Tuesday, January 10, 2023

A Nasty Reply To A Rejection Will Not Help

Rejections suck! I get it! I hate writing these as much as you hate reading them when they arrive. But understand, it is part of the business. Your story, while you might think it is the best thing in the world is not going to be right for everyone. 

Thus, the rejection letter.

While that letter may sting, I want to remind you of something. Writing back with a "nasty-gram" is not going to help. It will not get us to change our mind. It will not make us stop all we are doing and reflect on our decision or our career choice. In fact, it has now cut off any potential opportunity you might have for the future in case a project is right for us. 

Over the weekend, I received just such a letter. Now, let me put this in context for you. This person had already sent the project to me during the summer,and I passed on the project then. At that time, I noted that the project wasn't right for me because it really did not fit into the romance and women's fiction category. I would also note that the author had sent this as a form letter to not just me, but other people so this was just a mass mailing. It was clear the author had not read submission guidelines. Over the weekend, I received the exact same letter, so I replied with a simple, "I passed on this project already" and provided the exact date. 

Less than 12 hours later I received the nasty gram telling me it was the stupidest decision of all time, and I clearly did not have a clue. Of course, the author did ignore the fact that I stated I had already passed on the project.

Yes, it might make you feel better, but remember, that person may be someone you need in the future. Just chill!

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