The Short Story Rejection System

My fourth rejection from People’s Friend landed on my doormat today. I posted it Wednesday, and it was back with me this morning (Saturday) with a brief letter telling me the storyline was too weak.

This got me thinking about my experiences with short story rejections - and there's been a fair few, I can tell you!

I considered how rejection letters and emails are worded, and the length of time the magazines took to respond. Crumbs, it sounds like a science experiment. Well here are the results...

People’s Friend
People’s Friend, as I’ve said above, are pretty quick off the mark with their rejections – often by return. I’ve never sold to them so have no experience of an acceptance – but I know they can take several months before an acceptance is finally received.

They tend to send a standard reply with their quick rejections, often saying the story is too weak for their readers.

Out of all the magazines, they are probably the only one to let people know about a rejection at such a fast speed – which is great in lots of ways. The only thing I find with such a quick rejection is it doesn't give us time to forget the hours and hours we've spent on the story, so can sting when it plops back through our letterbox.


Woman’s Weekly
Again, I’ve never had any success with Woman’s Weekly. I’ve had an *almost* letter after four months, which I treasure and cling to. But boy can I report on rejections. Always standard, in my experience, and can take as long as 7 months to come through. My average rejection time is around 90 days. (Once you've cracked Woman's Weekly, acceptances and rejections are dealt with by email, I believe)

That’s Life! Australia
I’ve never had a rejection from That’s Life Australia – which isn’t as GREAT as it sounds. It’s because they don’t send any. It’s simply a case of waiting six months, and then assuming they don’t want your story. I actually like this – which may make me a little odd – but I don’t feel quite so rejected if nobody’s actually said I am.

The Weekly News
Now Jill Finley sends emails – lovely rejection emails that almost make you feel like you’ve been accepted. I’ve actually received rejections from Jill after four weeks and four months.

My Weekly
Just like Jill Finley, Liz Smith at My Weekly words her rejection emails in such a way, you feel quite uplifted after reading them. She does take a fair while to respond, but she is on her own, and gives all her writers heaps of attention once she gets to them. Sadly, she still only buys from those who have already sold, and only one a month.

Take A Break, Fiction Feast
I’ve only ever received standard rejections letters on especially lovely paper from TAB. The rejections have ranged from 15 – 85 days. I’d like to think the one that took 85 days to wing its way back was getting close. But you can’t really tell, as all replies are the same. I have sent a fair few stories to TAB that have gone on to sell elsewhere, which implies, for me, TAB are a really hard nut to crack.

Yours
Yours respond by email, which is always nicely worded. I’ve only ever submitted two stories to them. One was rejected after 3 months the other 6 weeks.

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Yikes! All this talk of rejection is making me miserable. Let's end on a positive, shall we? I have a story in this week’s The Weekly News. It’s my first sale to them – so I’m especially chuffed.

A SHORT STORY CHALLENGE

This is something all short story writers can play at home. All you need, in true Blue Peter style, is an empty washing-up bottle, a wire coat hanger and - this is the important bit - a LONG list of rejected stories. If you haven’t got any you’re lucky. And I was going to say you can borrow one of mine as I’ve got hundreds of the little demons – well 38 to be exact. But it could get complicated, turn nasty, even. ‘I wrote that bit’ *punch* ‘No you didn’t, I wrote that bit’ *punch*.

And you don’t actually need the washing-up bottle or wire coat hanger either, unless you want to make a...a...well you decide.

I digress. Back to the challenge, then...

It’s so easy to think once a story has been rejected by one magazine it’s a no-go. You can feel totally deflated and, yes, upset. I admit, I cried when my early rejections came through. But I don’t anymore – because, to paraphrase somebody who says clever stuff, it’s all part of the rich pattern of writing. But, and it’s a big BUT, it isn’t always the end for our rejected tales. Sometimes it only needs a few tweaks, sometimes nothing at all, for it to get snapped up by another magazine or even a competition.

So here it is...

