Two minutes ago, I got my acceptance letter today from (U)SC, and the first thing I did was hug my girlfriend and cry. Maybe it's the latent latino in me, maybe it was holding in four months of tension + uncertainty, but my god, I had to let out all that emotion somehow. At the very end, USC came through for me, and so did March. Ahumdulila. Seriously, that's my only response: Ahumdulila. Dear universe, buddhas, god, nature, whatever and wherever you are, thank you. I'd like to give props to the creator for this. I'm humbled and moved. I promise not to waste this enormous privilege.
Good (Generic) Rejection from Columbia
Dear Jackson Bliss:
Thank you for sending us your work.
Unfortunately this particular manuscript was not the right fit for Columbia: A Journal of Literature and Art, but we were very impressed by your writing. We hope that you will feel encouraged by this short note and send us something else.
We look forward to reading more.
Sincerely,
The Editors of Columbia: A Journal of Literature and Art
Thank you for sending us your work.
Unfortunately this particular manuscript was not the right fit for Columbia: A Journal of Literature and Art, but we were very impressed by your writing. We hope that you will feel encouraged by this short note and send us something else.
We look forward to reading more.
Sincerely,
The Editors of Columbia: A Journal of Literature and Art
From Wait List to Rejected List at FSU
Here's the gracious rejection email that Julianna Baggott at FSU sent me, one of the final emails in a series of conversations we had:
Jackson,
It's a combination. We usually overbook, meaning we usually accept more people than we actually expect to accept. We're trying to hit a target -- if we go over, well, we go over. But this year there was no margin to go over. At all. We could only accept as many as we had spots for. So it was tighter than usual. And then I was told one fewer and other wrenches. We had to wait. And wait. And now more folks -- from that tight offer batch -- have said yes than expected. So that's where we are.
Jackson,
It's a combination. We usually overbook, meaning we usually accept more people than we actually expect to accept. We're trying to hit a target -- if we go over, well, we go over. But this year there was no margin to go over. At all. We could only accept as many as we had spots for. So it was tighter than usual. And then I was told one fewer and other wrenches. We had to wait. And wait. And now more folks -- from that tight offer batch -- have said yes than expected. So that's where we are.
The top seven-ten in both the PhD and MFA file in fiction, I felt like I would be honored to teach any of those students. Honored. The work was really stunning. Yours included. From there, it's a group decision. And it was painful for all of us. The work was really strong -- and varied. And the decision-making was so hard. You are hugely talented. You'll do great things. And I don't say any of this to make this easier.
All my best,
j.
Good Rejection from the Literary Review
Dear Jackson Bliss:
Thank you for sending us [ ]. We really enjoyed your writing, but we didn't feel it was right for The Literary Review.
We hope that you will continue to send us your work.
Sincerely,
The Editors of The Literary Review
Thank you for sending us [ ]. We really enjoyed your writing, but we didn't feel it was right for The Literary Review.
We hope that you will continue to send us your work.
Sincerely,
The Editors of The Literary Review
Good Rejection from Kyoto Journal
Dear Mr. Bliss--thank you for sending [ ] in your recent email. Unfortunately, it's not right for Kyoto Journal, but we're sure you'll have luck placing it, and we wish you the best with your writing.
If you're interested in publishing elsewhere in Japan, you might try Yominono, edited by Suzanne Kamata. I think this story might work there.
Once again, thank you for thinking of us.
Sincerely,
Leza Lowitz
If you're interested in publishing elsewhere in Japan, you might try Yominono, edited by Suzanne Kamata. I think this story might work there.
Once again, thank you for thinking of us.
Sincerely,
Leza Lowitz
FC2 Rejects Defiance of Objects
Dear Jackson,
Thank you for submitting The Defiance of Objects to FC2 for consideration, and for the time and effort you put into composing your manuscript. After much deliberation and careful consideration, I’m very sorry to say that FC2 has decided to pass on it.
