This is the thread where you can tell us the that your story got rejected. You didn't want it published there anyway, right?
Rejection, rejection, rejection...
- Thread starter Naomasa298
- Start date
I've experienced a lot of rejection of my writing in the past year, most recent rejection had to do with writing for TV. It was a volunteer assignment that could have evolved into something bigger, but I was told my writing dynamics doesn't fit with the workstyle of their program. I assume it was partially because I submitted the text few months after our last meeting, but I did say that I had a lot of other obligations in the beginning of this internship and they assured me I could send the screenplay any time I want. They didn't say anything about the quality of my writing but I feel like the rejection happened because the writing wasn't good enough, as simple as that. And they didn't like any of my ideas for original TV shows and the script I was writing was like a spec script of existing show (I was given the previous scripts, list of characters, etc). I definitely wasn't the best in my studies according to my professors but was getting by with an average feedback, and I have a lot of colleagues that don't have the problem of not being able to get their ideas and texts approved, staged etc. I feel like I have a horrible writing reputation and need to change my ways if I want to see any results. Or change a profession.
I've submitted verse for publication but they always get rejected. I haven't really pursued publication too much because I feel that my sort of writing style doesn't seem to jive with the styles of contemporary poetry that does get published.
I'm either not as good a poet as I'd like to think, or I just need to try harder.
I'm either not as good a poet as I'd like to think, or I just need to try harder.
There are so many factors at play when submitting that it's really not worth thinking too much on it. Even if your piece is excellent, a publisher might reject it because it doesn't quite fit the theme they've worked out for the current issue, or it doesn't fit length-wise because of the length of other selected pieces, etc. All you can control is that your piece is good and that you followed the editors' submission guidelines.
For reference, I've had 5 pieces published (4 paid) out of 250+ submissions over the past 2.5 years, and I consider that successful. You get better at is as you go, of course. I didn't get my first acceptance until after 10+ months of submissions, but now they come a bit more frequently. Persistence is key.
For reference, I've had 5 pieces published (4 paid) out of 250+ submissions over the past 2.5 years, and I consider that successful. You get better at is as you go, of course. I didn't get my first acceptance until after 10+ months of submissions, but now they come a bit more frequently. Persistence is key.
I'd say one of the most important factors is matching the venue's editorial preferences as closely as possible - which also means being as familiar with them as much as possible. Just because Clarkesworld says it accepts "fantasy", there's no point in submitting any old swords and sorcery story to them and expecting it to be accepted. They prefer particular kinds of fantasy, and it ain't swords and sorcery or mythic fantasy, unless it also has the elements they're looking for (in their case, high concepts).
If you look at who the authors are in places like Clarkesworld, it's hard to find one that isn't already established, lots of them have won this award or that award. And their stories don't seem all that great some of the time. Makes me wonder if they just sort submissions by authors they know, and maybe read a few of the rest.
Still have a lot of active subs out there, but not getting a lot of responses. Feels early to be in the dog days of summer. I just have a few for the past two weeks. A no response from the fledgling Tableware, 41-day form letter from Seize the Press, and a 19-day form letter from 3LBE.
That makes it 68 rejections for the year thus far (and one acceptance). Guess I better start carpet bombing the genre magazine world with my shit again this weekend.
That makes it 68 rejections for the year thus far (and one acceptance). Guess I better start carpet bombing the genre magazine world with my shit again this weekend.
I've got three that are nearing or have exceeded the average times on Duotrope. I'm considering withdrawing one of them and resubmitting to somewhere else, where it might actually be a better fit.
Not exactly a rejection but a withdrawal - 82 day withdrawal from Heroic Fantasy Quarterly. I have better, and more responsive potential fits fir the story.
Neil Clarke just has really particular tastes, from what I hear.
Same, though I don’t have that many active submissions at the moment. After a few years focused on longer-form stuff and acceptances trickling in, I don’t have much decent unpublished short fiction left to shop around.
I’m still sitting at four rejections (three personal) and two acceptances on the year, but there are two more that look to be dead letters, based on the stats on the Submission Grinder.
1-day rejection from Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Hah, that was quick.
4-day personalised rejection from Beneath Ceaseless Skies (although the personalisation is normal for them, they try to comment on all rejections). Encouraging, kinda, but I have a better idea now why my Vancian work won't fit them very well. At some point, I'll need to try them with my non-Vancian work. Vance is really hard to place, but I knew that. It's not going to stop me writing it though.
Okay, officially marking these two—for Inner Worlds and Aesthetic Press—as 148-day dead letters, so the next best thing to rejections.
Still just a slow trickle of rejections coming in. Not sure why it's taking so long to get responses this spring and early summer. Well, at least I can always count on Flash Frog to reject quickly - a 2-day form letter. I'm also going to call "no response" on a submission to Andromeda Spaceways after 119 days, plus I received another agent rejection.
We're up to 71 rejections for 2025.
We're up to 71 rejections for 2025.
4-hour acceptance from 5-7-5 Haiku Journal
Annnddd…right back to the norm with a 31-day form rejection on a query to Cloaked Press.
