The Rejection Project

Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh, the sweet sweet smell of Rejection, every new writer's favorite cologne!

Rejection

It happens all the time. And it's like

 

But it's going to keep happening. So you have to get used to it. And keep sending out your work. And finding little victories. 

Victory #1

You were not rejected!



Success! But that isn't going to happen. Let's be real. You're publication credits will be far outnumbered by your rejection credits. The average person publishes 1 book a year factoid actually just a statistical error. Average person publishes 0 books per year. Seanan McGuire who publishes 5 books a year is an outlier and should not have been counted. 

Victory #2

The Personal Rejection



Here's the thing – Editors receive thousands of submissions. Literally. And like actually literally, not new literally. This is what Form Rejections are for. If you've never received a Form Rejection, it's a very polite "This work doesn't suit our needs at this time. Please consider us for future work." message. Sometimes it has your name. Sometimes it says "Dear Writer".  

So when an Editor takes the time to pen a personal "Hey this didn't work for us, but I really, really liked it. Send us more things. I really mean it." that is a great feeling. It reaffirms your belief in your work in general and the merits of your submission in particular. 

If you don't know whether the rejection you've just received is a Form or Personal rejection, check the Rejection Wiki. It's by no means comprehensive, but you'll get the idea. 

Now I'm gonna name-drop-humble-brag. Because I can. I have one name-droppable-humble-brag-about-it personal rejection in my special rejections folder. I have more personal rejections, but one is pretty stinking cool. Ready? My short story Inheritance has been personally rejected by...*drumroll please* ROXANNE GAY. I know, right? Of course I am a total ass and haven't written anything else suited to that publication since. But I should. 

Moral of the story: Personal Rejections can feel pretty fricking awesome.

Victory #3

The Rejection Project



Yeah other people may look at you like you're crazy, but make it fun. Collect those rejections like Pokemon. Get a buddy who you can brag to or keep tally with. AGMeade  and I have a personal goal of 25 rejections by the end of the year. This is small potatoes, but I'm lazy and hate submissions. Our own rules, since i mostly submit poetry and she writes prose, are as follows:

1. You must submit to magazines you want to publish you. And submit work you think has a chance at publication. No cheating.
2. Submissions are counted as a single unit. Five poems? One submission.
3. Likewise rejections must include all submissions. One accepted poem and four rejected poems? Nope!! You've been published. 
4. To rack up more than one rejection from the same magazine, you must be rejected for a brand new submission.
4a. Don't forget to check the guidelines. Some magazines limit submissions. And some don't take simultaneous submissions, so be wary.
5. Only rejections for submissions from this calendar year are applicable toward your tally. If it was submitted last December, but rejected this June, it doesn't count.
6. Rejection goal must be met by the end of the calendar year. So start looking for short turn-arounds in October.

As of now, I only have 1 rejection in the bag this year. Okey-Panky had an amazing one day turn around. I have another month of waiting for a short story I sent to Psychopomp Magazine. And I have a plan for Pantheon Magazine, which should be ready to go in a couple of weeks. But I am slacking. And by the end of this month, I should really send out submissions to at least 15 other magazines if I'm going to hit my goal.