June 2009 Archives

Got a rejection the other day that was so vitriolic and mean spirited that it convinced me to ban myself from their market.  The insults weren't solely directed at my story.  A few were backhanded  personal shots.  I figure not submitting to them again will help everyone's mental state in the long run.  The wording was hurtful and made me angry, but I know any response from me would be unprofessional.  So no more submissions to that market to avoid future frictions. 

What I don't understand is if the editor hated my story so much (which is DEFINITELY the case) why bother reading the whole thing?  The rejection made it obvious that the editor not only spent time finishing my story, but also put time into crafting the response.  If I'd been reading a submission that I hated that much, I wouldn't have put myself through the whole thing. 

I should also mention that Neil Clarke, the guy who runs Clarkesworld Magazine (where I read slush, in case anyone out there doesn't know that) sent us slush readers a present.  It's a BOOK!  I like books.  ^_^  (If you hate links, it's Tides from the New Worlds by Tobias Buckell.  It's a beautiful hardcover copy, signed and lettered.  Even if you hate links you should click on that one because the cover art really is stunning.) So far I've read the first few stories, and I've enjoyed them immensely. If anyone is looking to pick up a new short story collection to add to their shelves, this is a good one.  

My story "Toast" has been accepted by The Drabblecast!  Yay!  It should be up sometime soonish, I'll post a link when that happens.  

Three rejections to report, one each from Shimmer, Tweet the Meat, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 

Shimmer and Beneath Ceaseless Skies both do a really great job on personal rejections.  They get characters names right, they encourage future submissions and I feel like they mean it, they give actual reasons why they're passing.   

Two to report, one from Shimmer and one from Tweet the Meat.