I GOT REJECTED BY A MAGAZINE!! I'M AN OFFICIAL AUTHOR! *Giggles at his writing joke*
How Many Writers At This Party?
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Congrats Bud! Did they write back any notes or comments?
Andy Warhol got rejected by the New York Museum Of Art early in his career, so don't sweat it! (so did a certain author we all know and love....)
They actually only commented on how the formatting was and how it wasn't one they could use atm.
Oh, and Kingrice, Mr. Salinger got rejected like ten times at the same place lol he still kept at it. I just need to find more places to submit.
So, it's a great sign that they didn't send it back with comments like 'This is crap!' and "you can't write.' We're proud of you! Keep writing!
I've gotten one of those...not pretty!
I think they are doing an American Masters about Salinger on PBS this week.
There's a great Netflix doc on him you can catch right now.
Just watched the tale end of the PBS doc...think it repeats around two or three this morning
Rejection's part of the game--not the fun part, but everyone goes through it. Have to develop a leather hide without getting a thick head (i.e., always keep an open mind about suggestions & be willing to learn) to keep playing
Congrats on having the courage to try!
I get rejected all of the time, and yes, it sucks, but I just roll with it. I'm happy with my last rejection, though, because the editor wrote a personal email and actually told me that my story was well written. That is HUGE to me. One step closer.
OK. So, maybe, either the story wasn't quite the right fit, they had (or had recently run with) a story that was too similar in tone/theme, or you got really unlucky and there were x stories that were - in the ed's eyes - better than yours. Reading between the lines (sorry...), and with my ed-hat on, you were as close as you could be without actually "making it". So you're right: it is huge.
As for getting "rejected all the time"...yeah, it happens and you can't let it get you down too much. But...what are you learning from them? "All the time" implies that you send things out a lot. It's an assumption, but a reasonable one I think, to say that means you must write a lot. It seems obvious to say it, and I hope you don't take any offence since none is meant, but how thoroughly do you research your intended market(s)?
Again, it sounds obvious (and it is), but there's no point sending your brilliant futuristic SF story out to, say, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine (unless of course your brilliant futuristic SF story is also a very strong mystery story, though it's likely to be rejected even then).
But, anyway, encouragement. Learn what you can, where you can, but the bottom line is...All you can do is keep on truckin'.
(And better luck next time!)
Thanks for this post. I really appreciate it.
Right now I'm shopping about six stories. Four of these are out now, the other two are the recent rejects. I do "some" research, but only on the ones that offer samples for free. (I'm short on that crazy thing called money, unfortunately.) I do read all the submission info, and sometimes I realize just from that that I'm not a fit for them. But yeah, I try to learn what I can when I can. And I don't let rejections get me down. As I said, I just roll with the punches. I know I'll get there one day. Thanks and God bless!
No problem, Chuggs. A few writers I've known see it as a great competition, which means they never give or receive advice or even just understanding. For me, it's not a competition. Getting published may be competitive (in the sense that you're notionally 'up against the others' - hundreds of stories, just four or five slots to fill per issue), but writing as a competition? Nah, because we all bring different things to the table. The rest depends on what the eds are in the mood for, and when you land (and you've got a good attitude, so I'm sure it is a case of "when") most folks here will be over the moon for you.
But...a dash or two of cold water. Getting published for the first time is great. It's also when the hard work begins - but you can't start second-guessing yourself or overthinking it. You have to repeat the trick and improve on past performance where you can...but not consciously. I know that makes no sense, but there you have it. (It's my pet theory that this phenomenon accounts for 'one-book wonders' - they have to go again and go harder, but overthink it and tie themselves in knots; it's a balancing act, a hard one, and as we know, SK's answer was to create an alter-ego to prove his initial success wasn't a fluke).
The second dash of cold water concerns money. Yep, that vulgar stuff.
An article I read in Writing Magazine (UK publication, which, for subscribers, used to have a freebie sister mag to do with writers' news and markets) back in about 2004 had it that writers - in the UK, this was - earned an average of £5,000 per year (~$8,000 at the current rate of exchange).
That's not great. It's nice to have, but the only yacht you'll own is the one you put in your bath.
What they also neglected to mention was that it was also very skewed by a certain Ms JK Rowling, and another article last week (in the Guardian), post-Harry Potter and the Humongous Cash Cow, put the average earnings at £600 per year. Useful...but you'll definitely need a second (and maybe a third) string to your bow. It's also worrying, because work and normal life can then get in the way. Good, strong voices risk being silenced by narrow economic realities (and have been; I know of two extremely good writers - one of whom had an agent approach him - who simply can't find the time to write, given the demands of work and family (the guy the agent approached works a 10-hour day, with 2 hours travel each way on a crowded train, and then has family stuff to cram in at weekends)).