FC2’s mission has been and remains to publish books of high quality and exceptional ambition whose style, subject matter, or form push the limits of American publishing. FC2 prides itself on being open to new-to-FC2 and/or previously unpublished authors. However, out of the over 300 submissions we receive annually, we are able to publish only six books per year and therefore must be very selective.
Thank you once again for your interest in Fiction Collective Two.
Best,
Carmen Edington
Managing Editor, FC2
University of Houston-Victoria
1st Story Accepted in 2009
I've been actively lobbying to get one of my stories published in the Notre Dame Review, pretty much since the first day I started my MFA at Notre Dame back in 2005. Even before I got into the program, I'd respected the Notre Dame Review for many years now. I think it's one of the top 20-30 literary journals. But the problem was that I just couldn't get a story accepted there and fuck, I had a connection this time. It secretly delighted me in a strange kind of way that I kept getting denied because I realized that William, the Senior Editor, was pretty damn objective and wouldn't sacrifice his standards to help former sutdents. This is a good thing, I think.
Of course William doesn't accept submissions of current students, that I understood then, but I still tried anyway cuz I'm like that. But today, after rejecting five other pieces of mine that spawns four years, starting with the AWP contests in 2005 and 2006, and then several short stories that I'd sent him since I graduated back in 2007, William finally accepted my piece "City of Sand." It's one of my favorite, more conceptual and older stories. It's about a letter that travels from Mali to Paris, New York and finally, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California, and all the different people it affects along the way. I originally wrote this story in the first workshop I ever took (in my life) at Portland State University, back in 2002, and I've revised it probably fifty times since then.
So, I finally have my first publication for 2009. And it only took me four years to get it! But yo, I'm not complaining. It's all about little steps, and this is my first one of 2009 Mashallah.
Of course William doesn't accept submissions of current students, that I understood then, but I still tried anyway cuz I'm like that. But today, after rejecting five other pieces of mine that spawns four years, starting with the AWP contests in 2005 and 2006, and then several short stories that I'd sent him since I graduated back in 2007, William finally accepted my piece "City of Sand." It's one of my favorite, more conceptual and older stories. It's about a letter that travels from Mali to Paris, New York and finally, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California, and all the different people it affects along the way. I originally wrote this story in the first workshop I ever took (in my life) at Portland State University, back in 2002, and I've revised it probably fifty times since then.
So, I finally have my first publication for 2009. And it only took me four years to get it! But yo, I'm not complaining. It's all about little steps, and this is my first one of 2009 Mashallah.
Good Rejection from Leslie Kaufmann
Dear Jackson,
Thank you for thinking of me and Kneerim & Williams and allowing me the chance to read your work. I read your submission with interest and found much to admire here, but unfortunately decided that this project isn't right for me. I'm so sorry not to have better news, but feel it's better for me to step aside for someone who can truly champion this book!
I wish you the very best of luck finding an agent who is enthusiastic about this and look forward to seeing your name on a bookshelf soon.
All best,
Leslie
Fiction Editor from Identity Theory Writes Back
Hi Jackson,
Matt Borondy came upon your Blue Mosaic Me post about Identity Theory not responding particularly fast (or at all) to some submissions, and first, my apologies. I went back through our Gmail account and for whatever reason we've been especially bad getting back to you.
I've been the fiction editor for a few years now, and in that time our system for reading submissions has changed quite a bit. It started off with me and one other editor--I would do the first read, he would look at ones I liked, and I'd handle all the correspondence. Then, while I was having a grand old time with Hodgkin's in 2007/8, our submission rate mysteriously doubled (you weren't the only one at that point to not receive prompt replies, for sure). So last year we brought on more assistant editors, which has been great for staying on top of submissions but not ideal for consistency. So, yes, at this point we do resort to form emails in many cases, and I've reminded my colleagues that at the very least, during those busier weeks, we have to acknowledge every writer by name and the title of their piece.
