All Things Rejection!

[JJBuchholz]

It does, and that's why I actually appreciate some rejection letters.

-JJB

[Monaque]

It does, and that's why I actually appreciate some rejection letters.

-JJB

Don't think I've submitted enough to get at that point.

[Pamelyn Casto]

A rejection such as this where you can read between the lines is most preferable. It didn't leave me with a sense of loss, but rather has made me think about said story and give me hope that it will be picked up and published by someone out there.

That's a great type of rejection. They almost purchased your story. You can never know exactly why it was almost purchased. About all you can know is that the story is good (perceived as such by you and by this committee) and that others will likely want to publish it.

[EternalGreen]

Whenever I get another inauthentic form rejection, that's an excuse to write "REJECTION" in my notebook in huge letters. So that's satisfying.

[Tiamat]

Whenever I get another inauthentic form rejection, that's an excuse to write "REJECTION" in my notebook in huge letters. So that's satisfying.

I track my subs in an Excel file, and I have a conditional formatting rule set up that turns the word "Reject" bright red with a dull, darker red background. It's really heartening to see a mostly-unbroken column of that in my file.

[Kyle R]

I actually use "DECLINED" instead of "REJECTED", when keeping track of my submissions.

I find the D word a bit gentler on my psyche than the R word. Lol.

[bdcharles]

I actually use "DECLINED" instead of "REJECTED", when keeping track of my submissions.

I find the D word a bit gentler on my psyche than the R word. Lol.

Even that's too much for me. I have "accepted" and "soon to be accepted"...

[EternalGreen]

Don't forget "Soon to be rejected."

[EternalGreen]

Craft literary sent me a professional rejection without any - what's the word? - blandishment.

[Tiamat]

I decided to pay the fee to get feedback upon rejection from Mud Season Review. For the low, low price of $35, you're guaranteed at least two pages of honest feedback from the editors. It's for a story that's been rejected a number of times, so call it morbid curiosity. I actually found it rather helpful though. I wouldn't recommend doing it for every piece, but if you have a story that you feel is a solid piece, but you can't seem to find a home for it, I think the level of feedback I got from professionals in the industry was worth the $35 I paid for it.