Aiming for rejections?

gettingby

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Maybe some of you have come across this piece where the writer talks about aiming for 100 rejections a year. What do you think of this approach? Have you or would you try it even if that means nothing more than a change in mindset and probably sending out more stuff.

Here's a link to the article.
http://lithub.com/why-you-should-aim-for-100-rejections-a-year/

How many rejections to you rack up in a year? Do you think you could reach 100 if you tried?
 

blacbird

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I can reach 100 rejections without even trying to get one. I really really really don't want to get rejections. Really don't.

So I've found the solution: Stop submitting.

caw
 

DetectiveFork

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Lately, I've been spending more time writing fewer stories. I've gotten my fair share of rejections. I'd rather try to get the stories just right before submitting them anywhere. (And in my case, it takes many revisions. lol)
 

gettingby

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I'm not talking about sending things out before they're ready. But anyone who got 215 rejections in a year really took submitting to a whole new level. I'm not sure I could even send out that many submissions. But coming across these two pieces makes me wonder if I need to step up my game.
 

mccardey

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I think it's just a bit clickbaity. I'm not someone who struggles with over-perfectionism at all, but I honestly can't see the sense in reframing a desired goal into failure - it seems like a waste of time at best, and vaguely dishonest at worst. Also, silly. In what other line of work would a professional consider it sensible to advise striving for failure?

I know it isn't meant to be taken literally as an idea, and as a concept it may be helpful to that blogger - but in general I think it's an unhelpful advice. Since you asked.
 

gettingby

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I think it's just a bit clickbaity. I'm not someone who struggles with over-perfectionism at all, but I honestly can't see the sense in reframing a desired goal into failure - it seems like a waste of time at best, and vaguely dishonest at worst. Also, silly. In what other line of work would a professional consider it sensible to advise striving for failure?

I know it isn't meant to be taken literally as an idea, and as a concept it may be helpful to that blogger - but in general I think it's an unhelpful advice. Since you asked.

I agree with you. I get rejections all the time without even trying. Do you think the two people who wrote these things are lying? Is that what you meant by vaguely dishonest? Maybe if you sent all your submissions out at the beginning of the year. Most of these places can take many months to respond. Could you really even expect to hear back from that many places in one year?
 

mccardey

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I agree with you. I get rejections all the time without even trying. Do you think the two people who wrote these things are lying? Is that what you meant by vaguely dishonest? Maybe if you sent all your submissions out at the beginning of the year. Most of these places can take many months to respond. Could you really even expect to hear back from that many places in one year?
No, I don't think they're lying. I do think they're getting a lot of rejections though, and I can't see why they don't do something about that. When I say that it seems vaguely dishonest, I mean that I think they are being a little less than rigorous with their stated intention - I think if they sent out four or five subs and got picked up, they wouldn't say no to the sale in order to make their goal of xhundred rejections. They want to sell, I'm guessing. I don't think saying that they're aiming for rejections is a way of increasing their sales. Aiming for 100 submissions might be a better idea (not much better, I think, though, if they're just hitting "send" 100 times.)

There's more to being published than hitting "send" is my point. But hey - if it works for them, in whatever way, that's fine. I just think for General Writer and especially General New Writer, no, it's not really helpful advice.
 

gettingby

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No, I don't think they're lying. I do think they're getting a lot of rejections though, and I can't see why they don't do something about that. When I say that it seems vaguely dishonest, I mean that I think they are being a little less than rigorous with their stated intention - I think if they sent out four or five subs and got picked up, they wouldn't say no to the sale in order to make their goal of xhundred rejections. They want to sell, I'm guessing. I don't think saying that they're aiming for rejections is a way of increasing their sales. Aiming for 100 submissions might be a better idea (not much better, I think, though, if they're just hitting "send" 100 times.)

There's more to being published than hitting "send" is my point. But hey - if it works for them, in whatever way, that's fine. I just think for General Writer and especially General New Writer, no, it's not really helpful advice.

Of course they don't actually want rejections. I think the whole idea is just to submit more.
 

mccardey

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Of course they don't actually want rejections. I think the whole idea is just to submit more.
Yes, but what's the point in submitting in the 100+ range without a little moment or two to reconsider the responses - if they're all negative?

If a writer wants to go that route, I'd strongly suggest using a day at the most to broadcast subs to possible targets, and then move straight on to writing another book. I just don't see that process leading to success.
 

gettingby

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These writers were talking about short stories not books. I don't know if you can really take a rejection letter to mean much of anything other than the intern who read the first two paragraphs wasn't into it. I write literary short fiction like these writers. And I submit and get rejected a whole lot. The only thing I think to reconsider is how realistic it is to place a story in The New Yorker. It doesn't hurt to try. I do it all the time. :)
 

mccardey

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These writers were talking about short stories not books.
Oh, okay - I missed that. My bad. Sorry.

ETA: Mind you, I think the point I made still stands. It's daft to go rejection-hunting. Much better to try for a sale or two.
 
