As some of you may recall, I mentioned that I hadn't been turned down in a while and I felt I was due. Yesterday was the day.
The first rejection I got (in a record-breaking nine days) was respectful, used my name, mentioned particulars of my story and was signed in ink by a human being. It made me feel that something really good was right around the corner.
The second and third, however, were slightly less encouraging. Non-personalized, unsigned form letters, they said that these agencies saw me as just another literary fly that had landed in their potato salad.
The fourth rejection was a half-sheet photocopy stapled to my submission package which had never been seen. They had read the cover letter, pinned its note on, and sent it out.
This one, however, this one was an index card printed with their rejection and stapled to my package. An index card. Feh.
The next one's just going to have "NO" stamped on my cover letter in dripping red ink, and after that, I'll open an envelope one day and a little pile of ashes will fall out.
The first rejection I got (in a record-breaking nine days) was respectful, used my name, mentioned particulars of my story and was signed in ink by a human being. It made me feel that something really good was right around the corner.
The second and third, however, were slightly less encouraging. Non-personalized, unsigned form letters, they said that these agencies saw me as just another literary fly that had landed in their potato salad.
The fourth rejection was a half-sheet photocopy stapled to my submission package which had never been seen. They had read the cover letter, pinned its note on, and sent it out.
This one, however, this one was an index card printed with their rejection and stapled to my package. An index card. Feh.
The next one's just going to have "NO" stamped on my cover letter in dripping red ink, and after that, I'll open an envelope one day and a little pile of ashes will fall out.
- Current Mood:
disappointed
Profile
junglemonkee- Saruwatari Ayumi
- Quintana Books
Comments
Think of that first rejection of the day and forget the others. Look at what that agent had to say and see if you agree and try to learn from it. All you can learn from the others is how to use your submission tracker....
The half-sheet mimeographed (note I don't say photocopied because I've had those half-sheets and it looks like those ancient jokes on paper that still float around offices from about 1972) rejections aren't much better. Those sound like they're coming from agencies that aren't looking at anything that wasn't solicited and are just lobbing back submission packages without thought. More fools they!
Use that first rejection as a litmus test - that first one actually got through the front line readers to Someone Who Makes Decisions and they would be worth sending a manuscript to in future. If other agencies can't do the same screw 'em. Metaphorically speaking.