Writer’s Rejection Letters

Posted by Jennifer Jensen Jan 15, 2008

I’m currently in Oregon for two weeks, and my husband said I had a rejection letter back home. “Open it!” I said. I sure didn’t want to wait another 10 days. Turned out it was only an invitation to subscribe to Publisher’s Weekly, but it made me think of all the times editors have said no.

I have form rejections that are polite but don’t tell me anything. Form rejections that seem to be copies of copies and I feel like letting their front office know it’s time to refresh them. And there are form rejection letters with different options for an editor to check. I like those – they at least give me some hint as to why they didn’t want my story.

But the ones I like best are the ones with personal notes. I’ve collected a few, and even one that asked me to re-write and re-send. But even without the invitation to resubmit my story, these notes boost my spirits. My story was good enough for someone to take the time to comment on!

Of course I prefer an acceptance letter. They come more frequently now, but still nowhere near the number of rejections. But my growing collection of rejection slips is proof that I’ve been a productive writer, and the more I produce, the better I get and the more acceptances will come. So take heart and write on!