What to do?
- Thread starter ITFC_Rob
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The proper response is no response. Who gives a damn what reason the editor had for saying no?
I don't know what the website says, and it doesn't matter. The website may be wrong, you may not understand what it says, or the editor may not have a clue what it says, but, yes, your story is too long. The editor gets to decide this, not you.
Really, what choice do you have except to Get Over It? A no is a no is a no. Period.
There's only one pattern. You send an editor something he thinks his readers will love, and he buys it. You send an editor something he thinks his readers won't like, and he rejects it. He may give you one of fifty reasons, and sometimes these reasons may be contradictory, they're often written by an assistant, in fact, and the assistant may have no clue why the story was rejected, so he makes something up. But all rejections mean either no, or hell, no.
Just about everything else an editor says is just an attempt to be nice, to give the writer an out, to let him down easy.
This brought nostalgic tears. For seven years I wrote weekly firearms columns for two newspapers (two "Outdoors" editors) -- each with all the brass lying below a howitzer breech and the compassion of a dum-dum bullet.
I miss the pain.
The correct response would be no response. The editor did not want your story, be it because of guidelines or anything else. Get over it and move on.
And incidentally, name calling and ranting is not professional, you never know who is reading your posts.
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Actually, I kind of get the frustration here, because if the guidelines you've been given say one thing and the editor says another, that's annoying. Also, IMHO, mildly unprofessional. Still, there's nothing you can do about it, and you just have to move on.
Yep, no response is called for. The editor does know the guidelines, trust me. They may not know without some searching the word count of your sub. Your sub was in the rejection file.
I do think using the word count technicality without checking was a thoughtless move but ultimately you're not getting your work in that anthology. Leave it alone.
Send it somewhere else and look forward to the day you can think to yourself how short sighted that editor was.
I do think using the word count technicality without checking was a thoughtless move but ultimately you're not getting your work in that anthology. Leave it alone.
Send it somewhere else and look forward to the day you can think to yourself how short sighted that editor was.
Why would you want to be published by an editor you don't respect? Why would you want to waste your time writing angry e-mails to an editor you don't respect? Everyone's given pretty good advice. There are lots of markets. Dutrope's (http://www.duotrope.com/) is a pretty good search engine to look for more. Good luck!
Rob, I'm not sure what you want to hear here,
Your original question was what to do about the situation and the response you got, several people, myself included, told you that the best thing to do was nothing.
At the end of the day, regardless of what the editor said in his rejection, it was still a rejection. He didn't want your story, it hurts, but move on. Trust me, you'll hear a lot worse in the future.
So, in answer to your question of what you should do, the answer is NOTHING. Submit it somewhere else, read the guidelines, take rejection on the chin and don't bitch about it. It's not professional and it can lead to all sorts of trouble (a la rejection queen).
If you don't feel that this is answering your question, then perhaps you need to rethink your question.
Your original question was what to do about the situation and the response you got, several people, myself included, told you that the best thing to do was nothing.
At the end of the day, regardless of what the editor said in his rejection, it was still a rejection. He didn't want your story, it hurts, but move on. Trust me, you'll hear a lot worse in the future.
So, in answer to your question of what you should do, the answer is NOTHING. Submit it somewhere else, read the guidelines, take rejection on the chin and don't bitch about it. It's not professional and it can lead to all sorts of trouble (a la rejection queen).
If you don't feel that this is answering your question, then perhaps you need to rethink your question.
My question was whether editorial guidelines changing was a problem associated with certain parts of the market (i.e., small press anthologies, certain genres, etc) or if this was just a random occurrence. I can take rejection; I just want to make sure I am sending stories to places where they are more likely to be read.
For your information, after sending a short but friendly note essentially saying, "Sorry for the confusion; your website lists a word count of blahblah," the editor wrote back, said that he'd had another set of submission guidelines in mind (for another anthology), apologized to me, and asked for a few days to read and evaluate my story.
The situation was a bit more complicated than the raft of "You got rejected, shut up" responses I got, but that didn't stop people from piling on once they smelled blood in the water. The fact that all of you have been wrong in this instance is, I am sure, a shock, but I hope you will bear it with becoming fortitude.
Much love,
Rob
For your information, after sending a short but friendly note essentially saying, "Sorry for the confusion; your website lists a word count of blahblah," the editor wrote back, said that he'd had another set of submission guidelines in mind (for another anthology), apologized to me, and asked for a few days to read and evaluate my story.
The situation was a bit more complicated than the raft of "You got rejected, shut up" responses I got, but that didn't stop people from piling on once they smelled blood in the water. The fact that all of you have been wrong in this instance is, I am sure, a shock, but I hope you will bear it with becoming fortitude.
Much love,
Rob
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Well then you should have asked that, nowhere in your original question - which is copied several times in this thread - did you ask that. If you had asked that then you would have gotten an answer.
