My First Rejection...

konstantineblacke

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A few weeks ago I took the plunge and decided to sent a short story out into the big, wide world...yesterday I got the inevitable rejection. I *think* it's a good one, but not having a story rejected before, I dunno...Is there a gleam of hope in there?

Thanks Konstantine,

In the last few days I have been inundated with stories, so many that now I am looking for weird over just straight genre. Hard to explain really but now it is more a case of challenging me on emotional and visual levels as well as delivering the characters that make stories work. I am going to say no this time. And this may be hard to believe, but rejecting a story is really hard for me because I see the wonder of potential in everything. So, while I reject this story please know it is not a rejection of you, just the work didn't hit that weird spot in my mind that says buy.

All the best

(name withheld)
 

shortstorymachinist

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That's a personal rejection from someone who took the time to make it explicitly clear that the work is good, just not for them. That's not a gleam of hope, it's a bonfire. It means you throw that sucker back on the merry-go-round and see what happens.

ETA: Also, congrats on the first sub! Welcome to the short story shuffle.
 
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konstantineblacke

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That's a personal rejection from someone who took the time to make it explicitly clear that the work is good, just not for them. That's not a gleam of hope, it's a bonfire. It means you throw that sucker back on the merry-go-round and see what happens.

ETA: Also, congrats on the first sub! Welcome to the short story shuffle.

Oh wow! Well, I'm rightly chuffed then :) Yep...sending it out again! Pronto!
 

cornflake

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A few weeks ago I took the plunge and decided to sent a short story out into the big, wide world...yesterday I got the inevitable rejection. I *think* it's a good one, but not having a story rejected before, I dunno...Is there a gleam of hope in there?

That reads like a form to me, though admittedly a weird one, heh.
 

shortstorymachinist

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Soaring heights to sinking lows then...

Don't let me and cornflake send you on a rollercoaster ride, these are only opinions. To me, an editor who sends more than, "Thanks for the opportunity to read [TITLE], but in the end we decided it's not a good fit," is sending something personal. It's true that this editor did not mention any details specific to your story; it's form in content, but to me it feels personal in nature. Don't read too much into R's. If it makes you feel good, then good. If it makes you feel bad, decide why and if it's worth changing the story. Otherwise, back into the trenches!
 

konstantineblacke

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Don't let me and cornflake send you on a rollercoaster ride, these are only opinions. To me, an editor who sends more than, "Thanks for the opportunity to read [TITLE], but in the end we decided it's not a good fit," is sending something personal. It's true that this editor did not mention any details specific to your story; it's form in content, but to me it feels personal in nature. Don't read too much into R's. If it makes you feel good, then good. If it makes you feel bad, decide why and if it's worth changing the story. Otherwise, back into the trenches!

I'm with your way of thinking here. So yep. Sent out again :)
 

pingle

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I would say form, but I'm a pessimist. I've been quite shocked at just how 'personal' agents make their form rejections, really messed with my head to begin with, now I just skim read them.
 

Treehouseman

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Yes, unfortunately it is very form lettery, although its been narrowed down to genre so someone has read the story.

The only time you can be sure it's not a form rejection is if they mention something very obvious and unique to your work, like "{Your Character name} had a great relationship with her sister, but I found her issue with the cat-telephone bothersome."

If it's something you could copy and paste to a lot of people, its a form, so back on the horse you go and ride out into submission battle!
 

konstantineblacke

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I would say form, but I'm a pessimist. I've been quite shocked at just how 'personal' agents make their form rejections, really messed with my head to begin with, now I just skim read them.

The mind games, hey!

- - - Updated - - -

Yes, unfortunately it is very form lettery, although its been narrowed down to genre so someone has read the story.

The only time you can be sure it's not a form rejection is if they mention something very obvious and unique to your work, like "{Your Character name} had a great relationship with her sister, but I found her issue with the cat-telephone bothersome."

If it's something you could copy and paste to a lot of people, its a form, so back on the horse you go and ride out into submission battle!

Yep, back out there it goes. In the end it was a rejection, form or not. So out it goes again :)
 

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Whether you believe it is a form or a personal rejection, I would send it out again regardless. The idea being that nobodies writing is perfect for every agent/editor. The reality is your writing probably only fits some and probably less than more of the companies out there. The thing then is you have to find them and the only way to do that is to keep sending it out so more eyes get the chance to read it.

My personal saying is no matter how many rejections you get, just keep trying. It only takes the one, yes, to change your life around.

So keep trying for that yes and you will get there eventually. Just believe in yourself and your writing. Cheers.
 

konstantineblacke

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Whether you believe it is a form or a personal rejection, I would send it out again regardless. The idea being that nobodies writing is perfect for every agent/editor. The reality is your writing probably only fits some and probably less than more of the companies out there. The thing then is you have to find them and the only way to do that is to keep sending it out so more eyes get the chance to read it.

My personal saying is no matter how many rejections you get, just keep trying. It only takes the one, yes, to change your life around.

So keep trying for that yes and you will get there eventually. Just believe in yourself and your writing. Cheers.

Thank you! And yep, agree 100%
 

PSkertich81

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Nicely done, buddy! Keep it up. Also, what the publisher or agent had confirmed that you got the ability to story tell. I want to read your success story. :) The weird spot... *places thinking cap on* could be various of plot twists. A decease mother who turned out to be the mother's twin sister, so the main character searches for his mother. A teenager who thought he was normal like everyone else, but turned out he was part of a royal alien race. A small boy's feline friend isn't just a cat but a magical spirit guide. A man who recently been killed, only to wake up in a clone of his self somewhere else in the world. I'm spit balling here. But yeah, man! Keep on trucking, and you'll get it done! :D
 

CL_Hilbert

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Some publishers have tiered rejections. Some stories get a straight form reject--"thanks for the opportunity to read your work. Unfortunately, we will not be accepting it for publication."

Other stories get a more encourging form rejection, where they're not buying it, but they encourage you to submit again.

I think this letter is the second kind. It's a form, still, but I think it's an encouraging one. They like your writing, just not that particular story. Send a different one.
 

athetland

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i'm in agreeance with everybody who says this is a good rejection. congrats on your first short story sub! i started writing short stories a long, long time ago and have started the plunge in submitting some of them to publishing markets. i sent my strange little story about death to io9 yesterday.

good luck!