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Mary Rosenblum
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Hello all.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Welcome to our Tuesday
Lunchbox Forum
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Mary Rosenblum
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I hope you all had a good
weekend and are enjoying the fall season.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I wanted to talk specifically
about rejection slips today, because this is the wall that a lot of novice
writers never get beyond.
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Mary Rosenblum
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And you really don't
understand what they really are until you become an insider in the
publishing universe...so that's a bit of a catch-22
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Mary Rosenblum
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The boundary between aspiring
and published is a wall built of rejection slips and everybody has to claw
their way through it. Or stop trying.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Most aspiring writers...myself
included way back then...read rejection slips as a judgement: This is not
good enough.
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Mary Rosenblum
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And since writing is such an intimate
part of you, the writer, it feels like a judgement of YOU: YOU are not good
enough.
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onepozy
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I think the hardest part is not
to take the rejection personal
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Mary Rosenblum
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Absolutely. And it's never
entirely going to be impersonal for most fiction writers.
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Mary Rosenblum
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It's a whole lot easier to
shrug off nonfiction rejections. Usually a query is getting rejected.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But most fiction writers put a
lot of themselves into their characters and stories and it is a whole lot
harder to shrug and say, 'fine, I'll send it somewhere else'.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So a lot of novice writers
simply stop trying. They earned three or four rejections and decide they
'don't have what it takes'.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Sheesh.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Let me step over onto the
editor's side of this paper wall and give you a bit of insight into just
what is going on here.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I'm talking fiction right now.
Nonfiction is similar but a bit different.
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barbiq
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Didn't you say once that you had
to collect at least 100 rejection slips?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Yep.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That's my standard and it's
not that exactly 100 is necessary, it's to give you a bit of perspective.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Plan on earning at least 100
rejection slips as you break in. You may earn less. You may earn more if
you're very prolific and whip a lot of stuff out without revision.
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Mary Rosenblum
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My buddy Jay Lake used to write
and mail out a story every few days. They were short shorts and even he
admits that a lot were rough. He got WAY more than 100 rejections, let me
tell you.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But he persevered and he got
better and he's quite well established as a pro now.
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Mary Rosenblum
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All editors are looking for
The Next Big Name.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That is going to sell
books/magaizines and that is how they earn their paycheck and make their
own reputation.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So they DO want your work.
BUT...they want a lot of work from you and they want consistent quality.
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Mary Rosenblum
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And they have seen a lot of
writers, believe me. They don't want someone who is going to write one or
two good stories and vanish.
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Mary Rosenblum
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They want that obsessive who
is going to write and submit because he/she can't quit.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Remember..readers tend to buy
work by writers they know.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So your first stories, yoiur
first book, isn't going to sell much. It's almost a give away.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The editor will sell issues of
the mag or copies of the book after you build your name.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Say you send an editor a good
story. It's as good as the pros he's got on his desk. Nice piece. But it's
no better than those pro submissions, and you don't have a name.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So he passes on it, maybe
scribbles a 'send me more' comment on the slip. Or uses the form that says
'send me more'.
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Mary Rosenblum
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He means it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Another good story shows up.
Another.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Still rejected, but hey, this
person is persistent and each story is a bit better than the one before.
Hmmm.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Nearly all writers are to a
degree loyal to the editor who breaks them in, and editors build reputation
by spotting hot new writers first.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So our editor thinks 'Hmmm...if
I don't start this person, somone else is going to grab her'. And he buys
that first story from you.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Almost always, the editor will
recognize your name and know how you write before he/she ever buys from
you.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I get a kick out of novice
writers who approach a magazine editor at a conference to go wide-eyed in
shock as the editor says, 'Oh yes, I know you. That last story you sent in
was pretty close'.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So why don't they tell you?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Yeah, I wondered, too.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The reality is that editors
get turned off to that pretty quickly.
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Mary Rosenblum
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A few really vitriolic letters
from people who misunderstood a bit of friendly encouragement make you shut
up.
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andi
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How does a writer know if he or
she will write more than one or two stories?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Well, Andi, it's a matter of
you, yourself. If writing is something you do because you love to do it,
you can't NOT do it, then you're the sort of person
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Mary Rosenblum
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who has the drive to become a
pro. It is a lot of hard work. A LOT of hard work!
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you have just written a
couple of stories for, say, the LR course, and it's something you might do
once in awhile, when the spirit moves you,
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Mary Rosenblum
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well, you might sell one of
these stories or you might not, but you're not going to write a lot of
stories. It's fine to have writing as a hobby only. Nothing wrong with
that.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Don't forget that many many
'for the luv of' markets exist, especially as ezines. These are small
epublishers that don't pay.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You can almost always find a
home for your well written story, you just won't get paid for it, and not
as many people will read it.
