Life at Open Heart Publishing

Posts Tagged ‘rejection letters’

Here at OHP, I don’t write rejection letters … that task falls to Senior Editor ME Johnson. But at Moulin Review, I personally respond to every submission we receive.

As a writer myself, I’m painfully aware of what it feels like to get a rejection letter. First it’s disappointing (although as I’ve received more of them over time, they’ve become less disappointing), and then it’s just confusing. You want to call the editor up and ask, “Why not?” Some of the time, editors will reject an author but say that they like their work, and invite them to submit again. As a writer, you think, “If you liked it, why did you reject it?”

So the task of writing rejection letters has become my least favorite part of the position. I can’t help but imagine the person I’m writing to reading it.

Here at OHP, every rejection comes with a reason, whether it’s that the author’s technical skill needs to be further developed, the work does not apply to the requested theme, or just doesn’t fit.

I know from experience that the “doesn’t fit” is the most frustrating of reasons to receive. You wonder why it doesn’t fit and how you’re supposed to know what does. The best remedy for this situation is to thoroughly research the market you are submitting to before you choose what piece you will send them. You can only get a feel for what fits when you’ve read an example of the market’s taste.

As an author, if you want more detailed feedback on your work, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Some writers are not responsive to criticism, so it can’t hurt to add “I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts,” at the end of your submission letter. You’ll still invariably get form letters, tons of them if you’re doing it right.

But remember when you get them that they’re as hard to send as they are to read.