“Much as I love history sex and violence…”
Rejection
Slips and other Ciphers
All writers
share one experience in common:
Rejection. Yes, that single
three-syllable word can pack more punch than a swat team of grammarians in a
first year college class. I’ve known
grown novelists crushed by the impact of a lone one-page letter in a
returned SASE. (You can tell by the
thickness of the envelope that it ain’t holdin’ no contract.) In New York, it is rumored that spurned
essayists have been seen to (gasp) forgo imported and guzzle down domestic in
their haste to heal the pain.
Rejection is the
hurtin’, cheatin’ country song of the writer’s world.
We all know that
tune. Usually sung off-key, by editors
who can’t do what we authors do, but have the power to keep us out of
print.
Rejection slips
serve only one useful purpose as far as I can tell: they prove to Revenue
Canada and the IRA that we are indeed working writers and deserve all those
measly tax deductions.
But wait – is
there more?
In case you
missed it, there is a hierarchy of rejection slips! If you write for a living, or merely for the
loving, you will undoubtedly have a collection that cries out for
classification.
Keep
them. Treasure them. Devote a drawer to
them. (Better still, a steamer
trunk.) Make your own list of rejection
translations and get to know the lingo.
Here’s
my list, to get you started:
- “…unfortunately, it does not meet our requirements at this
time.”
This means
No. Allow yourself ten minutes to rant,
and then try another market.
- “…does not meet our current needs, but we would welcome seeing
more of your work.”
Hey – you’ve reached
them! Maybe they can’t use this piece,
but they like your style. Send
more. Persist. Be relentless. That’s how I first got into Star
Magazine. I wore them down.
- “….if you would consider revising, I would happily have another
read of it.”
Go, go, go! Whenever an editor gives direct
encouragement, run with it. Act
immediately. Revise and re-mail. Invite her to dinner. Walk his dog.
Do what you have to. But don’t
lose his interest.
I cherish personal replies from editors,
not only for the time they take to write, but also for the hidden messages
within. Some are priceless. Here are a few gems from my personal file
(er…trunk):
“…not for us, but I think the ‘Idler’
uses satire.”
That’s right, pass it off to the
competition and hope it sinks ‘em. The
ultimate publisher power play.
“…we found your novel an interesting
and compelling work, however…”
Shucks.
I should have known they don’t publish ‘interesting and compelling’
works.
And my own personal favorite:
“…much as I like history, sex and
violence…”
Well, gee, that’s interesting. But exactly how does this relate to my
returned manuscript?
By the way, what are you doing Saturday
night?
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Dark magic…dark passions….
When Rowena is abducted from Arizona and taken back to medieval Land’s End, one thing is clear: she must learn to control her powers of magic. It isn’t easy being a modern girl in an archaic land, and when Rowena accidently conjures up a Roman Legion in mid-battle, Land’s End is on the brink of a war that could jeopardize everything and everyone she loves.
The stakes are raised when the Dark Lord reappears and traps Rowena in a cyclone of lust and passion. Once again, she is torn between the man she loves and the mage who fires her desire.
Purchase the book on Amazon.
Currently #2 Timetravel in Canada! Top 100 in US!
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Melodie Campbell achieved a personal best this year whenLibrary Digest compared her to Janet Evanovich.
Melodie got her start writing comedy (stand-up and columns.) In1999, she opened the Canadian Humour Conference. She has over 200 publications including 100 comedy credits, 40 short stories and 4 novels. Her fifth novel, a mob caper entitled The Goddaughter’s Revenge(Orca Books) will be released Oct. 1. She has won 6 awards for fiction, and was a finalist for both the 2012 Derringer and Arthur Ellis Awards.
Melodie is the Executive Director of Crime Writers of Canada. Her humour column ‘Bad Girl’ appears in The Sage.
Connect with Melodie on the web:
Facebook: MelodieCampbellAuthor
Twitter: @MelodieCampbell
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