It's not ideal. Three years ago, when we got far fewer pieces, I used to write detailed feedback on every single one. But with more submissions and a much worse signal-to-noise ratio, we have to use a more traditional, slightly less personal system. It shouldn't result in pieces getting ignored or our responses sounding completely copy-and-pasted, of course. But it just reminds me of when I had a temp job for a few months at Harvard's rare books library, sorting through twenty years (~1928-1948) of correspondence between The Nation and prospective writers. The same writer would get the same hand-typed, one-line rejection dozens of times. No greeting, just "Thank you for thinking of The Nation but we cannot use your submission."
Best,
Andrew Whitacre
::
And my response:
Andrew,
I appreciate you taking the time to respond, especially to my sad literary blog that's basically a catharsis pretending to be a literary fiction blog. When I was reading for the Notre Dame Review, and interning at Hachette Books USA, I saw the avalanche of submissions arriving in little storms. Everything was always behind schedule, no matter how on top of it editors were or what venue it was. And I know that editors at IT get paid nothing or almost nothing, so I'm sympathetic to your situation. It's ironic in a way, the more successful you become as a journal, the more work you have to do. I guess that's the price of publishing something that matters to people.
Anyway, gambatte with the Hodgkin's. And thanks again for writing. It was gracious of you, and totally unexpected.
Peace, Blessings,
--Jackson Bliss
Matt Borondy came upon your Blue Mosaic Me post about Identity Theory not responding particularly fast (or at all) to some submissions, and first, my apologies. I went back through our Gmail account and for whatever reason we've been especially bad getting back to you.
I've been the fiction editor for a few years now, and in that time our system for reading submissions has changed quite a bit. It started off with me and one other editor--I would do the first read, he would look at ones I liked, and I'd handle all the correspondence. Then, while I was having a grand old time with Hodgkin's in 2007/8, our submission rate mysteriously doubled (you weren't the only one at that point to not receive prompt replies, for sure). So last year we brought on more assistant editors, which has been great for staying on top of submissions but not ideal for consistency. So, yes, at this point we do resort to form emails in many cases, and I've reminded my colleagues that at the very least, during those busier weeks, we have to acknowledge every writer by name and the title of their piece.
It's not ideal. Three years ago, when we got far fewer pieces, I used to write detailed feedback on every single one. But with more submissions and a much worse signal-to-noise ratio, we have to use a more traditional, slightly less personal system. It shouldn't result in pieces getting ignored or our responses sounding completely copy-and-pasted, of course. But it just reminds me of when I had a temp job for a few months at Harvard's rare books library, sorting through twenty years (~1928-1948) of correspondence between The Nation and prospective writers. The same writer would get the same hand-typed, one-line rejection dozens of times. No greeting, just "Thank you for thinking of The Nation but we cannot use your submission."
Best,
Andrew Whitacre
::
And my response:
Andrew,
I appreciate you taking the time to respond, especially to my sad literary blog that's basically a catharsis pretending to be a literary fiction blog. When I was reading for the Notre Dame Review, and interning at Hachette Books USA, I saw the avalanche of submissions arriving in little storms. Everything was always behind schedule, no matter how on top of it editors were or what venue it was. And I know that editors at IT get paid nothing or almost nothing, so I'm sympathetic to your situation. It's ironic in a way, the more successful you become as a journal, the more work you have to do. I guess that's the price of publishing something that matters to people.
Anyway, gambatte with the Hodgkin's. And thanks again for writing. It was gracious of you, and totally unexpected.
Peace, Blessings,
--Jackson Bliss
Why I Won't Submit to Identity Theory Anymore
Not right for us, sorry -- but thanks for thinking of us, and apologies for the delayed response, James Warner
I waited almost 8 months for this? You've got to be joking.
