Rejectomancy

mfowler76 said:

Joe: I still haven't heard back from Blink Noir on my sub. Did you query them on yours?

Editor interview @ Write1Sub1 today: Kzine.

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Yeah, I did. I'm not all that sure they've contacted anyone yet, judging by the Duotrope info, so I suppose there's still a chance you made it in. Drop them a line, they were very friendly.

Had a lovely R from Shimmer this morning. They liked the story - they used the words "way cool" which made me way happy - but found the ending frustrating. I had a suspicion that might be the case with this story, and I'm torn between trying it in a few more places or changing it now. Changing it now would alter the story completely, though, and it'd stop being the story I wanted to tell. On the other hand, it would help it sell.

Ugh, sorry to hear about the Shimmer R. Definite mixed feelings there!



Nice R from Linger here. I expected that one, after the interview Sam posted. Now to dig up something else to send them....

Ray Gun Revival

I also received a rather harsh rejection from Ray Gun. There were two comments, one was mean but constructive, the other was just snarky and smug. Won't submit to them again.

Sorry about the Rs, peeps

Pan, why change it?
I always think that all changing it would do is make it acceptable to a market that I couldn't send it back to.
If you see what I mean.

Aloha. Why not send them more stuff?
Prove them wrong!

I don't think I've ever had a comment that I thought was snarky just for the point of being snarky. But if I did, they would see so much of my terrible prose they would go to sleep and dream of it.

Better than rejections, though.

Don't say that!
I was trying to cheer Aggy up

But I do know what you mean.
Sometimes I think 'just get on with it!!!!'

No, the editors are thinking about your stories.
It's a good thing.

And I got four rejections over three days at the beginning of the week, and that wass really depressing. Honestly, I wanted my crickets back.
I'm glad the Rs have stopped for the last two days or I'd have gone and cried real tears or something.

That is probably the best idea I have heard in a long time!

Go for it!

alohachild said:

I also received a rather harsh rejection from Ray Gun. There were two comments, one was mean but constructive, the other was just snarky and smug. Won't submit to them again.

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They eviscerated a story of mine a couple of months back, actually. I did find both crits constructive, even though one clearly enjoyed his or her job a little too much.

Call is a masochist but I like that kind of rejection far better than form. Friends and beta readers (and even many editors) are WAY too nice with their rejection. I want to know exactly what flaws the slush reader/editor found that caused them to pass on the story, and some truth from experienced readers at a good market is well worth some small bruises to my ego.

I've never subbed to Ray Gun yet, but they are on my radar. At some point I'll have something appropriate and send it to them. For someone who enjoys space opera as much as I do, I sure don't seem to write much of it though

Form rejection from Basement Stories. I've been subbing this story for almost two years now. It's tempting to just retire it, but there are still so many markets out there. I won't be satisfied until I've been rejected by all of them!

((((Sai))))

I got one today. Linger doesn't love me

Sorry, Sai and Lillie. Here's hoping for acceptances in the near future

All crickets over here.

alexshvartsman said:

Call is a masochist but I like that kind of rejection far better than form. Friends and beta readers (and even many editors) are WAY too nice with their rejection. I want to know exactly what flaws the slush reader/editor found that caused them to pass on the story, and some truth from experienced readers at a good market is well worth some small bruises to my ego.

I've never subbed to Ray Gun yet, but they are on my radar. At some point I'll have something appropriate and send it to them. For someone who enjoys space opera as much as I do, I sure don't seem to write much of it though

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Yes, I agree. I've brought it up in the past, actually, because I sometimes get discouraged by the fact that even personal rejections don't really give you a clear sense of what went wrong. Yeah, yeah, maybe it "just didn't work" for them, but there has to be something about the story that turned them off, and I really need to know what it is. Ray Gun, for all it's cruelty, at least let me know exactly--and I mean exactly--what they didn't like.

All that said, it still stings, and when it stings, I like to talk about it.

Sai said:

Form rejection from Basement Stories. I've been subbing this story for almost two years now. It's tempting to just retire it, but there are still so many markets out there. I won't be satisfied until I've been rejected by all of them!

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My latest acceptance, The Machine, was out for about a year and a half, and really didn't get much encouragement along the way. Actually, I was looking over my old stories, and The Machine was the one I had actually made the decision to rewrite entirely upon it's return from Absent Willow Review (because at this point I expect rejections). Ironically, they accepted it.

So hang in there. Try them all first before you trunk it.

JC Romel said:

My latest acceptance, The Machine, was out for about a year and a half, and really didn't get much encouragement along the way. Actually, I was looking over my old stories, and The Machine was the one I had actually made the decision to rewrite entirely upon it's return from Absent Willow Review (because at this point I expect rejections). Ironically, they accepted it.

So hang in there. Try them all first before you trunk it.

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Thanks JC Romel, will do .

I just received my first ever rejection slip through the post today, from Black Static. I'm weirdly excited about it - this is the first time I've ever attempted to submit something and even though they said no, I feel good for having done it. Disappointed too, obviously, but I had a feeling I was batting above my average. I suppose I should look around for other places to sub to

A proper one?
On paper?

Wow!!!!

Treasure it.

And good luck subbing elsewhere

I love my paper rejection slips. They make the whole process feel much more real than an inbox full of 'No'. That's why I mostly sub to the dead-tree variety of publication as well. (Not that I have any problem with the e-pubs; most of my sales have been to that kind. It just feels more real to me if I can touch it.)