Category: Rejection Letters
Posted on May 4, 2026
by Aeryn Rudel
4 Comments
Anecdotally, a good acceptance rate for short fiction tends to be around ten percent. With regards to rejections, that percentage generally works out to a statistically consistent ten to fifteen noes in a row . . . except when it doesn’t, and you go… Continue Reading “Swings & Misses V: The Rejection Streak Returns”
Posted on April 9, 2026
by Aeryn Rudel
5 Comments
On April 4th of this year, I hit another big submission milestone. I received my 800th rejections since I started recording them on Duotrope back in 2012. As usual, I have some dirty details on my nice round number of noes and not for… Continue Reading “800 Rejections or That Which Does Not Accept You Makes You Stronger”
Posted on January 12, 2026
by Aeryn Rudel
5 Comments
Recently, it came to my attention that when I say “I have almost 800 rejections”, some folks think YOU’VE HAD 800 STORIES REJECTED?! That’s understandable without context, especially if you’re not in the biz. It did get me thinking, though. Just how many distinct… Continue Reading “What Happens to Rejected Stories?”
Posted on October 31, 2025
by Aeryn Rudel
2 Comments
Today on The Daily NO, we’re celebrating Halloween by looking at all the rejections I’ve received on the spookiest day of the year. However, to my shock and surprise, in over 12 years and nearly 1,000 submissions, I have received exactly ONE rejection on… Continue Reading “The Daily NO – Halloween Special”
Category: Rejection Letters, The Daily NOTags: Aeryn Rudel, books, fiction, Flash Fiction, Publishing, rejection, Rejection Letters, Rejectomancy, short stories, Submissions, Writing, writing tips
Posted on September 5, 2025
by Aeryn Rudel
2 Comments
Today on The Daily NO, we’re going to look at the first rejection I received for a story that would go on to collect a record-setting (for me) 25 rejections before I sold it. This is definitely a case of sticking with a story… Continue Reading “The Daily NO – Rejection #478”
Category: Rejection Letters, The Daily NOTags: Aeryn Rudel, books, fiction, Flash Fiction, Publishing, rejection, Rejection Letters, Rejectomancy, short stories, Submissions, Writing, writing tips
Posted on August 28, 2025
by Aeryn Rudel
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Today on The Daily No, it’s another first. The rejection we’ll be discussing today is my first ever personal rejection with actual feedback from an editor. It was a momentous occasion, and the first time I really felt like I was making actual progress.… Continue Reading “The Daily NO – Rejection #7”
Category: Rejection Letters, The Daily NOTags: Aeryn Rudel, books, fiction, Flash Fiction, Publishing, rejection, Rejection Letters, Rejectomancy, short stories, Submissions, Writing, writing tips
Posted on August 26, 2025
by Aeryn Rudel
4 Comments
Next up on The Daily No, we’re traveling all the way back to the beginning, to the first rejection I received once I started tracking my submissions on Duotrope. Imagine, if you will, a warm spring day in Seattle, circa 2012. A baby writer… Continue Reading “The Daily NO – Rejection #1”
Category: Rejection Letters, The Daily NOTags: Aeryn Rudel, books, fiction, Flash Fiction, Publishing, rejection, Rejection Letters, Rejectomancy, short stories, Submissions, Writing, writing tips
Posted on August 22, 2025
by Aeryn Rudel
3 Comments
Okay, I’m gonna start a new series. I’m gonna to show you one of my rejections (almost) every day for as long as either of us can stand it. I’ve got hundreds, so we should have material for YEARS. Anyway, I’ll give you all… Continue Reading “The Daily NO – Rejection #740”
Posted on March 18, 2025
by Aeryn Rudel
1 Comment
Last week, I hit another significant submission milestone. I received my 700th rejection since I started tracking them on Duotrope back in 2012. If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you know that when I hit a big round number… Continue Reading “Surviving 700 Rejections”
Posted on November 7, 2024
by Aeryn Rudel
2 Comments
The reasons for a rejection are myriad and seemingly endless, but the more rejections you get, the better you become at reading the literary tea leaves and divining why the “not for us’s” and “we’re gonna pass’s” are clogging your inbox. In this series,… Continue Reading “Rejection Whys: Not Ready For Primetime”