My problem with Identity Theory, even though I think it's a good journal, is that:
1. It always takes them 7-12 months before I hear from the fiction department, and only after I send them an email pestering them, which means they're not making a habit of responding to submissions, which is absolutely lame
2. The stories I read in their magazine are never better than the ones I submit, just different. Often, they seem to value hipness over literary merit
3. Really, I could forgive all the above two points if James Warner had just written my name in the email. My name is not not right for us
So, as Howard Junker says in his rejection letters, onward!
I waited almost 8 months for this? You've got to be joking.
My problem with Identity Theory, even though I think it's a good journal, is that:
1. It always takes them 7-12 months before I hear from the fiction department, and only after I send them an email pestering them, which means they're not making a habit of responding to submissions, which is absolutely lame
2. The stories I read in their magazine are never better than the ones I submit, just different. Often, they seem to value hipness over literary merit
3. Really, I could forgive all the above two points if James Warner had just written my name in the email. My name is not not right for us
So, as Howard Junker says in his rejection letters, onward!
Good Rejection from New South
Dear Mr. Bliss-
My name is Peter Fontaine and I am the prose editor for New South. I'm writing in regards to your electronic submission of [ ] to our publication. While I enjoyed the humor and some of the more interesting elements of the story, we can't place it right now for our journal. Thank you for taking the time to submit and for your patience as we read and deliberated over your story. Good luck placing [ ] elsewhere, and please think of us again when you are sending out new fiction.
My name is Peter Fontaine and I am the prose editor for New South. I'm writing in regards to your electronic submission of [ ] to our publication. While I enjoyed the humor and some of the more interesting elements of the story, we can't place it right now for our journal. Thank you for taking the time to submit and for your patience as we read and deliberated over your story. Good luck placing [ ] elsewhere, and please think of us again when you are sending out new fiction.
Slightly Obnoxious Rejection from Fence
Dear Jackson Bliss:
Thank you for sending us [ ]. We appreciated the chance to consider it, but it didn't work for Fence.
Sincerely,
The Editors of Fence
And that my friends, is how not to write a form letter rejecting a story through email, especially after 10 months. To add to the frustration, everytime I sit down a read story from Fence, I always like (sometimes quite a lot), but I'm never blown away. And my story [ ] will blow your shit up. Their loss.
Thank you for sending us [ ]. We appreciated the chance to consider it, but it didn't work for Fence.
Sincerely,
The Editors of Fence
And that my friends, is how not to write a form letter rejecting a story through email, especially after 10 months. To add to the frustration, everytime I sit down a read story from Fence, I always like (sometimes quite a lot), but I'm never blown away. And my story [ ] will blow your shit up. Their loss.
The Waiting Game
Everything in the literary world is behind schedule: that short story I submitted a year and a half ago to Zoetrope, the literary agents that placed my manuscript in the sludge pile after telling me they'll read my partial, one of my stories I gave William O'Rourke to publish in the Notre Dame Review more than a year ago, the Kenyon Review's online version of my short story "Cowboys of the Heart: the 6-DVD Boxset", Stand Magazine's Winter issue that "Nimble Calligraphy" will be published in + of course, the 2 PhD programs I applied to, none of which have responded yet. I expect some uncertainty + delay. Actually, a lot. But I what I don't expect, is uncertainty + waiting across the board.
My bad.
My bad.
Good Rejection from One Story
Dear Jackson,
Thank you for sending us [ ].
Unfortunately this particular piece was not a right fit for One Story, but we were very impressed by your writing. We hope that you will feel encouraged by this short note and send us something else.
We look forward to reading more.
Sincerely,
The Editors of One Story
Thank you for sending us [ ].
Unfortunately this particular piece was not a right fit for One Story, but we were very impressed by your writing. We hope that you will feel encouraged by this short note and send us something else.
We look forward to reading more.