On the bright side, it's never been easy, and there should always be those who can buck the trend. Maybe you're one? There's only one way to find out.
But...a dash or two of cold water. Getting published for the first time is great. It's also when the hard work begins - but you can't start second-guessing yourself or overthinking it. You have to repeat the trick and improve on past performance where you can...but not consciously. I know that makes no sense, but there you have it. (It's my pet theory that this phenomenon accounts for 'one-book wonders' - they have to go again and go harder, but overthink it and tie themselves in knots; it's a balancing act, a hard one, and as we know, SK's answer was to create an alter-ego to prove his initial success wasn't a fluke).
The second dash of cold water concerns money. Yep, that vulgar stuff.
An article I read in Writing Magazine (UK publication, which, for subscribers, used to have a freebie sister mag to do with writers' news and markets) back in about 2004 had it that writers - in the UK, this was - earned an average of £5,000 per year (~$8,000 at the current rate of exchange).
That's not great. It's nice to have, but the only yacht you'll own is the one you put in your bath.
What they also neglected to mention was that it was also very skewed by a certain Ms JK Rowling, and another article last week (in the Guardian), post-Harry Potter and the Humongous Cash Cow, put the average earnings at £600 per year. Useful...but you'll definitely need a second (and maybe a third) string to your bow. It's also worrying, because work and normal life can then get in the way. Good, strong voices risk being silenced by narrow economic realities (and have been; I know of two extremely good writers - one of whom had an agent approach him - who simply can't find the time to write, given the demands of work and family (the guy the agent approached works a 10-hour day, with 2 hours travel each way on a crowded train, and then has family stuff to cram in at weekends)).
On the bright side, it's never been easy, and there should always be those who can buck the trend. Maybe you're one? There's only one way to find out.
I truly believe that, in time, I will be able to make my living doing what I love. It's tough, but I get better each and every time I write, so its only a matter of time. Your posts are great, and I thank you once again. It's nice to hear from someone "in the know" so to speak.No problem, Chuggs. A few writers I've known see it as a great competition, which means they never give or receive advice or even just understanding. For me, it's not a competition. Getting published may be competitive (in the sense that you're notionally 'up against the others' - hundreds of stories, just four or five slots to fill per issue), but writing as a competition? Nah, because we all bring different things to the table. The rest depends on what the eds are in the mood for, and when you land (and you've got a good attitude, so I'm sure it is a case of "when") most folks here will be over the moon for you.
But...a dash or two of cold water. Getting published for the first time is great. It's also when the hard work begins - but you can't start second-guessing yourself or overthinking it. You have to repeat the trick and improve on past performance where you can...but not consciously. I know that makes no sense, but there you have it. (It's my pet theory that this phenomenon accounts for 'one-book wonders' - they have to go again and go harder, but overthink it and tie themselves in knots; it's a balancing act, a hard one, and as we know, SK's answer was to create an alter-ego to prove his initial success wasn't a fluke).
The second dash of cold water concerns money. Yep, that vulgar stuff.
An article I read in Writing Magazine (UK publication, which, for subscribers, used to have a freebie sister mag to do with writers' news and markets) back in about 2004 had it that writers - in the UK, this was - earned an average of £5,000 per year (~$8,000 at the current rate of exchange).
That's not great. It's nice to have, but the only yacht you'll own is the one you put in your bath.
What they also neglected to mention was that it was also very skewed by a certain Ms JK Rowling, and another article last week (in the Guardian), post-Harry Potter and the Humongous Cash Cow, put the average earnings at £600 per year. Useful...but you'll definitely need a second (and maybe a third) string to your bow. It's also worrying, because work and normal life can then get in the way. Good, strong voices risk being silenced by narrow economic realities (and have been; I know of two extremely good writers - one of whom had an agent approach him - who simply can't find the time to write, given the demands of work and family (the guy the agent approached works a 10-hour day, with 2 hours travel each way on a crowded train, and then has family stuff to cram in at weekends)).
On the bright side, it's never been easy, and there should always be those who can buck the trend. Maybe you're one? There's only one way to find out.
Oh, I don't know anything. I just make it up as I go.
Like I said before, you've got a good attitude. Bear in mind it's called "work" for a reason and remember to have fun, and you'll be fine.
(Aaand that's lunchtime, so it's back to the grindstone for me.)
Like I said before, you've got a good attitude. Bear in mind it's called "work" for a reason and remember to have fun, and you'll be fine.
(Aaand that's lunchtime, so it's back to the grindstone for me.)
Can't edit the last post, so I'll qualify it:
"I don't know anything. I just make it up as I go."
Really means that we (meaning writers principally, but generally anyone involved in creative arts) are living in 'interesting' times. It's a long slog across quicksand-like territory right before you get to tap-dance in a minefield.
