rejection letters indicating...

[badducky]

Here's one I got via e-mail:

"this one is good, but too long for us! Generally we print 10000 words or less. Well written though and we hope you find a home for it. Feel free to submit something shorter to us at any time."

My response:



"10000 words or less? The story is (according to

Microsoft Word) 5,443. Do you mean 1,000?"
Their response:

"our mistake, can you send it again as a word attachment for consideration? Give us a week or two."

Do you think they even read it?

What genius rejections have you gotten?

[arrowqueen]

Other people's - and they've got mine.

(Mind you, thanks to this, we have now set up the Secret Underground Writers' Network. 7 members and rising.)

[Jamesaritchie]

Here's one I got via e-mail:

"this one is good, but too long for us! Generally we print 10000 words or less. Well written though and we hope you find a home for it. Feel free to submit something shorter to us at any time."

My response:





"10000 words or less? The story is (according to


Microsoft Word) 5,443. Do you mean 1,000?"

Their response:


"our mistake, can you send it again as a word attachment for consideration? Give us a week or two."

Do you think they even read it?

What genius rejections have you gotten?

They may not have read it, but it's more likely they screwed up and grabbed the wrong rejection slip, but don't want to admit it.

[Vanessa]

I don't think they read it.

[Jamesaritchie]

I don't think they read it.

If they didn't, they won't this time around, either.

[Mike Coombes]

They may have just read a paragraph or two. It happens.

[alexianx]

Question being, were they reputable? A lot of them seem to have a habit/reputation for accepting anything sent to them in hopes of making a profit, whether it's good or not. If so, and you've a good piece, I personally wouldn't submit to them a second time if there's any major indication that they didn't read it the first time. In general, slack agents/republishers do poor jobs. Their efforts may kill what would have otherwise been a success.

[badducky]

Ha! Ha!

They want to publish the short story... But they accuse me of having poor grammar, and don't understand why I would deign to break the rules of grammar in a consistent way with my story that is narrated in the first person. They want me to look at their edited version, correcting my consistent grammar mistakes.

:ROFL:

I just have to laugh.

I can't WAIT to see their edited version!
:box:

[Mike Coombes]

In general, slack agents/republishers do poor jobs. Their efforts may kill what would have otherwise been a success.

Slack agents generally are poor, or unemployed agents. Ditto publishers.

[triceretops]

Here's one for the record books:


Keep in mind that we are a regional southern California publisher. Though this has a great concept and is written well, we don't feel that it has the right national appeal.

Tri