THE CHALLENGE

1. Type a table of your rejected stories. This shouldn’t include stories you haven’t attempted to send out there.

2. Add columns headers with various outlets e.g. Take A Break, Competition. The Weekly News...you catch my drift. This should be different to the excel spreadsheet, or paper records you normally keep – you do keep a record, right? This is different, it’s your ‘CHALLENGE TABLE’

3. Now take your stories – (one at a time, or your head will whirr) and read them through carefully. You may decide the twist (if there is a twist) is too obvious – well worn (ooh, get me) – and it would be better to go with a more obscure idea. E.g. It isn’t his mother after all, it’s Mrs Jones from number six with the six poodles (I’m being silly). Or perhaps you’ve got far too many unnecessary words, or too many characters. Or the setting is all wrong. Or you need to give more explanation, or less explanation. Going back to a story after some time often highlights things that you didn’t spot first time round.

4. And now, GET THOSE STORIES OUT THERE!

Right... I hereby announce MY challenge is to SELL at least one of my 38 rejected stories before the end of the year. I’ll keep you posted – or I may never blog again because I look darn silly.

A Writerly Roller Coaster

For me, writing’s a bit of a roller-coaster ride – much like life really.

On the up, just after saying I'd sold 11 short stories in 2010 – That’s Life! bought one, making 12 sales for 2010 - who'd have thought it? (And on the subject of Australia, I would like to add here that my thoughts are with my lovely relatives in Brisbane and everyone affected by the floods – keep safe all!)

On the down, on Monday I received three short story rejections in one day, making it a total of five rejections for 2011 already. I hope I’m not setting a trend.

On the up, a lovely agent who showed an interest in my novel last year has agreed to look at my chapters again.

On the down – I can’t get to see stories I’ve sold to That’s Life! Australia. So, just in case there’s anyone out there with a scanner and back copies, I’m sending out a HUGE plea on behalf of myself and lovely fellow womag writer, Susan Wright. We both have stories in the Summer edition of That’s Life! Fiction Feast (out November 29th 2010), I have a story in the weekly magazine issue 41, 2010. Susan’s in issue 9, 2011, and I’m in issue 8 and issue 13, 2011, plus Susan’s in their Autumn edition (out February 2011). If anyone out there has any of these copies and would be prepared to scan our stories for us we would be eternally grateful. Alternatively, we would both be prepared to do a magazine swap or something similar. (My email is on my profile if you can help us at all) I don’t know about you, but seeing our stories in print is definitely the best bit.

Ooh, and I’d best end on the up,. I know it’s not writing, as such, but I’ve just sent off my third assignment for this year’s Open University course. I’m studying Approaching Literature and finding it, shall we say, challenging. But I keep telling myself I’m half way through my fifth year and almost there.

Okay, I'm off to compare William Wordsworth’s The Prelude with William Blake’s 'The Schoolboy'. Gawd, cup of tea first though, methinks.

Keep well all!

It's Been A Funny Old Year

I sneak in at the back, full of Meal Deal: crisps, ploughman’s sandwich, diet coke – ooh and I had one of those giant éclairs too. I’m late. Everyone is looking. Although, wait a sec... *checks blog stats* ... actually no one is looking.

Ooh, ooh, wait! Someone from Australia’s just clocked me – I can see the Aussie flag on the screen and everything. No...no... she’s gone. She was searching for “pigeon mating patterns” anyway - can't think why she ended up here.

‘Ms. Allsorts.’

They’re clapping now – my 68 – no wait 67 – no wait 66 followers.

‘Tell us a bit about your blog – your writing – and stop – well – eating’

I can feel my coke fizzing and bubbling in my chest – I may well belch in a moment.

‘OK, OK,’ I say, standing and pulling my skirt from knickers. I clear my throat. ‘Well, it’s been a funny old year.’ *good start, yeah?* ‘I’ve broken all my previous writerly records.’

It’s true - I sold one story in 2008, three in 2009 and *drum roll please* ELEVEN – yes eleven in 2010 - good yeah? And my first three chapters have been with two agents for YONKS. OK, so they’re probably lost – but a girl can dream. And, and...well actually that’s it. Ooh no, I have other news. I had a story in the BUMPER issue of My Weekly a couple of weeks back – such a gorgeous magazine, and the picture was delightful.

‘You can sit down now, Ms Allsorts – we...’

‘No wait let me tell you about my GOALS for 2011.’

Everyone’s rolling their eyes, but I’m going to tell them anyway.

‘I want to write like David Nicholls – I want to write like David Nicholls - I want to write like David Nicholls. OKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY – LUNCH everyone....anyone.?’

HAVE A LOVELY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR ONE AND ALL!