Rejections=Success

[W Knight]

So far, every story I've submitted to BCS has been rejected. That being said, I've taken the advice offered in those rejections, revamped the story and managed to sell them elsewhere. My newest rejection came from Kate Marshall. Will the trend continue??? I sure hope so!
I was curious, though, Mr. Andrews. Do you send personal rejections, as a result of your own experiences as a writer? Because they've been tremendously helpful so far. Thanks!
-WK
P.S. What's with all the love for cats? Furballs from Hades, I call 'em. I have a slightly skewed perspective, though, since I'm allergic to them.

[Scott H. Andrews]

So far, every story I've submitted to BCS has been rejected. That being said, I've taken the advice offered in those rejections, revamped the story and managed to sell them elsewhere.
I am very glad to hear that!

You are not alone--stories that have been rejected from BCS have, upon revision, gone on to sell to such great venues as Realms of Fantasy and to win Finalist status in the Writers of the Future contest.

I was curious, though, Mr. Andrews. Do you send personal rejections, as a result of your own experiences as a writer? Because they've been tremendously helpful so far. Thanks!I think it's partly that. Placing the right story with the right market is so difficult, so I like to tell the writer a reason or two why the story wasn't right for me. Perhaps they will see that story in a different light and be able to improve it, but they may also get a better understanding of what I'm looking for and be able to apply that to their next submission. Which helps them and me.

I think it's partly also because I'm old school. :) Back in the day, at the college lit-mag I co-edited, every rejection got a comment, even though we had to write out all rejections by hand. BCS receives as many submissions in a month as that lit-mag got in a whole year, but I still think it's worth the extra minute to type in a comment.

I often hear from writers that the comments are very helpful, and I'm delighted that they appreciate it. It makes that extra minute worthwhile. :cool:

[kate.marshall]

I've taken the advice offered in those rejections, revamped the story and managed to sell them elsewhere.

Excellent! Congratulations. It's important to learn from rejections and revise when you need to, but I think it's also valuable to keep in mind that one editor's tastes aren't ALL editors' tastes, and what's wrong for one market may be right for another.

My newest rejection came from Kate Marshall. Will the trend continue??? I sure hope so! As do I. Good luck!

P.S. What's with all the love for cats? Not my fault. Cats in my house act like kudzu. You get one little kitten, and all of a sudden you have three cantankerous felines shredding the furniture and swallowing old barns. Hm. Okay, maybe that metaphor doesn't quite work...

[ckastens]

P.S. What's with all the love for cats? Furballs from Hades, I call 'em. I have a slightly skewed perspective, though, since I'm allergic to them.

I'm not sure how anyone could possibly write without a cat!

[Michael R. Fletcher]

I was never good at math, but so far rejection = rejection. That said, the quality of rejection has been improving. I feel like I'm getting close(r) to understanding a) what makes a good short story, and b) how to write it well. Maybe someday I'll do something with both a plot AND characters. Maybe I'll even finally learn to follow the old Three Act rule.

BCS Editors: The comments on the rejections are invaluable and appreciated. It's hard to learn from your mistakes when the only feedback you get is "we don't want your story."

Hmn. I never thought to add a cat into the equation.

[Michael R. Fletcher]

Holy detailed rejection letter, Batman!
Didn't sleep a wink last night 'cuz I couldn't stop thinking about how to fix the story.

Thanks Kate (not sarcasm). I really do appreciate the time and effort.

[kate.marshall]

Thanks Kate (not sarcasm). I really do appreciate the time and effort.

I'm glad the feedback was helpful for you. Good luck with the story!

[Shiny]

I've had personal rejections before, but the one I received from you recently was the most specific and helpful. Thank you!

[Miroslav_Solti]

First of all, hello to all of you here, as this is my first post. :)

To tell you the truth, I was really worried about sending my story in to be reviewed for the magazine. But then I googled (I'm pretty sure that is a word now) BCS rejection letters on the internet and I was astounded with the fact that Mr. Andrews and Ms. Marshall make these letters so upfront and personal.

In fact, from now on I will send all of my stories to BCS first, if nothing else just to show my appreciation for all their hard work. At least if I'm rejected I'll know why. :)

[J. Kathleen Cheney]

I run the Rejections Log over on LiveJournal, and I will add that those who comment on rejections from BCS are always appreciative. (Comments there are limited by the nature of the log, but the words 'detailed' and 'very nice' appear quite frequently.)

http://community.livejournal.com/ra_log/tag/beneath%20ceaseless%20skies%2A

[Michael R. Fletcher]

And finally, Rejection = Success.
Not a story I've submitted here (though I've still got hopes the formula will hold true for those), but a science fiction story I've been peddling for some time was recently purchased by Interzone. That's it, I can finally quit my job and write full-time! Wait a second...what are they paying?

Actually, I think the formula looked a little more like...

Rejection + rewrite + rejection + rewrite + rejection + rewrite + rejection + rewrite + rejection + rewrite = Success.

[DgB]

Congrats on the acceptance, Michael! I believe Interzone pays .03/word, though I could be wrong.

[Scott H. Andrews]

... but a science fiction story I've been peddling for some time was recently purchased by Interzone.
Congratulations!

It really does depend so much on an editor's particular tastes, which of course is a thing you can't control. So I believe it does pay to keep sending your stories out to all the good markets you can find, looking for that editor who meshes with your story.

[Michael R. Fletcher]

Sometimes the universe gives you what you need when you need it. Or, more likely, coincidence plays a huge part in our daily lives.

Anyway.

The day before I heard from Interzone I was looking at the long list of rejections that story -and others- had accrued, and thinking, 'when do you retire a story as unsellable?'

Luckily I'm stubborn/forgetful/thick-skinned and decided to keep sending stories out until everyone had rejected them. And when I realized that I'd only actually written 12 short stories (three of which even I knew were crappy) and sold two of 'em, I decided maybe I wasn't doing so bad after all.

Now back to the lab to work on the Editor Controlling Orbital Laser.