# Dealing with Rejections?



## Devora (Mar 26, 2013)

I've been trying to get published by literary magazines for some time now, but so far i'm getting constant rejection after rejection.

I'm wondering how I should best cope with the constant rejection.

What should i do to finally get one of my works accepted?


----------



## Philip Overby (Mar 26, 2013)

Speaking as someone who has been rejected several times, the key is to not think of your writing like a precious baby.  It's not a precious baby.  When you're writing it, yeah, it's a big part of you spilling onto the page.  I respect the process and the emotion that goes into it.  But once you're finished and start submitting, it ceases being that and becomes a product.  The same as if you were selling vacuum cleaners.  You have to separate yourself from thinking you're doing something wrong or whatever.  Like any salesman, you have to go door to door (market to market) until you find the one that wants your story.  

Just write, send it out, and if it gets rejected say, "OK, who's next on my list" and send it to them.  Editors are people the same as everyone else.  They have tastes, likes, dislikes, etc.  That's why they always say, "Read our publication before you submit something."  So my number one suggestion:  read the publications you're submitting to.  Find out what kind of stuff they like reading.  Read their guidelines.  What do they not like reading if anything?

The only way to get accepted is to keep writing and keep submitting.  That's really all you can do.  Try to keep learning and if an editor gives you some advice, see if it works for you or not.  I wouldn't take every single editors' advice, but if it's a publication you respect, then it's probably a good idea to listen to their suggestions. If you're only getting form rejections, that's fine too.  Keep learning, writing, and reading.  

Maybe others who have been widely published can offer better advice, but coming from someone who's been rejected a good deal (which most writers have), it's normal.


----------



## morfiction (Mar 26, 2013)

I didn't want to deal with rejection so I used self-publishing alternatives. I've also submitted a book to Random House's "HYDRA" imprint. I wonder if they'll like it enough?


----------



## Devora (Mar 26, 2013)

morfiction said:


> I didn't want to deal with rejection so I used self-publishing alternatives. I've also submitted a book to Random House's "HYDRA" imprint. I wonder if they'll like it enough?



I've heard bad things about that imprint. I heard the give bad contracts that don't pay you much and take away most of your rights.


----------



## Devora (Mar 26, 2013)

Phil the Drill said:


> Speaking as someone who has been rejected several times, the key is to not think of your writing like a precious baby.  It's not a precious baby.  When you're writing it, yeah, it's a big part of you spilling onto the page.  I respect the process and the emotion that goes into it.  But once you're finished and start submitting, it ceases being that and becomes a product.  The same as if you were selling vacuum cleaners.  You have to separate yourself from thinking you're doing something wrong or whatever.  Like any salesman, you have to go door to door (market to market) until you find the one that wants your story.
> 
> Just write, send it out, and if it gets rejected say, "OK, who's next on my list" and send it to them.  Editors are people the same as everyone else.  They have tastes, likes, dislikes, etc.  That's why they always say, "Read our publication before you submit something."  So my number one suggestion:  read the publications you're submitting to.  Find out what kind of stuff they like reading.  Read their guidelines.  What do they not like reading if anything?
> 
> ...



I'm not really babying my stories. I'm just tired of rejections because I need the money.


----------



## Kevin O. McLaughlin (Mar 26, 2013)

OK, couple of quick thoughts here.

#1, as an aside: I would sooner BURN my manuscript than hand it over to Hydra. Their contracts are lethal to the writer, and potentially career-ending. If you are offered a Hydra contract, you MUST hire a competent IP attorney to negotiate the deal -and that attorney will likely recommend you not sign.


OK, that said, on rejections...

It is OK to write with the goal of making money. It is probably a very bad idea to write with the idea of making money *quickly*.   It's a little like buying lottery tickets because you need the money for next month's rent. It's not a good idea.

You can make a living as a writer. It just takes time... Literary magazines only have a few slots per issue for your stories, and get hundreds of submissions each month. Your work has to really shine, and really meet their style. Some thoughts:

- Are you having someone vet the work before sending it? Where, honestly, is your writing skill right now? Are you using a crit site like OWW or Critters to get feedback on your stories? Sometimes, the answer is simply that your skills are not professional grade yet, and you need to write more. It's been said that a writer's first million words are "apprentice work", most of which is not going to be pro-grade work.

- Are you READING the journals before submitting? Do you have a feel for the sorts of stories they publish? Different magazines have very different tastes in readership, and their editors pick stories carefully which will appeal to their readers. If you're not reading a magazine, you'll have no idea if your story is even something they'll consider.

- Are you reading your medium? Lots of it? By that I mean - if you want to write short stories, you MUST read short stories in copious quantities. If you want to write novels, read novels. If you want to write hard SF, read hard SF. Read as often as you can. I read a book a week or better, and read short stories on top of that, because I write both.

- Make a list of your pro markets. Get a system in place for submissions to them. If you write a new story, figure out which markets will be most likely to publish it, and send to them first. If it is rejected, record the submission and rejection, and send it THAT DAY to the next spot on the list. Your goal is to keep as many stories out in the submission process as possible, if you're writing shorts especially. If you've got a dozen stories or articles out in submission somewhere, you're on the right track - keep adding more!

