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Rejection Slip Album
by Gloria Griepenstroh
If you’re a writer, you’ve gotten them - Rejection Slips.
These badges of courage come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.
They arrive by snail mail and e-mail. Some are personal letters
and others are form letters. However they present themselves,
often they represent the only proof of a writer’s continuing
effort in the publication battle.
Through sweat and tears, I have earned a HUGE number of
rejection slips and have kept most of them. I encourage
everyone to do the same. These ego deflators can be a positive
influence that will improve your writing career and better
organize your writing world.
Much useful information can be gleaned from these pieces of
paper. First, organize your rejection slips. Choose an
expandable folder to store all of them and use dividers for
separation. You could decide to have a folder for each article
or one for each year. A photo album or scrapbook is another
choice for a more artistic display. The choice is yours.
Write the date you receive the rejection and the name of the
article or story on it. This makes tracking a submission
easier. If your rejection is by e-mail, the message will have
the date and usually the subject matter. You can make a folder
in your in-box to store these, but I find it best to print a
hard copy, too.
Watch for phone or fax numbers that appear on the rejection
notices, which might not be listed in your market source or
on guidelines. If the letter came from an assistant editor,
it might have his or her phone number or extension. Add this
new information to your writing contacts and use it the next
time you query that magazine, newsletter or publisher.
Notes jotted on your rejections by editors may be more than
just encouraging words. They may inform you that their
publication is no longer using items once listed on their
guidelines, or that they are not accepting any submissions
for a period of time. These few words can save you time and
postage.
Check the editor’s name against that shown in your market
source or guidelines. Write any new name on a post-it and
place it on the market listing.
Stationery used for rejections may have the name of other
publications printed by the same publisher. Sometimes this
information may suggest another market that you have
overlooked.
If you received a rejection slip because the market you chose
is no longer publishing, be sure to note it. Otherwise, you
might forget and waste precious time sending another piece to
the same out-of-business magazine.
Post copies of rejection slips near your writing station for
encouragement. Once you have broken into a market you have
posted, remove that one and focus on another. These slips
can motivate the most dejected writer.
Rejection slips provide evidence, too. If the IRS audits
your writing business and wants to disallow some of your
expenses, these slips could be a gold mine. By having the
name of the article and date returned, you can prove you
were working hard, but just didn’t make a sale. A paper
trail means everything to the IRS.
Taking the time to flip back through the rejections can be
rewarding. The trip down memory lane is good for your
“writing soul” and shows how you have progressed. I have
relived many fond memories as I read the personal notes
of editors, and found only one note that was nasty enough
to make me blush. But that slip taught me something, because
I’ve not had that comment again.
When reviewing your rejection album, you might be reminded of
an article that could be re-written or an editor with whom
you’ve developed a relationship. Maybe the piece needs to be
longer, shorter or have a different focus to sell to the new
market. By revisiting the past you just might have a new sale.
So, turn your negatives into positives. Review your rejections
and use the experience as motivation for future success.
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