Sincerely,
The Editors of One Story
New Yorker Finally Rejects Story (after a Year and a Half)
Hi Jackson,
Did I never respond to your story? My god, if so, I apologize. There's some sharp writing within, a very nice handle on the voice, but ultimately we didn't think it was quite right for us. Do feel free to try us again and good luck finding a home for this. We appreciate your giving us the opportunity to consider it.
Best,
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
The New Yorker
Fiction Department
Did I never respond to your story? My god, if so, I apologize. There's some sharp writing within, a very nice handle on the voice, but ultimately we didn't think it was quite right for us. Do feel free to try us again and good luck finding a home for this. We appreciate your giving us the opportunity to consider it.
Best,
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
The New Yorker
Fiction Department
The Hudson Review Finally Responds. . . 17 Months Later
I waited seventeen months so The Hudson Review could tell me about their next submission period was. Bizarre. Thank guys, but what I really wanted to know is what happened to my manuscript [ ]. The funny thing is that despite how gracious this email is, it doesn't actually tell me anything.
Dear Mr. Bliss,
We realized recently that your fiction inquiry did not receive a timely response, and we regret that you are only hearing from us now. Your story should have been returned to you, but if not, it could indicate that we never received it. Our next fiction reading period is from September 1 to November 30 2009, and our response should normally take three months. Thank you for your interest in The Hudson Review
The Editors
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The Hudson Review
60th ANNIVERSARY
684 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10065
(212) 650-0020
Katherine Fausset Finally Responds
Dear Mr. Bliss,
I have someone who helps me with the enormous number of queries and manuscripts I receive. He has just alerted me to your recent emails and tells me that we replied back to you some time ago. But perhaps our response did not arrive, or there was a mistake on our end. I do not know. I am very sorry, however, that you have been waiting seven months for a reply. Do you have your manuscript available to send as an email attachment? If so I will make it a priority and will get back to you immediately. Again, please accept my sincerest apologies.
--Katherine Fausset
I have someone who helps me with the enormous number of queries and manuscripts I receive. He has just alerted me to your recent emails and tells me that we replied back to you some time ago. But perhaps our response did not arrive, or there was a mistake on our end. I do not know. I am very sorry, however, that you have been waiting seven months for a reply. Do you have your manuscript available to send as an email attachment? If so I will make it a priority and will get back to you immediately. Again, please accept my sincerest apologies.
--Katherine Fausset
Good Rejection from Frederick Hill Bonnie Nadell Agency
Here's the rejection I got from Carolyn Kellogg. Originally, I wanted Bonnie Nadell to read BLANK since she helped get Infinite Jest published, which is a miraculous feat considering how hostile publishing is to innovative literary fiction, especially when it's prolix. Instead, I received this very kind (but obviously, very disappointing) rejection from Carolyn Kellogg. Here it is:
Dear Jackson:
Thank you for thinking of Hill Nadell Agency for your novel BLANK. While you clearly are an accomplished writer, I'm sorry to say that we've decided your project is not a good fit for our list.
Best wishes in finding the right custodian for your work.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Kellogg
Dear Jackson:
Thank you for thinking of Hill Nadell Agency for your novel BLANK. While you clearly are an accomplished writer, I'm sorry to say that we've decided your project is not a good fit for our list.
Best wishes in finding the right custodian for your work.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Kellogg
Restructure Amnesia + New Query Letters
After licking my wounds from Molly Friedrich's rejection (I respect her enormously, but still feel cheated that she only read 45 pages of my novel), I decided that the best way to get over the hope and rejection of one of America's most prominent agents, is to:
1. Restructure The Amnesia of Junebugs. Virtually every writer and editor who has read my novel (or a portion of it), from editors at Harper Collins, the best literary agents in the whole world, to respected writers like Valerie Sayers, Frances Sherwood, Chuck Wachtel at NYU + Julianna Baggot at FSU, has loved the voice of Winnie Yu, the culture-jamming graffiti artist in the second section of my novel. But after MF stopped reading at page 45, I realized it's possible an agent may never actually get to the 2 couples with more substance, where the heart of the novel is (my first couple just fucks a lot and overintellectualizes everything, kinda like going to Oberlin College). So, to remedy this, I've switched sections one and two. Now, section two, the middle section, is chock full of sex, sandwiched by deeper, more complex, and more human characters.