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William Green

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What I'd like to know is how many pieces is writer sending out to get 100+ rejections a year? 20? 30? That seems reasonable, but I think this line from the comment section speaks volumes about this approach.

if everyone followed this advice, the average number of acceptances would remain the same, the average acceptance rate would plummet, editor's time would be eaten away, or unsolicited manuscripts would no longer be accepted, and everyone would run faster and faster to stay in the same place.
 

blacbird

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I am trying to counterbalance this problem by not submitting at all, thereby not inflicting unnecessary angst upon the poor beleaguered editors. So far, none have thanked me for my forbearance, but I remain optimistic.

Just last night I got seduced into searching for markets for the stuff I write, and can write, only to wind up wasting a couple of hours and getting into utter despair and deeper conviction that there's no point in submitting anything anywhere.

caw
 

gettingby

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What I'd like to know is how many pieces is writer sending out to get 100+ rejections a year? 20? 30? That seems reasonable, but I think this line from the comment section speaks volumes about this approach.

Very true what your quote said, but I just can't imagine everyone really doing this. Shit? If they are, I really have to step it up with submitting. You also bring up an interesting point. How many pieces are we talking about?

Do you think there is a good number to aim for when it comes to how many pieces you are trying to publish at once? I've got a good dozen stories out right now. I've written way more than that, but I just feel differently about these stories. These are my big guns. These are my best shot. I used to send out stories the same week I wrote them. I don't know if I'm getting lazy or being more careful
 

mccardey

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I am trying to counterbalance this problem by not submitting at all, thereby not inflicting unnecessary angst upon the poor beleaguered editors. So far, none have thanked me for my forbearance, but I remain optimistic.

Just last night I got seduced into searching for markets for the stuff I write, and can write, only to wind up wasting a couple of hours and getting into utter despair and deeper conviction that there's no point in submitting anything anywhere.

caw

You'll always have us, Bird...
 

gettingby

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I am trying to counterbalance this problem by not submitting at all, thereby not inflicting unnecessary angst upon the poor beleaguered editors. So far, none have thanked me for my forbearance, but I remain optimistic.

Just last night I got seduced into searching for markets for the stuff I write, and can write, only to wind up wasting a couple of hours and getting into utter despair and deeper conviction that there's no point in submitting anything anywhere.

caw

The whole thing can drive you crazy, that's for sure. But people do get published. Good stories do matter. I hope you put your stuff out there and really try. It's crazy to look at duotrope stats. I keep thinking that when a place has been reported as accepting 0% submissions, some part of me must really think I'm great or something like that. It's crazy. And is 2% any better? But these are the places I want to publish. And those are the places maybe you're looking at too. I have been submitting for a few years and I read a lot of literary journals so let me know if there is any way you think I can help. I think you just have to kind of make yourself do it. Did you send a few out? A lot of places are reopening around now.
 

gettingby

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I wasn't trying to upset you, blackbird. But I do think not submitting at all is just as crazy as aiming for 100 rejections, probably more so.
 

blacbird

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I wasn't trying to upset you, blackbird. But I do think not submitting at all is just as crazy as aiming for 100 rejections, probably more so.

Yeah, probably. But, like I said, I was doing market research last night, and, as it usually does, it sent me down the dark path . . .

I really don't have a clue how to find, or assess, potential target markets. Just don't. None seem even remote possibilities.

caw
 

Aggy B.

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When I was really playing the short story game, I did the "new story every week" approach. Which meant that there were points I had dozens of things making the rounds. (Individual pieces ranges from micro/Twitter fiction to novelettes.) There are not a lot of pro-paying markets (relatively speaking) in my genre (SF/F/H) but there are a lot of semi-pro markets. I had one story that gathered nearly 30 rejections alone (over about a year and a half) so it would not surprise me to see someone who was writing shorts all the time and subbing them consistently get 100-200 rejections in a year.

I also know that pushing myself to keep things out on submission was more helpful than not. But I also have done a reasonably good job of separating my work from my sense of self, and learned the idea that rejections are a part of the process much like editing or revising. Obviously, YMMV.
 

Barbara R.

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My first reaction to the idea was totally negative. Rejection is the codliver oil of the writer's diet: tastes disgusting but may have salutary effects, as I argue here.
But to willingly go out and court rejection? Highly counterintuitive.

Then I read the piece, and it made perfect sense. If you don't submit widely, you're not going to score sales. If you don't write a lot, you're not going to sell much either; nor will you improve as a writer. The piece talks about an experiment done with potters, some of whom were told to produce as many works as possible, others to produce few but perfect ones. "Surprisingly, the works of highest quality came from the group being graded on quantity, because they had continually practiced, churned out tons of work, and learned from their mistakes. The other half of the class spent most of the semester paralyzed by theorizing about perfection, which sounded disconcertingly familiar to me—like all my cases of writer’s block."

Thanks for sharing!