Why I Love Rejection Letters

When I first started submitting short stories to literary magazines, I would agonize over whether or not my work was good enough, and in some cases, whether the controversial pieces were ‘too crazy.’

I would spend days trying to make sure that everything was just right, and then sit staring at the ‘submit’ button, imagining the worst case scenario. Approaching submitting work like one would approach setting off missiles is not productive.

Need to take extra time to edit? Great. Yet too many of us hold back because we are afraid of not being accepted. As if any one platform or magazine or publisher is the be all and end all of the publishing world. As if the value of your work rests on the preference or opinion of one editor or the niche of one platform.

Over time, it has gotten easier to submit work. Perhaps like many things it just takes practice. Perhaps going through a few rounds of submitting and hearing nothing- no acceptance, but also- no crashing sound of the Earth shattering- builds confidence, or makes the hunt for the right platform or publisher more enticing, or perhaps at some point it becomes easier not to take things so personally. Either way, it has become fun.

And the best part?

The rejection e-mail.

If a venue loves a piece enough to publish it, that’s awesome too.

But consider for a moment how busy editors and reviewers are, how many submissions they receive and how much effort it takes to follow up and type a personalized rejection e-mail.

I don’t mean the automated “thank you for submitting to xyz, don’t call us we’ll call you” response.

I mean e-mails like the one I received today… “we really enjoyed your piece, but it doesn’t fit with this edition, we hope you will consider sending more work in the future…”

It’s like hitting the lottery, without the tax obligation.

First and foremost, it means someone read my stuff. Some folks write for their own enjoyment…’

I don’t.

I write because I’m egotistical enough to think I have anything to say that matters. If a story or article sits in my flash drive, it is not doing its job. It isn’t entering someone else’s awareness. It is not creating awareness, conversation, or insight. It isn’t pissing someone off, challenging someone’s views, scaring them to death, or bringing them hope, or making them laugh. It is no better than food left rotting in the refrigerator.

And if the only one to read it is an editor who then deems it is not a good fit, that is ok with me. It has entered into someone else’s mind, infecting them with an idea, or leaving them with indigestion. Either way it has served a purpose.

But there is another reason I love rejection letters. They are promising. They reflect an interest in your work. Usually the words ‘please send more’ are included and when it comes to busy editors with many submissions to review, there is no such thing as ‘they’re just saying that to be nice.’

Rejections also help you grow.

A story I am currently working on has been through several rounds of revision based on feedback from rejection letters. My upcoming book Queen Up! went through numerous rejections in its earlier incarnations as a manuscript called Discover Your Inner Queen. Take feedback as a good sign. It means someone thinks you have enough potential to want to encourage you to refine your work.

It isn’t personal. No one is dissing your mother or saying your butt is too big.

If you are new to submitting, or holding back on a story, poem, manuscript or article feeling paralyzed by the thought of not being good enough here are a few things I have learned both from personal experience and with the help of my friend and mentor Linda Lowen.

Research the platform you are submitting to. Read what they publish. Your work may be great but not fit their genre or carry the tone they prefer.

Read the platform’s specifications carefully. Take note of whether they allow simultaneous submissions or not.

Edit the crap out of your work. Reading it out loud is one way to catch errors.

Check out sites like submittable.com where you can submit your work easily to various journals and magazines. I love that Submittable makes it easy for you to search opportunities in their database, submit, and then track your progress.

Maybe the purpose of your work is catharsis. You truly write just for yourself. That’s ok. But if you want to share a story, challenge a perspective, connect with others through your work, holding back is not only a disservice to others who will not receive the benefit of your view, opinion, experience, creativity and perspective, it is a disservice to your growth as a writer.