2. My second response, which is just as healthy, and just as likely to break my heart someday, is to send out new novel queries to new agents. So I sent out a query letter to an agent at The Gernert Company in New York, and another one to David Foster Wallace's agent in SF.
Stay tuned. . .
1. Restructure The Amnesia of Junebugs. Virtually every writer and editor who has read my novel (or a portion of it), from editors at Harper Collins, the best literary agents in the whole world, to respected writers like Valerie Sayers, Frances Sherwood, Chuck Wachtel at NYU + Julianna Baggot at FSU, has loved the voice of Winnie Yu, the culture-jamming graffiti artist in the second section of my novel. But after MF stopped reading at page 45, I realized it's possible an agent may never actually get to the 2 couples with more substance, where the heart of the novel is (my first couple just fucks a lot and overintellectualizes everything, kinda like going to Oberlin College). So, to remedy this, I've switched sections one and two. Now, section two, the middle section, is chock full of sex, sandwiched by deeper, more complex, and more human characters.
2. My second response, which is just as healthy, and just as likely to break my heart someday, is to send out new novel queries to new agents. So I sent out a query letter to an agent at The Gernert Company in New York, and another one to David Foster Wallace's agent in SF.
Stay tuned. . .
Molly Friedrich Rejects BLANK
Yes, it breaks your heart. How could it not? When one of the best literary agents in the whole world (who represents four Pulitzer Prize winners for the love of God) asks to read your complete novel, and wants the right to respond first in case the other literary agents you'd send a query letter to, decides to represent you. It all seems so possible. But it's not, not with this agent. Anyway, here is the rejection letter I got ten minutes ago. I'll get over this in a day or so, but right now I have to say, it hurts. It fucking hurts. Here it is:
Thanks so much for sharing BLANK with me. I've now had the chance to read a fair portion of the manuscript, and I'm confident that it's not for me. I think you've got an ambitious concept here that is vastly appealing and you pitched it quite well, but for me, the writing left me feeling at once both raw and disconnected from these characters. It's very tough to pull off an ensemble piece, and it may also be that when it comes to this kind of speculative, or if you want to call it "post apocalyptic" fiction, I'm predisposed to be an unusually harsh judge. But whatever the root of my reasoning is, the narrative just didn't reach me. I do appreciate your thinking of me with this submission, and I hope that your other agent prospect has had a more enthusiastic response.
Warmest wishes for the New Year,
Molly Friedrich
Dear Jackson,
Thanks so much for sharing BLANK with me. I've now had the chance to read a fair portion of the manuscript, and I'm confident that it's not for me. I think you've got an ambitious concept here that is vastly appealing and you pitched it quite well, but for me, the writing left me feeling at once both raw and disconnected from these characters. It's very tough to pull off an ensemble piece, and it may also be that when it comes to this kind of speculative, or if you want to call it "post apocalyptic" fiction, I'm predisposed to be an unusually harsh judge. But whatever the root of my reasoning is, the narrative just didn't reach me. I do appreciate your thinking of me with this submission, and I hope that your other agent prospect has had a more enthusiastic response.
Warmest wishes for the New Year,
Molly Friedrich
Post-apocalyptic? Speculative Fiction? What? Did I send her a copy of Minority Report by accident? Molly Friedrich is a fabulous, fabulous + smart agent. She has an impressive client list. She knows what she likes + she knows how to sell the novels she loves. But the reality is that BLANK is none of those things--neither post-apocalyptic nor speculative. It just appears that way for the first 30 pages or so. But then again, "Magnolia," seems like a real downer for the first hour too.