First Rejection Ever

NicoleScripting · Apr 27, 2017

IT HAS HAPPENED.
First rejection ever. It was over a short story called Sprouts. The rejection was plain and simple, no notes and no personalization. Took about 22 days.

"Dear Cole,

Thank you for the opportunity to read "Sprouts." Unfortunately, we will not be publishing the fiction you submitted, but we wish you the best of luck in placing it elsewhere.

Sincerely,
Blah
Editor
Blah Blah"

Sprouts is currently out at four other places and I have a different short that's out at two places.

This is kind of exciting and horrible all at the same time.

Undercover · Apr 27, 2017

Just keep writing and throwing stuff out there, see what works. Something will eventually. Perseverance is key!

Maryn · Apr 27, 2017

Know what I miss? Paper rejections. I had my bulletin board covered in them at one time and it was kind of cool. But what are you gonna do, print out emails? Not the same.

It hurts, but it's like a battle scar you wear with honor. You took the risk of submitting!

Maryn, proud of you

NicoleScripting · Apr 28, 2017

Undercover said:
Just keep writing and throwing stuff out there, see what works. Something will eventually. Perseverance is key!

I'm working on several other short stories right now and also getting critiqued more which I think is why the rejection didn't hurt the way I thought it was going to. "Something will eventually" is gonna have to be my mantra.

Maryn said:
Know what I miss? Paper rejections. I had my bulletin board covered in them at one time and it was kind of cool. But what are you gonna do, print out emails? Not the same.

It hurts, but it's like a battle scar you wear with honor. You took the risk of submitting!

Maryn, proud of you

I really wish I could get paper rejections so I could put them up but also thankful that I don't have to spend money on postage to get rejected.

I woke up to another rejection. They're conspiring.

CameronJohnston · Apr 28, 2017

Welcome to the fun game of gathering rejections! Fingers crossed you get something accepted soon. Just don't give up.

Currently out at four different places? I hardly ever see magazines or anthologies that accept simultaneous submissions. I'm always waiting weeks or months for that rejection before moving on the the next market. Just as well I have a few things on the go.

NicoleScripting · Apr 28, 2017

CameronJohnston said:
Currently out at four different places? I hardly ever see magazines or anthologies that accept simultaneous submissions. I'm always waiting weeks or months for that rejection before moving on the the next market. Just as well I have a few things on the go.

Thanks for the welcome, Cameron.
Yeah, I came across lots that didn't and it was tedious to find these four that did. Not taking simultaneous submissions blows my mind honestly. I probably just need to write more short stories than I currently do. I'm searching for more anthologies to read.

Chris P · Apr 28, 2017

No rejections means you're not subbing, and you can't get published without subbing. Yeah, rejections are disappointing, especially when I thought I had been so diligent in selecting the market. The only solution is to keep trying, and in time pieces find their homes.

ETA: Regarding anthologies, every year I get The Best American Non-Required Reading, along with The Best American Short Stories, and most years I get The Pushcart Prize, which highlights the best of small presses. It's a good way to see which markets are getting attention and I try to sub to them.

NicoleScripting · Apr 28, 2017

Chris P said:
ETA: Regarding anthologies, every year I get The Best American Non-Required Reading, along with The Best American Short Stories, and most years I get The Pushcart Prize, which highlights the best of small presses. It's a good way to see which markets are getting attention and I try to sub to them.

You're right and thank you so much for this list. Going to check this out.

barbarairvin · May 26, 2017

Rejection is so difficult to handle. My first big rejection came when I submitted a screenplay titled Forever Famous to a company named Scott Zimmerman Management. I worked very hard on this 90 plus page screenplay, and was quite proud of it. But when I inquired about whether the person in charge received it or not, I was informed it had never been received. And I sent a hard copy along with an electronic one. In other words, they weren't interested. They could have just told me that in the first place.

Just yesterday, I had an essay rejected by an editor at Bright Lights Film Journal. The publishing business is almost impossible to crack when you don't have any connections.
Barbara

Night_Writer · May 26, 2017

Some kinds of rejections are worse than others.

Say for example there's an agent who specializes in Mystery and Suspense. And on the profile page of the website she mentions that she is especially looking for a story about a gumshoe who works the Jersey Shore, owns a house full of cats, drives a classic Mustang, and had his girlfriend of 5 years just suddenly leave him.

So I read this and I think, Holy Cow, I just wrote a story like that. It's about a gumshoe working the Jersey Shore, owns a lot of cats, drives a classic Mustang, and got dumped by his girlfriend. So I send out the MS.

And then I get a rejection notice that says, Sorry, this isn't a good fit for my agency.

WTF?!?!

blacbird · May 26, 2017

The first rejection is pretty easy to deal with. The 347th consecutive one, with zero acceptances, is less so.

caw

Jamills08 · Jun 5, 2017

Atleast they let you know they rejected your piece. Keep trying, if you think it's a good story I bet someone will pick it up.

ecerberus · Jun 20, 2017

Someday I'll get to this point. My view of rejections is kind of like job interviews. It doesn't matter how good your CV is, and how good your subject matter expertise is, for some you will never be a match. That's just how it is.

Treehouseman · Jun 21, 2017

I used to grumble about the "not what you know but who you know" thing, but after several years connecting with writers (in the flesh) you do become "that person".

Go to writer's groups and parties, hang out in Facebook groups or start your own, and the weird little jobs and opportunities start coming your way.

Tabitha Rose · Jun 21, 2017

I was happy when I received my first rejection, because the previous agencies I had submitted to had never replied at all. For some reason, it's really hard for me to let go until I get that confirmation that his one didn't work out. Tom Petty really knew what he was talking about.

So, good luck, and keep trying!

divine-intestine · Jul 22, 2017

It's important to understand that a rejection doesn't automatically mean your writing sucks. Most of the time it's because the slush readers or the editor didn't like something in the plot or that they thought something didn't quite work for them. Sometimes it's because the submission isn't a complete story (that happens too often in my experience) or that the journal is looking for something different.

Even the smaller publications receive thousands of submissions each month. That's a lot of people to compete with.

First Rejection Ever

NicoleScripting

Undercover

I got it covered

Maryn

Baaa!

NicoleScripting

CameronJohnston

Great Old One

NicoleScripting

Chris P

Likes metaphors mixed, not stirred

NicoleScripting

barbarairvin

Night_Writer

It's all symbolic.

blacbird

Jamills08

ecerberus

Treehouseman

Tabitha Rose

divine-intestine

Hardened drinker