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From the other side
In another thread I mentioned that I am a writer who also volunteers as an editor. This has given me some valuable insights about submitting my own work, so I thought it might be helpful to give some of the do's and don'ts I've discovered. I figure if you don't find it helpful, no one is twisting your arm to read it, right末 not even a three hundred pound gorilla.
So here's two big DON'Ts I've had to deal with recently.
If a publication is kind enough to send you feedback, accept it graciously.
If the feedback really rankles末 say your workshop leader praised the very parts the editor panned末 let it go and don't submit there again. If you can find your way to do so, though, it's even better to send a short thank you. It makes the job worthwhile and will brand your name on the editor's mind as someone who is open to suggestion and easy to work with. But never, ever write a snooty note back telling the editor all the places you've published and implying that he/she doesn't know their you-know-what from a hole in the ground. It will not make the editor reconsider, but instead will also brand your name in the editor's mind, only with a big black mark beside it.
When a publication rejects your work, don't follow up immediately with something else. Give it time末 at least a couple of months. First of all, it is often better to submit a new, fresh piece once you've had time to consider why the first one might have been rejected, rather than submit something you already wrote that more than likely still doesn't meet the magazine's style. Second, editors are people too. There is a chance that you came very close and that your next submission is likely to make the cut, but there's a better chance that you didn't even come close the first time and the editor is likely to associate the next submission with the first one and not give it serious consideration. And certainly if you've received two rejections, take a break from that magazine for awhile. Otherwise you will become a nuisance. This is one place where your first reaction末to h--- with them can be a good one. There's nothing wrong with trying the same publication a few times, but again, put some space in between.
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