Such certain as there ever was has gone, replaced by uncertainty. 'The markets' seem to wield an unprecedented amount of power...yet they're also blind and quite idiotic, so 'they' don't really know what to look for, or where, until it smacks them in the face with a bit of 2x4. And even then 'they' might not notice. And then there's the situation with publishers: one week the old model is circling the drain and is about to take the established 'houses' (increasingly these days, pretty much single-entity megacorps that themselves belong to multinationals that used to be entirely unrelated to, and uninterested in, the world of books), and then the next week, publishing is in rude health, etc and blah, and then the next week, we're back to 'circling the drain; we're doomed! Literature itself is fated to be no more!'
So there are no real truths, it seems, not anymore, and even developing a decent weather-eye doesn't help over-much.
Ultimately, all any of us can do is write, and take opportunities whenever and however they arise, and see where the wind takes us.
"I don't know anything. I just make it up as I go."
Really means that we (meaning writers principally, but generally anyone involved in creative arts) are living in 'interesting' times. It's a long slog across quicksand-like territory right before you get to tap-dance in a minefield.
Such certain as there ever was has gone, replaced by uncertainty. 'The markets' seem to wield an unprecedented amount of power...yet they're also blind and quite idiotic, so 'they' don't really know what to look for, or where, until it smacks them in the face with a bit of 2x4. And even then 'they' might not notice. And then there's the situation with publishers: one week the old model is circling the drain and is about to take the established 'houses' (increasingly these days, pretty much single-entity megacorps that themselves belong to multinationals that used to be entirely unrelated to, and uninterested in, the world of books), and then the next week, publishing is in rude health, etc and blah, and then the next week, we're back to 'circling the drain; we're doomed! Literature itself is fated to be no more!'
So there are no real truths, it seems, not anymore, and even developing a decent weather-eye doesn't help over-much.
Ultimately, all any of us can do is write, and take opportunities whenever and however they arise, and see where the wind takes us.
No problem, Chuggs. A few writers I've known see it as a great competition, which means they never give or receive advice or even just understanding. For me, it's not a competition. Getting published may be competitive (in the sense that you're notionally 'up against the others' - hundreds of stories, just four or five slots to fill per issue), but writing as a competition? Nah, because we all bring different things to the table. The rest depends on what the eds are in the mood for, and when you land (and you've got a good attitude, so I'm sure it is a case of "when") most folks here will be over the moon for you.
But...a dash or two of cold water. Getting published for the first time is great. It's also when the hard work begins - but you can't start second-guessing yourself or overthinking it. You have to repeat the trick and improve on past performance where you can...but not consciously. I know that makes no sense, but there you have it. (It's my pet theory that this phenomenon accounts for 'one-book wonders' - they have to go again and go harder, but overthink it and tie themselves in knots; it's a balancing act, a hard one, and as we know, SK's answer was to create an alter-ego to prove his initial success wasn't a fluke).
The second dash of cold water concerns money. Yep, that vulgar stuff.
An article I read in Writing Magazine (UK publication, which, for subscribers, used to have a freebie sister mag to do with writers' news and markets) back in about 2004 had it that writers - in the UK, this was - earned an average of £5,000 per year (~$8,000 at the current rate of exchange).
That's not great. It's nice to have, but the only yacht you'll own is the one you put in your bath.
What they also neglected to mention was that it was also very skewed by a certain Ms JK Rowling, and another article last week (in the Guardian), post-Harry Potter and the Humongous Cash Cow, put the average earnings at £600 per year. Useful...but you'll definitely need a second (and maybe a third) string to your bow. It's also worrying, because work and normal life can then get in the way. Good, strong voices risk being silenced by narrow economic realities (and have been; I know of two extremely good writers - one of whom had an agent approach him - who simply can't find the time to write, given the demands of work and family (the guy the agent approached works a 10-hour day, with 2 hours travel each way on a crowded train, and then has family stuff to cram in at weekends)).
On the bright side, it's never been easy, and there should always be those who can buck the trend. Maybe you're one? There's only one way to find out.
Excellent post! To make a living from writing would be great, but it doesn't always happen. Most authors have other gigs (teaching, speaking, etc) to make ends meet. As Mr. Nobody said, it's the rare new author that earns out a typical advance (around $2k). I personally went on my first book with a small publisher that paid a tiny advance but offered a bigger percentage of profit, and I haven't been sorry. I out earned the average advance within a few months, and still receive revenue each month. It's not a lot now, but on the whole I've done better financially than friends with more traditional arrangements with bigger houses.
The point is, you can't write just for the money. If you do so, 9.99 times out of 10 you'll be disappointed.
Keep at it, Chuggs!
Can I ask what the publisher was? And did you have an agent?