Category: Rejection Letters

Query Quest: Baby’s First Query Rejection

Recently, I started querying agents with my supernatural thriller novel SECOND DAWN. Though I’ve published novels before, as well as a ton of short stories, the querying process is completely new to me. It does, however, fit neatly under the umbrella of rejectomancy, so I’ll… Continue Reading “Query Quest: Baby’s First Query Rejection”

Charting Rejection Progression II

A few years ago, I posted the rejections I’d received from a pro market I’d been trying to crack from some time. The point of that post was to illustrate that rejections often indicate if you’re making progress with an editor/publisher and getting closer… Continue Reading “Charting Rejection Progression II”

Submit or Surrender? A Tale of Three Publishers

A popular topic in writerly circles is if and when a writer should give up on a market after multiple rejections. The idea being that if an editor rejects you a certain number of times, it’s likely they are not interested in your work… Continue Reading “Submit or Surrender? A Tale of Three Publishers”

Rejected Stories: When to Revise or Resubmit

When I get a rejection on a short story, my first thought is do I need to revise this piece? Often as not, the answer is no, and I send the story right back out. I don’t come to this decision without due consideration,… Continue Reading “Rejected Stories: When to Revise or Resubmit”

Rejection Roundup: 3 Shortlist Rejections

I’ve received a fair number of close-but-no-cigar or final-round or shortlist rejections this year, which I’m just gonna shorthand to shortlist rejections (hah!) in this post to make things easy. Overall, this kind of rejection is a positive thing, as it generally tells you… Continue Reading “Rejection Roundup: 3 Shortlist Rejections”

Multiple Rejections in a Single Day?! Why & What To Do

Well, here’s a topic I haven’t discussed in over five years, which is weird because I certainly have had occasion to discuss it many times. Recently, in fact. I’m talking about the multi-rejection day. That moment when the stars align and rejections rain down from the… Continue Reading “Multiple Rejections in a Single Day?! Why & What To Do”

Rejection Letter Rundown: The Reprint Rejection

Been a while since I talked about the specific types of rejections a writer might receive, but here’s one that falls into kind of a unique category: the reprint rejection. It’s unique because it’s a story you know at least one editor/publisher liked enough… Continue Reading “Rejection Letter Rundown: The Reprint Rejection”

Close Calls: The Shortlist Rejection

I’ve discussed the shortlist rejection a few times on the blog, but it’s worth revisiting, mostly because I’ve gotten a bunch this year. 🙂 First, a definition. A shortlist rejection is when the publisher sends you notification they’re holding your story for further consideration,… Continue Reading “Close Calls: The Shortlist Rejection”

Rejection Letter Rundown: The Unspoken Rejection

It’s been a while since I posted a new Rejection Letter Rundown, mostly because I’ve covered just about every kind of rejection you can get. That said, there’s always something new in submission land. 🙂 So this time we’re discussing a rejection letter sans,… Continue Reading “Rejection Letter Rundown: The Unspoken Rejection”

A Bad Request? 400 Rejections

Today I received my 400th rejection since I started tracking my submissions through Duotrope. Yeah, I received a few pre-Duotrope, in what amounts to my literary Dark Ages, but those rejections are lost to the sands of time and ancient Hotmail accounts, so we’ll… Continue Reading “A Bad Request? 400 Rejections”