Nice rejection. Yay.

Koobie · Sep 14, 2007

Just got a very a nice personal rejection from Abyss & Apex magazine (I was submitting a flash fiction piece). Even though I've never had any problems with self-confidence, it's still nice to read such a supportive rejection.

Dear (MY NAME),

Thank you for submitting "(TITLE)" to ABYSS & APEX.
Unfortunately, we have decided not to accept it for publication.

I wish you the best success in placing your story elsewhere, and hope to
see more of your work.

Thank you very much for getting your work out into the world. I know it's
a hard thing to send stories out. This one's not there, yet.

Some things you'll want to look at:

(ADVISE)

Sincerely,

(NAME), Assistant Editor
ABYSS & APEX

That was very nice of them IMO.

Question - do you think I should reply and thank them for their time, or would that be inappropriate?

kristie911 · Sep 14, 2007

You're right, it's a very nice rejection. But I'd probably let it go without a thank-you.

But I'd definitely submit to them again in the future!

Good luck!

Koobie · Sep 14, 2007

Cool, thanks! Yeah, in retrospect, you're probably right.

kristie911 · Sep 14, 2007

It was nice of them to give you some suggestions though. But I generally reserve my thank-yous to partials or fulls. It's great they took the time for a personalized rejection but it's not like they committed hours to reading your work.

Keep submitting...the next place may love it!

CaroGirl · Sep 14, 2007

Apart from the advice part, it looks pretty form-ish to me. Take a second look at your story, incorporate their advice if it seems right, and just send it on back out there. All the best!

Jamesaritchie · Sep 14, 2007

Rejection

This one's a form, but with your name and the story title added.

johnnysannie · Sep 14, 2007

Jamesaritchie said:
This one's a form, but with your name and the story title added.

Yep, it's a form - a nice, polite form - but a form.

Just consider the advice and submit something else in the future!!

WendyNYC · Sep 14, 2007

Jamesaritchie said:
This one's a form, but with your name and the story title added.

It depends on how detailed the advice is.

Deirdre · Sep 14, 2007

Koobie said:
That was very nice of them IMO. Question - do you think I should reply and thank them for their time, or would that be inappropriate?

You just did thank me.

And I always use a form, I just almost always add something additional to it.

maddythemad · Sep 14, 2007

Wait, Deirdre, you're the editor?

:Jaw:

It's a small world.

johnnysannie · Sep 14, 2007

WendyNYC said:
It depends on how detailed the advice is.

Unless the advice is very specific, very detailed and the editor asks you to resubmit the piece, it's still a form rejection with a brief personal note.

There are several classes of rejections and I call them
Form
Form with note
Personal rejection - nice, often handwritten, paragraph or more
Rejection with suggestion to revise and resubmit

Dragonfly45 · Sep 14, 2007

But even so, I find that the rejections that at least add your name and title are easier to stomach for some reason than the full-on form letters. Don't get me wrong, they all suck, but I think there are degrees of sucking, and straight up form letter is at the top of that "hate" list.

Deirdre · Sep 16, 2007

maddythemad said:
Wait, Deirdre, you're the editor?

It's a small world.

Yep.

(It is odd, though!)

Soccer Mom · Sep 18, 2007

Heh, it just occured to me to go check and see if you sent me the lovely rejecton for "Oracle."

You did.

(and it really was a lovely rejection.)

wee · Sep 22, 2007

maddythemad said:
Wait, Deirdre, you're the editor?

It's a small world.

HMMMM! So anyone who would be tempted to come on this forum & send out a shockingly rude diatribe about their rejection letter into cyberspace, complete with quotations...

Should think about it first?

lol -- this is really funny. Greetings, all future rejectors of my drivel!

wee

Nice rejection. Yay.

Koobie

Super Duper Member

kristie911

Happy to be here

Koobie

Super Duper Member

kristie911

Happy to be here

CaroGirl

Living the dream

Jamesaritchie

johnnysannie

WendyNYC

fiddle-dee-dee

Deirdre

practical experience, FTW

maddythemad

johnnysannie

Dragonfly45

Purveyor of the Sparkly

Deirdre

practical experience, FTW

Soccer Mom

Crypto-fascist

wee

just a little