I submit a lot and widely - short stories. Rejections always sting, especially when I believe the piece I sent out was perfect for the publication, theme, mood, etc. But I'm not in the head of the editor in charge. What other stories do they have for the issue? Maybe mine sounded similar to another, maybe they didn't like the character... who knows. Move on. Try somebody else. If a story gets rejected 30, 40 times, there might be something wrong with it. I let it sit for a while, then revisit. The flaws become apparent. So, rework. And try again.
Absolutely--many rejections can point to a problem with the story, poem, or essay. But it's also possible that the work doesn't fit the zeitgeist.
Letting work sit is hard because time is not on our side, but it's essential. I took months off from what will be my 28th book and it feels not just fresh but gripping: "I wrote that scene?" :-)
Time is less of an issue with short stories because responses yes/no come quickly. I also don't spend a year writing a story, lol. For 4 months this year, I did the Bradbury thing: one story a week. Hard but rewarding, some have already been accepted. Books are a heartbreak (I'm not so young anymore, time is a hard currency). My publisher left me in limbo for a year and a half, they were in breach of contract, so I pulled the MS. Now I'm querying again. The time lost (the hope squashed) hurts big time. It hurts more than rejections.
Well, some lit mags journals take many months to report back "yes" or "no."
That stinks about your publisher. I was also in limbo for a year and a half with my first novel--with the publisher who'd already brought out my prize-winning collection of short stories! I was a newbie and didn't feel I could press the editor. When Ii finally got up the courage to ask, he said, "I didn't realize you were in a hurry."
I owe him a lot, though, since he came up with the structure of the first book, suggested how to polish the novel, and inspired me to start my long-running mystery series. The mysteries are what broke me into the NYTBR.
Lev thanks for a peak into the publishing world from someone who is far further along the path than someone like me who is just starting. Definitely helps to understand things from your perspective.
ALSO, I haven't forgotten about our editing discussion! On my end, I have "finished" a basic, linear timeline rough draft, still in need of revision but also somewhat a bit "stuck" in the middle. I will be putting some attention to things I have been neglecting (such as my memoir) and get back to you ASAP.
Submitting is a numbers game. If you write a lot and also submit different pieces to a variety of journals, the acceptances will outweigh the rejections.
And even though I have many rejection letters filled with an editor's appreciation of certain lines in my poems and encouragement to submit again, I do understand that the editorial team is always trying to assemble a coherent, delectable literary buffet for the issue - - - and maybe my poem was the sour pickle or the overpowering Limburger cheese.
It's definitely like assembling a cast for a movie or play: how do the different pieces go together?
I do think that the more you submit, the more likely your rejections will outnumber the acceptances. The first essay I sold to The Smart Set had been rejected at least half a dozen times.
I submit a lot and widely - short stories. Rejections always sting, especially when I believe the piece I sent out was perfect for the publication, theme, mood, etc. But I'm not in the head of the editor in charge. What other stories do they have for the issue? Maybe mine sounded similar to another, maybe they didn't like the character... who knows. Move on. Try somebody else. If a story gets rejected 30, 40 times, there might be something wrong with it. I let it sit for a while, then revisit. The flaws become apparent. So, rework. And try again.
Absolutely--many rejections can point to a problem with the story, poem, or essay. But it's also possible that the work doesn't fit the zeitgeist.
Letting work sit is hard because time is not on our side, but it's essential. I took months off from what will be my 28th book and it feels not just fresh but gripping: "I wrote that scene?" :-)
Time is less of an issue with short stories because responses yes/no come quickly. I also don't spend a year writing a story, lol. For 4 months this year, I did the Bradbury thing: one story a week. Hard but rewarding, some have already been accepted. Books are a heartbreak (I'm not so young anymore, time is a hard currency). My publisher left me in limbo for a year and a half, they were in breach of contract, so I pulled the MS. Now I'm querying again. The time lost (the hope squashed) hurts big time. It hurts more than rejections.
Well, some lit mags journals take many months to report back "yes" or "no."
That stinks about your publisher. I was also in limbo for a year and a half with my first novel--with the publisher who'd already brought out my prize-winning collection of short stories! I was a newbie and didn't feel I could press the editor. When Ii finally got up the courage to ask, he said, "I didn't realize you were in a hurry."
Wow! That's rich!
I owe him a lot, though, since he came up with the structure of the first book, suggested how to polish the novel, and inspired me to start my long-running mystery series. The mysteries are what broke me into the NYTBR.
Lev thanks for a peak into the publishing world from someone who is far further along the path than someone like me who is just starting. Definitely helps to understand things from your perspective.
ALSO, I haven't forgotten about our editing discussion! On my end, I have "finished" a basic, linear timeline rough draft, still in need of revision but also somewhat a bit "stuck" in the middle. I will be putting some attention to things I have been neglecting (such as my memoir) and get back to you ASAP.
Edith Wharton said that the middle of a book could feel like crossing the Gobi Desert. :-)
Submitting is a numbers game. If you write a lot and also submit different pieces to a variety of journals, the acceptances will outweigh the rejections.
And even though I have many rejection letters filled with an editor's appreciation of certain lines in my poems and encouragement to submit again, I do understand that the editorial team is always trying to assemble a coherent, delectable literary buffet for the issue - - - and maybe my poem was the sour pickle or the overpowering Limburger cheese.
It's definitely like assembling a cast for a movie or play: how do the different pieces go together?
I do think that the more you submit, the more likely your rejections will outnumber the acceptances. The first essay I sold to The Smart Set had been rejected at least half a dozen times.
Thanks!