- KEEP WRITING! New stories build your skill. New stories give you more product to sell. New stories allow you to grow as a writer. Nothing is more important than this.

- If you've had some excellent feedback from non-friend, non-family members about the quality of your work, consider self publishing some (or even all) of them. At 99 cents per short, you'll make only 35 cents per sale - but my shorts make me something like $20-40 per year. Each. It's not huge, but the money doesn't stop either, so long as you keep writing new ones and those new ones keep finding new readers. Caveat: unlike novels, where publishers will pay five and six figures for rights to an already published book, magazines rarely pay money for already-published short fiction. So if you like the idea of submitting to the magazines, and have the time/patience for it, and your stories are like the ones they publish, you can earn more by publishing through them and THEN self publishing once your rights come back.


----------



## Caged Maiden (Mar 26, 2013)

Thank you for that.  I signed up for Critters.  What  wonderful resource.  I'm ashamed to say I'm a bit of a critique wh*re.  But I find that feedback is the single greatest tool for me.  Thanks for your well thought out advice.


----------



## Devora (Mar 27, 2013)

Kevin O. McLaughlin said:


> It is OK to write with the goal of making money. It is probably a very bad idea to write with the idea of making money *quickly*.   It's a little like buying lottery tickets because you need the money for next month's rent. It's not a good idea.



I know i'm not gonna make good income off of just short stories alone. I need the money to fund my other projects for the time being.


----------



## Zero Angel (Mar 27, 2013)

Devora, chances are you're not going to make any amount of income off your short stories that is tenable, even to the point of funding others. One common thread is to start at the top and work your way down, i.e. start by submitting to Clarkesworld and other major publications that pay pro levels and have high bars to get into, and then with each rejection ship it off to another publication until you eventually are at the token level of payment. 

I could only stomach this for so long, and I don't submit shorts to any publication that takes longer than two weeks to get back to me. After exhausting those, I either offer the story for free on my site or self-publish through KDP/Smashwords.


----------



## TWErvin2 (Mar 27, 2013)

With rejection you just have to keep on pressing forward--or that's how I see it. 

Send a short story or a novel out to another market. While you're waiting, write something new. Send that out. Some of my stories got six or seven rejections before finding a home.

Keep learning and improving. Keep writing and sending (and keep a spreadsheet to keep track).

Having a piece rejected isn't fun. Remind yourself that the competition is stiff, but if you do your research and target your markets, you have a better shot.


----------



## Philip Overby (Mar 27, 2013)

@Devora : There are easier ways to make money than writing short stories.  If you're passionate about your stories and want to see them published so you can gain a broader readership, then money is just a nice little extra.  Once you get to where you have some name recognition, you may notice markets opening up to you more, even some may solicit you for anthologies or collections.  

My suggestion would be to branch out with your writing if money is concern.  Just writing short stories may not be enough.  If you're trying to fund other projects, how much money are you needing to fund them?  Find any market, project, etc. that will pay you for writing.  The more you're writing, the more your name is getting out there, the more money you may make.  

But nothing is promised in writing.  Even if you are making money, it's probably going to trickle in at first, so you have to figure out how to make that work.


----------



## Devora (Mar 28, 2013)

Phil the Drill said:


> @Devora : There are easier ways to make money than writing short stories.  If you're passionate about your stories and want to see them published so you can gain a broader readership, then money is just a nice little extra.  Once you get to where you have some name recognition, you may notice markets opening up to you more, even some may solicit you for anthologies or collections.
> 
> My suggestion would be to branch out with your writing if money is concern.  Just writing short stories may not be enough.  If you're trying to fund other projects, how much money are you needing to fund them?  Find any market, project, etc. that will pay you for writing.  The more you're writing, the more your name is getting out there, the more money you may make.
> 
> But nothing is promised in writing.  Even if you are making money, it's probably going to trickle in at first, so you have to figure out how to make that work.



I don't need a lot of money. Just one short story to a pro paying publication would be enough.


----------



## Steerpike (Mar 28, 2013)

Don't let the rejections get to you on a personal level. When you finish a story, submit it and work on something else. When you get a rejection, send the story to the next market on your list. If you want to sell to pro-paying markets, I wouldn't limit yourself to those with a two week turnaround time. That eliminates too many markets. If you have a handful of stories out at any given time you'll get responses at regular intervals. I'd also stick with pro and semi-pro markets, and avoid token or nonpaying markets (the latter goes without saying if you're doing it for money, I suppose).


----------



## The Dark One (Mar 29, 2013)

You're doing it for money?

That is the worst possible reason to start writing seriously. Write seriously towards creating a career, by all means, but to write seriously to make money tomorrow? That way madness lies.

I've been writing seriously for 20 years and I've made about $10,000. All of it in the last two years. And the really bad news? I'm regarded as quite successful in my country.


----------



## Nightender (Mar 30, 2013)

I would love to make $10,000 per year on writing, if not more.  I'm nowhere near that point, but I'd love to be able to write exclusively as my profession, but I'm still some time away from that.

