Wanna See a Publisher's Rejection Letter?

Saturday, May 30, 2009
It starts off with the usual. I'm skipping to the good stuff.

We've had a chance to read your manuscript (any letter that doesn't start off with "We love it. We'll take it." is a bad sign), and we've discussed it with our review committee and many others in the publishing department. It is obvious you have invested a considerable amount of time and energy into this project (can you feel it coming). Our publishing schedule is quite competitive, however, and as we look carefully at all the issues involved in publication, we are forced to be extremely selective in our publishing decisions. Reluctantly (and here it comes!), we have concluded we are not in a position to pursue publishing (an alliteration! they just can't help themselves!) this manuscript. (I'm pretty sure this part was part of a form letter.)

This rejection is certainly not about your ability to write. You are a very talented and we would encourage you to check out other publishers such as (names retracted). Information on all of them can be found (the rest is rather mundane).

All in all, a very nice rejection letter. (Kinda like being slain with an ornate sword. You're still dead, but at least it was with something pretty. :) ) Give me a few days to be miserable, drown myself in self-depreciation, and I'll bounce back with a vengeance.

In the meantime, anyone wanna go shopping?

8 comments:

  1. Tara Maya said...:

    Ugh, yeah those suck. :(

  1. Gaaa!
    It makes me want to toilet paper AND egg them.
    Wanna come?

  1. Amber, I'm so sorry. I'll come along with you. I have lots of eggs and toilet paper. :)

  1. Damned with faint praise, as L.M. Montgomery used to say.

  1. Glamis: You actually live fairly close--it's totally doable.

    Laura: amen, sister!

  1. Couldn't been worse. They could've said they hated it and your agent had no business sending it to them. LOL I'm not sure if they really say that, but still... They could've said: "Not what we're looking for." or "Not interested." Yet, they stroked your ego a bit instead.

    I'd take this as a positive rejection. ;) There is such a thing, right?

    Lynnette Labelle

    http://lynnettelabelle.blogspot.com

  1. Lynnette: That's why I called it death by an ornate sword. Better than a rusty nail, right? ;)

  1. Anonymous said...:

    I got a similar letter today and last week your work is outstanding and sometimes we choose people who don't write as well because they fit our agenda and views. I responded with Thank you Happy New Year. The letter means The people we published have a subscription to our magazine, bought our books and have enrolled in similar courses.He said we'll keep your work on file, blah blah, blah. Sometimes I think they are jealous and because their writing was rejected they have to do it

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