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Post by steppedonwolf on Jan 19, 2010 0:14:30 GMT
An unavoidable part of a writer's life. Some are abrupt to the point of rudeness, some are positive and give advice on why the story/novel wasn't for them...
But wouldn't it be great to receive a letter like this:
Most honorable Sir, We perused your MS. with boundless delight. And we hurry to swear by our ancestors we have never read any other that equals its mastery. Were we to publish your work, we could never presume again on our public and name to print books of a standard not up to yours. For we cannot imagine that the next ten thousand years will offer its ectype. We must therefore refuse your work that shines as it were in the sky and beg you a thousand times to pardon our fault which impairs but our own offices.
(Rejection letter from a Chinese publisher, from Louis Zukofsky's 'A')
;D
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Post by williemeikle on Jan 19, 2010 1:32:00 GMT
Certainly beats "f*ck off you talentless c*nt" which I got from one US horror mag a few years back. :-)
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Post by steppedonwolf on Feb 6, 2010 11:49:16 GMT
I had my nicest rejection letter ever the other day - from Necrotic Tissue. My story had made the short list, but didn't make the final cut. This is what the editor said: "First, let me say you made it to the final stage. I felt your story was very entertaining, and it was very difficult to part with. However, as we got down to the end in selecting pieces, we noticed a theme that was shaping for July's issue. I wish you the best of luck placing this piece elsewhere, and hope to see more of your writing in the future." Even a rejection can be an encouragement to your writing if it's worded like this.
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Post by TheWalkinDude on Feb 8, 2010 9:02:37 GMT
how often do Necrotic Tissue publish?
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Post by steppedonwolf on Feb 12, 2010 18:31:17 GMT
how often do Necrotic Tissue publish? There's four submission periods - January, April, July and October - and it publishes four times a year. www.necrotictissue.com/subguid_O.htmleditor@necrotictissue.com Got something planned for them, WD?
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Post by steppedonwolf on Apr 14, 2010 17:43:55 GMT
I'm starting to see the difference between form rejections and personalised ones.
With ALL rejections, just shrug 'em off and don't let it stop you writing. But with personalised ones, where the editor has actually taken the time and effort to comment on your work and state why it didn't work for them, I think the effort should be reciprocated.
Remember: editors are busy folk, some of them are writers themselves. And all of them are deluged with submissions. So when they take the trouble to write to you and analyse your work, it's good manners to drop them a line back and say thank you for the feedback.
Even if you don't agree with it (DON'T for the love of God get into an argument with them, disagreeing with their judgement - everything's subjective, after all. And they may even have pointed out a flaw you hadn't noticed before, which will only benefit you), it sends a positive message.
Your thoughts, anyone?
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Post by shaun on Apr 15, 2010 5:27:25 GMT
There was a discussion about this on the HWA board (replying to rejection letters), and if I recall right, most editors that responded to the thread didn't want a reply thanking them, as it just clogged their mailbox.
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Post by steppedonwolf on Apr 15, 2010 10:46:37 GMT
Oh. Okay, thanks for that. I'm learning...
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kinkyclawz
Cthugha
When the gibbous moon awakens, my golden eyes see ALL!
Posts: 39
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Post by kinkyclawz on Apr 15, 2010 12:43:40 GMT
What a fascinating thread. Please bear with me folks, I'm very, very amateur at this.
I've not made any attempt to send off manuscripts to publishers yet. Is there a set way to get started in this? Is it basically search online and in magazines and looking for competitions and submission opportunities?
Its just that I might as well try and see what will be good or bad or indifferent about my stuff. ^^ KC
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Post by steppedonwolf on Apr 15, 2010 16:54:18 GMT
What a fascinating thread. Please bear with me folks, I'm very, very amateur at this.
I've not made any attempt to send off manuscripts to publishers yet. Is there a set way to get started in this? Is it basically search online and in magazines and looking for competitions and submission opportunities?
Its just that I might as well try and see what will be good or bad or indifferent about my stuff. ^^ KC Two sites are very good for this: www.duotrope.com/index.aspxwww.ralan.com/Loads of markets there. Regarding manuscript submission, the majority of them accept electronic (emailed) submissions, but whoever you go to read the submission guidelines very carefully. Some differ to others - some prefer the story pasted in the body of an email, some want the file as an RTF (Rich Text Format) rather than a Word document. Some also have very specific requirements on the formatting of manuscripts themselves. Standard Manuscript Format is usually required (link below) but again, check the guidelines very carefully for any variations. Almost all of the markets will have a comment on their website like "Submissions which do not meet our guidelines will be deleted unread." www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scriptsmart/novel.pdfHope this helps.
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Post by steppedonwolf on Apr 23, 2010 19:10:36 GMT
Well, my third rejection for The Caretakers. But a great one. This from an agent at Pitch Black: "Thank you for stopping by at the Pitch Black session, Brighton, and for leaving the opening pages of your horror novel with me. I was very keen to read it, and in a general sense it did not disappoint. Overall, you write well, show lots of promise, and this has all the elements of a gripping horror novel. Maybe a bit of polishing up is needed. However, ultimately - and I'm not sure why, some failing in me - I wasn't quite gripped and blown away enough to want to read on. I'm really sorry about this, and can only think it's a matter of personal taste." Some very positive feedback there.
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Post by ian on Apr 23, 2010 22:24:59 GMT
Think of it like looking for a job. You'll get loads of folk saying no but, someone will say yes.
-maybe-
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Post by steppedonwolf on May 3, 2010 16:11:05 GMT
Come on everybody: share with us your funniest - or most upsetting - rejection letter.
Tell us how you responded!
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Post by williemeikle on May 3, 2010 16:21:30 GMT
I got one many years ago that read -
I never did find out who Margaret was :-)
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Post by steppedonwolf on May 3, 2010 16:30:31 GMT
I got one many years ago that read - I never did find out who Margaret was :-) Aha! My secret identity is revealed. I was wondering why I never got a response to that story...
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