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barbiq
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What do you do when an editor
asks you to submit on "spec" and you only have a couple or
articules that fit their magazine?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Well, barb, 'on spec' just
means they want the finished piece and they'll say yes or no to buying it
when they read it. That's pretty standard until you have a name to sell.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I'd send in anything that
suits the market.
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Mary Rosenblum
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In nonfiction, you generally
pitch the idea for an article in a query letter.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You get a lot of rejections as
a novice without clips.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Editors want the assurance
that you can deliver what you promise and that's what clips provide.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But NF editors have many
issues to fill every year and they are hungry for new regulars.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If your query letter is professional
and you offer ideas that suit the magazine, you will probably get either a
yes or an assignment fairly quicly.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The editor might say 'not
this, but write me this one'.
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jacinda2
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If an editor has not rejected my
story, and their response time has expired, should I send another?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Well, you can, but your
original submission is probably still on the editor's desk. And when you
send in your second story, that editor is going to pull the first and read
them both.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If he/she likes your work, you
might sell one of the two.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If that editor buys piece
number one and THEN gets piece number two and likes that even better,
editor has already bought one, so will now buy two as well.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So it's really a bit better to
wait.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The really hard part is not to
let the discouragement of all those rejections get you down.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The hardest part in a writer's
career is that period when you're writing publishable work and you KNOW you
are, but you're getting rejection after rejection.
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jacinda2
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What if I have submitted 3
stories, and get a rejection letter for 2 of them. Does that mean there's
hope for the 3rd? From an editor that accepts multiple sub's, of course.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Sure. If you haven't gotten a
rejetion yet, it could be an acceptance, eh?
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Mary Rosenblum
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A very good plan to follow is
to do a market search each time you finish a story, or each time you decide
on a subject for a NF piece.
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Mary Rosenblum
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For your fiction story, come
up with five potential markets.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Rank them from largest -- with
the most pay -- to smallest, ending with the 'for the luv of' markets last.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Type out the editor's name and
submission address. Now file it. Send the story to the first market on the
list.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you get a rejection back, that
very day put a clean copy into a new envelope, address it to market 2, and
send it out.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Work your way down the list.
When you run out of markets, if it is still not sold, then shelve it until
you find a new market or figure out a way to revise it.
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reece
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Just out of curiosity are you
more likely to get a rejection sooner then an acceptance? or vice versa?
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Mary Rosenblum
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It varies according to the
editor's work habits, but when I was breaking in, I found that more often
than not
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Mary Rosenblum
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it took the editor quite a bit
longer to send me an acceptance than a rejection.
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Mary Rosenblum
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They will often hold a story
from a novice, looking for a strong issue that can 'take' a new writer with
no name recognition
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Mary Rosenblum
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or looking for an issue with a
theme that suits that particular story.
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gail
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Whenever I receive a rejection,
I go back to the story and edit it or revise it. I never send it out again,
right away, as is. Should I rethink this process?
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Mary Rosenblum
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I sure would, gail.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you get a rejection with no
information, no reason why it was rejected, you have no idea if anything is
wrong with the story.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The editor might have just
purchased a similar story.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The editor might hate cats and
you have a cat in it. You just don't know.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So say you revise the story.
The next editor you send it to might have purchased your original version,
but your revision has changed it and now it just doesn't quite work.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So she passes on it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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This is the big
mistake...thinking that the 'no thanks' means 'not good enough'.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Now sometimes it does.
EVerybody starts sending work out before they reach their fullest
potential.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You're going to send weak
stories out because you can't yet see how to make them better.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But you don't KNOW.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So don't assume the story is
at fault and just change it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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What one editor LOVES another
editor shrugs over.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Now if you get comments
back...'the end just didnt work for me'...then think about it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Does the end work?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Some of the flash fiction
markets: Flashquake and one other (can't think of the name right now) send
back editorial comments.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Several students have passed
them on to me and they've been useful.
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jacinda2
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What if a publication that
doesn't accept sim sub's never responds. When is it safe to submit to
another mag?
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Mary Rosenblum
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You should formally withdraw
it first, jacinda. Don't be in too much of a rush though. Editors are
people, too, and they get behind.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I usually give a new market
twice the published response time before I query.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you want to send it
elsewhere, then send off a letter to the editor saying, 'I am withdrawing
my story XXXX from consideration. Thank you.'
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Mary Rosenblum
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Be polite. You want that
editor to buy more from you later on. Next time, he'll respond a bit more
quickly, eh? :-)
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gail
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My most frequent rejection is
"not suitable for this market." I do my best to research each
market, but given my rural (Canadian) location, I don't have access to many
magazines. I can't afford to buy copies of all the magazines I wish to
submit to. How can I best resolve these issues?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Realistically, most guidelines
sound remarkably alike. And of course, the content is not.