I know it can be difficult sometimes to get across what you are trying to say or ask, especially on a forum, so making sure you are clear is a great help when trying to get an answer.
Well that's good. Not what I would have done, but kudos to you.
Again, the ENTIRE text from your original post was pasted into several replies, including mine, you might wish to reread it to refresh your memory and claify what you were actually asking in it.
I'm sorry that you appear to hold us all in as much contempt as you hold the editor you queried, the one you refered to as a 'fathead'. But since you clearly know so much more than the rest of us, you probably won't need our advice from now on then?
You're new, so I would recommend that you go and read the newbie guidelines if you haven't already done so, spend some time getting to know everyone and how things work, you'll learn a lot.
I have learned quite a bit through this exchange. Nowhere have I claimed to know more than any of you, nor do I hold you in contempt. I will admit, however, that it is a glorious feeling to have been rewarded for sticking by my story instead of quietly slinking away as advised.
My original post was made in anger - a mistake, I admit. I later attempted to clarify my point, but by then the party had started.
I expected slightly more compassion than I got, from writers with presumably similar experiences. I expected helpful advice in navigating the tricky balance between gaining the editor's favor and asserting the story's right to be considered under the stated guidelines. I expected people to read my clarifications and attempt to understand them. I expected people to read my repeated statements of "I can take rejection" and take them at face value. Instead, I was treated to a series of responses more a long the lines of, "You're down? Welcome, brother. Have a kick."
In a way, I guess I have gotten to know some of this community, and I have been saddened to learn a lot about how things work here.
At any rate, the story is being read. And isn't that all that matters?
- Rob
P.S. Do you see what I mean about the discussion going nowhere?
What we expect, we don't always get. You as an adult (I assume) should know that by now.
You haven't gotten to the know the community if you're basing this assumption off this thread alone. Then if this is true, it is limited by what you have read from members in this thread. They have given you helpful advice. What has saddened you? This place is great.
You mean the way everyone else in this thread expected the editor to be done with me and my story, and the way that turned out to be oh so WRONG WRONG WRONG? I know. Isn't it wonderful?
Hence my use of the word "some."
Um, no. I was advised to give up.
- Rob
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There is no need to be an arse and rude about it all. People are simply being polite and helpful to you. The least you could do is show gratitude and kindness toward them for giving time to you or is that too much to ask?
Well they expected because it is commonplace. I'd say your case was in the minority of it all. You're lucky that the editor changed his mind congrats! Go party or something, don't be bitter!
"Um, no. I was advised to give up."
I don't see that mentioned anywhere so I don't know what you're talking about.
The only reason this thread is getting nowhere is because Rob isn't letting it.
Do be sure to keep us updated on the status of that submission.
Do be sure to keep us updated on the status of that submission.
What for? This thread was never about acceptance or rejection of a story that had been read. It was about getting the story read and accepted or rejected on its own merits. I'm getting what I wanted. My story is being read and evaluated.
If it should be rejected, what will my sharing that news here achieve, besides giving a handful of naysayers the opportunity to nod sagely to themselves?
If it should be accepted, what then? Let's just say that any constructive comments or congratulations from this forum would be a great surprise at this point.
If it helps in some way, just know that I've gotten both rejection and acceptance letters from editors in the past. You may focus on the rejections if it makes you feel better.
Again, thank you all for your time. It's been stimulating, but I really must get back to writing now.
Urm not sure if you've noticed but this is a conversational forum. We even have a "Goals and Achievements" board and a "Rejections & Dejections" board. Anyway this talk is futile if you're just going to moan.
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I for one would like to say that I'm delighted for you that you got a read for your story. I'm sure the advice you got here was based on conventional wisdom and the experience of the posters -- I am also sure that no one meant to be mean to you.
You, on the other hand, have been less than gracious. The proper thing to do when given advice here is to thank the person, whether or not you think their advice is valid. Show respect for your fellow writers. No one is saying we're always right, but we do mean well.
You, on the other hand, have been less than gracious. The proper thing to do when given advice here is to thank the person, whether or not you think their advice is valid. Show respect for your fellow writers. No one is saying we're always right, but we do mean well.
Oh, for goodness' sake.
Bickering is a waste of everyone's time. If you can't discuss something thoughtfully then keep your hands away from the keyboard and remember AW's One Rule: respect your fellow writer.
Thing is, Rob, people who didn't read this thread earlier won't know that because you've deleted the post which kicked it all off. Which renders this discussion pretty much pointless now, as well as bickery.
Thread closed.
Bickering is a waste of everyone's time. If you can't discuss something thoughtfully then keep your hands away from the keyboard and remember AW's One Rule: respect your fellow writer.
Thing is, Rob, people who didn't read this thread earlier won't know that because you've deleted the post which kicked it all off. Which renders this discussion pretty much pointless now, as well as bickery.
Thread closed.
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