Tracking Rejection

“Failure is not defeat until you stop trying.”

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As any working writer knows, pushing your stories out involves rejection. Even J.K. Rowling displayed a rejection letter on Twitter to encourage other artists to persevere.

I’ve been in submission mode recently. For short stories, I used to plug information into a spreadsheet, but now I send stuff out into the ether and wait for a reply. Often, magazines have their own submission system, but some also use Submittable. If you set up an account there, you can track your short story entries.

Another useful tool is QueryTracker, which helps organize responses from agents and publishers. I’m currently using an Excel spreadsheet for my manuscript submission, but I still pop into QT to read users’ comments (they give a lot of insight into response times). Forums in Absolute Write also help in figuring out which agents and publishers to approach.

My stats so far?

  • 3 form rejections (for ms)
  • 1 partial request (50 pages of ms)
  • 1 rejection (short story)

My writer friend told me, One more rejection means one step closer to an acceptance. Sometimes it doesn’t feel that way, but at least I’ve kept everything organized!

Foodie Friday First: Aebleskivers
Foodie Friday: Ground Peanut Cookies

Comments

  1. Yes, a step closer. It is an act of courage and bravery to send out a query.

  2. I’ve never used Query Tracker. I’ll have to check it out for my next go around. It can be tricky keeping everything organized. Thanks!

  3. Same with art. It’s really hard not to get down sometimes, but then, if you don’t try, there’s no possible success and if you do and get a rejection, you’re no worse off. :) Keep going. X

    • Jennifer J. Chow says

      That’s a great attitude, Veronica. And I’m always so impressed with your artwork and the new creative skills that you pick up.

  4. I haven’t sent anything out for a long time. When I do, I’ll have to decide on a new method. My long-hand notes in a notebook no longer cut it.

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