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Mary Rosenblum
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In reality, the only way to
seriously research a market is to read multiple copies of the magazine, or
look up all the recent titles of a book publisher.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You might focus on one or two
markets you really want to crack, gail.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Subscribe or buy back issues.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You can also find magazines in
many libraries or find sample stories on the magazine website these days.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Do some internet searching and
look for reviews of fiction published in that particular magazine.
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Mary Rosenblum
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For nonfiction, you really are
wise to get hold of back issues.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That query letter has to
reflect the fact that you know what the editor wants.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Generally, NF editors will not
respond to a query letter that is 'off the mark' or is not professional in
tone or form.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You will know that you are
close when you get a comment from the editor.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That means the editor expects
to buy from you soon.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you get a rejection that
says 'send us more' they mean it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Believe me, the average large
circulation mag gets about 1000 submissions a week.
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Mary Rosenblum
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They do NOT want your
submission if they don't think it's something they can use.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Just running the mailroom is a
big job!
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Mary Rosenblum
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And do your market homework.
Read those guidelines all the way through.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If they say they want first
person stories only, do not send them something written in third person!
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gail
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You've said that to receive a
hand-written comment, any comment, is a positive sign -- the editor likes
your work welll enough to respond personally. Is the note "not
suitable for this market" one of those "any comments?" :)
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Mary Rosenblum
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Well, in a way, Gail. :-) The
editor is saying 'I don't want this type of story'.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So don't send something
similar to this market. :-)
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you send a vampire story to
Asimov's you'll probably get one of those.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you send a bloody horror
story to F &SF you'll probably get one of those.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you send a hard boiled
detective story to Glimmer Train you'll probably get one of those.
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Mary Rosenblum
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A good story in the wrong market
isn't going to sell.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Doesn't mean the story isn't
good.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Just means the market choice
is wrong.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The more you send your work
out, the more likely you are to sell.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You are looking for the editor
who reads your story and it clicks. I like this, she says. And she buys it.
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gail
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Choosing the correct market has
to be, for me, THE hardest part of writing!
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Mary Rosenblum
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Oh, it is.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You get better at it as you go
along.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you can go to writers
conferences and pay attention, you'll learn quite a bit about markets.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Editors and agents will
comment on markets on publishing panels.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You'll hear a lot of gossip
among pros in the field.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Take notes!
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Mary Rosenblum
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Read at least one of the
publishing magazines and pay attention to it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The Writer, Locus for the speculative
fiction market, that sort of thing.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Some of the professional
organizations allow you to subscribe to their newsletter, even if you don't
yet have the credentials to join -- SFWA does, MWA does
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Mary Rosenblum
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and of course anyone can join
RWA, they have a very good newsletter.
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geezer
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I received a reject with a note
saying it was just like some movie I never heard of! How could I plagiarize
something I've never seen?
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Mary Rosenblum
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I doubt the editor was
accusing you of plagiarism, geeze, but what that editor was saying is that
it has been done recently enough that people will think it's a copy.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Just one of those unfortunate
things.
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gail
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I got one rejection that was
illegible. Great. I managed to figure out most of it...except the adjective
she used about my work. Guess it would be a no-no to ask that editor what
she wrote???
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Mary Rosenblum
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No, I wouldn't ask, Gail. :-)
Make a good guess. Or mention it the next time you're writing her a cover
letter.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That will add a bit of
personalization to the letter.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Rejection slips are very hard
to deal with. They hurt, they make you feel like a failure, and you simply
have to deal with them if you want to be a writer.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I still get rejection slips
and I have a very strong reputation in the SF universe. But sometimes a
story just doesn't click for a particular editor.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You never get past rejection
slips. :-)
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pattipan
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What are RWA and MWA
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Mary Rosenblum
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Oh, sorry, Patti.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Romance Writers of America
(join it if you want to write romance, it's very good at helping novices).
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Mary Rosenblum
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Mystery Writers of America
(you have to have published a mystery novel with a big NY publisher to
join)
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Mary Rosenblum
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Science Fiction and Fantasy
Writers of America (you have to have a published novel or three short story
sales from well-paying markets to join).
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Mary Rosenblum
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But you can get the newsletter
even if you don't belong.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Well, I hope this helps when
that next rejection letter comes in. Pop the piece into a new envelope and
turn it right around.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Remember...what do you call a
persistent writer? In unison please....
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Mary Rosenblum
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Published!
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Mary Rosenblum
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I'll post the transcript in
the usual place.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Writing Craft: Forum
Transcripts.
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Mary Rosenblum
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See you all Thursday.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Come ask Simon Rose how he
went from a graduated ICL student to well published. :-)
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Mary Rosenblum
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See you all then!
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