This morning I woke up to this little note in my Bartleby Snopes inbox: You motherfuckers have to be kidding me. After some of the shit I've read on your site? Fuck off The offense that warranted such a response? Well, we rejected his story, of course. A little background: this was the 13th time this … Continue reading Dear Writers, Don’t Be Assholes
Earning a living from short fiction or poetry is about as easy as earning a living from recycling aluminum cans and plastic bottles. Actually, it's probably harder. In some states, a plastic bottle will get you five or ten cents, but your thoughts are only worth a penny. Your short stories and poetry are often … Continue reading 5 Things You Must Do Before Submitting a Fiction or Poetry Collection
I’m really good at getting rejected. With almost 1,000 rejections to my name, I know everything there is to know about being told “we don’t want to publish this piece of trash.” Unfortunately, rejection letters don’t always say what they really mean. In general, editors try to be nice. They want to spare our feelings. … Continue reading What Common Rejections from Publishers Really Mean
Ten years ago, I was a hotshot writer. Of course I was a hotshot. I was a writer. That not only made me a hotshot, but it also made me hot shit. As hot shit, I knew my stories should be published. So I bought a thick book that told me where to send my … Continue reading How Writers Can Improve Their Submission Process (And Get Fewer Rejections)
If you want to piss off a writer, charge a submission fee. It seems like nothing bothers writers more than being told they have to pay for something. How dare a magazine charge us just to read our work! It’s an outrage! They should make their money by selling subscriptions and ad space! More ads, … Continue reading 5 Reasons Why Submission Fees Really Aren’t the Scourge of the Publishing World
We all like having our name up in lights. But what happens when some of those light bulbs burn out? Over the course of the past ten years, I've had around 250 short stories published in various online and print venues. I won't kid myself or stroke my own ego; most of these publications are … Continue reading What To Do When Your Published Stories Disappear
Writers are probably the most rejected people in the world. You'd think after all that rejection you'd be able to take a hint. Yet many writers don't seem to be able to read between the lines when it comes to the contents of their rejection letter. Here's a quick anecdote regarding a writer who … Continue reading What Your Rejection Letter Really Means
For many writers, it often feels like we spend more time submitting our work than we actually do writing. And what are the results of our efforts? A pile of rejection slips so high we can barely breathe enough to write another sentence. If only there was some way we could improve our odds of … Continue reading Quiz: Will Your Next Submission Will Be Accepted?
As writers, we tend to get pretty excited at the prospect of publication. Oftentimes, an acceptance is such a relief that we'll take it no matter what. However, sometimes an acceptance isn't in our best interest. We have to step back from the excitement and look at the fine print to make sure we aren't … Continue reading Do You Know Your Rights as a Writer?
You've heard it a thousand times: don't submit your writing to a literary magazine without reading what they publish first. It's a great piece of advice. By reading the lit mag, you not only support what they do, but you also get a sense of what they publish. This allows you to send something that … Continue reading What You Should Be Looking for When You Read a Lit Mag
