This is not how you respond to a rejection. Seriously.

[jennifer_brozek]

Subject: Re: Apex Submission

Oh, bullshit on your little X's.

by the way, morons, I just had it accepted elsewhere,
so up your sub-literary tanuity.

jge


This is how you piss off editors... who talk to other editors... who work on other projects.

I've just added another name to my "never work with (again)" list and I'm passing his response on to all of the other Apex submission editors.

Comments

[calendula-witch.livejournal.com]

Yikes!!!!! Fail!

[mouseferatu.livejournal.com]

What the hell?!

Yeah, that's someone who has no interest in a long career...

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

You'd think getting the story accepted anywhere would get someone over sour grapes!

Sigh. And sympathy.

[seductionjunkie.livejournal.com]

WOW. That's someone who got hit by the FAIL bus. HEH.

Learning to accept rejection has GOT to be one of the most necessary and important things to learn as a human being.

[cuddlycthulhu.livejournal.com]

True, and as a writer it's critical.

[seductionjunkie.livejournal.com]

I'm still trying to learn how to accept it, probably will always struggle with it.

But the route they chose to deal with it was definitely the WRONG one. I'd never EVER want to piss Jennifer off :P

[cuddlycthulhu.livejournal.com]

I'm still trying to learn how to accept it, probably will always struggle with it.

I feel you. It's hard getting a nice and polite e-mail (even when it's not a form letter) saying that your lovingly crafted work, that you took so much pride in, doesn't meet whatever grade they're looking for.

But the route they chose to deal with it was definitely the WRONG one. I'd never EVER want to piss Jennifer off :P

Totally agree with you on both accounts. Regarding the first, my responses to rejection are always a quick "Thank you for reading my story and your time. I hope that in the future I'll get a chance to work further with you."

Regarding the second, I have this feeling that there would be stomping and that Jen owns several pairs of footware appropriate for the occasion.

[frabjousdave.livejournal.com]

I was just having a conversation about such throw-backs this afternoon.

[evaleastaristev.livejournal.com]

I am amused. Highly amused. That's something that you say in yor own head, maybe even out loud in your own home, but NEVER send it in to someone who has any control at all over your future career.

Silly goose.

[talvinm.livejournal.com]

Mark it with the Red Pen and send it back.

"Your letter has been rejected for a lack of capitalization and the use of the word 'tanuity', which I am unable to find in the dictionary. Google suggests 'tenuity', which relates to 'tenuous', which suggests some interesting connotations that nonetheless do not seem relevant to your message.

"Please rewrite and resubmit your hate-mail, and we will consider it.

"Regards, [etc.]"

*yawns* Great one to wake up to in the morning, btw.

[jennifer-brozek.livejournal.com]

I would but I'm not John Scalzi. He already did it and better than I could, I suspect.

[cuddlycthulhu.livejournal.com]

I just don't get responses like that. It's unbelievable to me that people would burn professional relationships like that.

And they never consider that fire spreads.

[bondo-ba.livejournal.com]

Wow. Epic fail. I doubt we'll be seeing this author's name on the best-seller lists anytime soon.

[kyrielle]

...
...
...

Um.

Wow.

On the other hand, he DID get you to publish something of his. *wry*