The rejections just help to remind us that we can improve and refine our writing.  The more we keep at it, the more likely we will be to find those who will help put our work out there.  And in a lot of countries, $10,000 is a very successful career.


----------



## Devora (Mar 30, 2013)

The Dark One said:


> You're doing it for money?
> 
> That is the worst possible reason to start writing seriously. Write seriously towards creating a career, by all means, but to write seriously to make money tomorrow? That way madness lies.
> 
> I've been writing seriously for 20 years and I've made about $10,000. All of it in the last two years. And the really bad news? I'm regarded as quite successful in my country.



I'm not doing it just for the money (I enjoy writing a lot), but I do have a few finished stories and I'm trying to sell them for publication.


----------



## skip.knox (Apr 2, 2013)

Wow. I don't think I've ever met anyone who looked at writing as a way to make quick money. Or even slow money!  To me, my writing is a money pit. It's like owning a boat or being in a band. I do it because I want to and because I can afford it. Or almost afford it.  But I look at it as a drain on my finances. If I should ever actually make money at it, I guarantee you'll be able to hear me giggling right across continents.


----------



## Darkblade (Apr 2, 2013)

I just got my first rejection notice (my second notice from a publisher). I am a little bummed, especially since I considered that short story to be a lot stronger than the one that did get accepted but I'm not going to let it get me down. I still got another short story in an editing que for an anthology and more in the works so I'm just going to keep on going.


----------



## The Dark One (Apr 3, 2013)

First rejection notice? I remember that...1994. I would've had over a hundred since then, but rejection slips are an important learning tool. I had an article published in the NSW Writers Centre magazine (and recently anthologised in an ebook called Talking Writing) called The Importance of Being Rejected: The Destiny Police and the Digital Future.

I could post a link to Talking Writing but I think it will cost you a few dollars to buy. There's a lot of very good stuff in there and Australian writers in particular ought to check it out.


----------



## OGone (Apr 3, 2013)

Devora said:


> I've been trying to get published by literary magazines for some time now, but so far i'm getting constant rejection after rejection.
> 
> I'm wondering how I should best cope with the constant rejection.
> 
> What should i do to finally get one of my works accepted?



Haven't really had to face rejection yet as I haven't submitted anything, but I imagine I'll have to put up with quite a lot in the near future.

I've altered my viewpoint in preparation to the inevitable rejections. I wouldn't ever assume you're going to make money, expect the absolute worse. Writing is something to fall back on and you have to be lucky to make a career out of it. Improve your writing, you're probably not a perfect writer... If you really feel you have a good story nothing is stopping you from going back, reading over it and redrafting it. If you think you've done everything you can, try e-publishing it. The income probably won't be great but at least you might get a little something even start garnering a fanbase. 

Writing needs to become your life too. You have to want people to read your stories, that is the biggest goal in my eyes. Not money, but actually having a group of people who are waiting for your next book to release. I'd love writing to be my primary profession and to do that, of-course, I'm going to have to make money.

However, creative writing isn't the only way to get an income whilst practicing writing. I'm going to do a degree in literature + creative writing, there's plenty of other things it may lead into. Consider journalism or perhaps even becoming an editor, if you work towards a job in the industry you're much more likely to eventually succeed. 

Don't write anything expecting it to make money and definitely do not write anything expecting to get published.

Just keep going, persistence is the key to success in this industry and many others, apparently.


----------



## skip.knox (Apr 4, 2013)

So far, my worst rejections are the terse ones. "Your work is not suitable for our publication" or a hundred variations thereon. Better are the ones who nice:  "This is an interesting piece, but we don't have a place for it, best of luck, etc etc."  I was lucky enough to get an acceptance after only a few rejections, so I have a bit of flotsam to cling to in the wide sea of rejection.

Keep paddlin'


----------



## Addison (Apr 9, 2013)

Take a better look at the rejection letters. In my experience there are three kinds of rejection letters:

1: The Writing Nazi; this is the letter where the editor, publisher or agent is very straightforward with their rejection. "No deal for you! _SLAP These rejections are a sign of no return, for the agent. It doesn't mean that your idea or writing isn't good. It just means they don't want it. 

2: Dear Jane/John: Anyone in a relationship knows what these are in a 'romantic' sense. These are usually letters of ending relationships. And they appear in rejection letters. They start sincere but then reveal the truth, "Dear Mr. Smith, we appreciate your submision and enjoyed reading your idea. But we don't want it. It's not what we're looking for. Bye!"  Again, rejection letters have nothing to do with you as a writer or your work.

3: Ra-ra Rejction: These are the best rejections because their support and good comments ease the pain of the rejection. These letters will often say that you have a great idea and, if you sent sample pages, that you have talent. After you read "Not what we're looking for at this time" these letters will often hint at a publisher, editor or agency or something/one who is looking for your type of work. If you don't see this line these letters will instead wish you good luck.

Again, rejection letters are not an attack on you as a writer or your writing. They're just faces saying you picked the wrong person or publisher. You just need to do your research both into who you're sending it to and how you're presenting your idea in the query._


----------

