the spots for the coming releases are already taken. Keep at it!

Stijn Hommes said:

Seriously, if they're asking for more of your work, they're not just being nice. You didn't make it either because the big cheese wasn't interested or because all the spots for the coming releases are already taken. Keep at it!

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This.

Keep going. I know it's tough, but you'll get there.

Stijn Hommes said:

Seriously, if they're asking for more of your work, they're not just being nice. You didn't make it either because the big cheese wasn't interested or because all the spots for the coming releases are already taken. Keep at it!

Click to expand...

Ditto.

Jerry, I've had a similar experience. Just keep trying to improve your craft. Take another look at those stories; maybe they can be improved.

This is a good thing. You've got something to work with. You're doing good apprentice work; keep at it, keep trying to make each piece better and you'll get to journeyman level -- and start getting acceptances. That's the road that leads you to master status by many steps.

At least, that's philosophy I'm working with.

I feel your pain. It feels good to reach a level where you start to get beyond the quick form rejections, but in today's short story market you feel the editors are really able to pull from the top of the cream and your still in the milk.

I just submitted a horror story that I have submitted to twelve places. When I checked my saved reject pile to make sure I wasn't resubmitting it to a market, I saw this story has had personal rejections from almost every publication it has been seen by all saying good, but ..... And some of these were professional level.

All you can do is accept that you are getting better, enjoy writing, and look forward to seeing more accepted. That's what I'm trying to do.

The only thing I can add is that at least with short fiction, you can progress to professional status fairly quickly. When you look at your submission pile and see older stories that maybe you are tired of rewriting and sending out, you could consider sending those to small, new web zines, even non-paying markets, just for the cred. It helps a little.

You are very lucky you are developing good relations with editors. That will pay off.

Jerry,

Writers typically get mountains of rejections, and we seldom report how many we really get. Sometimes we go on cold streaks that can get very ugly, and sometimes things go more smoothly. But the rejections usually far exceed the sales, unless a writer has really carved out a name for themselves. Just blow it off and keep submitting. The writers who fail to get published are usually the ones who give up because of rejections.

Keep knockin' on the door, Jerry. It'll open for you eventually.