1000 Rejections Later

Lessons on rejection

Last week (actually on Sat Oct 25) marked my 1000th rejection of my writing pieces (essays, creative writing, and academic writing) since 2020 (when I started tracking everything in Excel spreadsheets). This does not include the HUNDREDS of grant and job rejections I’ve gotten in that time period as well. Nearly every day I get rejection in my inbox. So, I am now very inured to rejection and am hardly bothered by it. It’s like a buzzing fly I wave away instead of soul-crushing sadness it once was.

There are challenges in the creative writing community, aiming for 100 rejections a year. Well, I’ve averaged 200 rejections a year and couldn’t be prouder of myself.

Because I have almost 60 acceptances, which averages to 12 acceptances a year!

Getting Started and Overcoming Initial Rejections

In early 2020 I was in despair over my complete lack of publications. I wrote about it here and how I decided to up my game, instead of just giving up.

Being first quarantined, then unemployed, I had plenty of time to write. I spent at least 3 hours a day working on my personal writing projects which included short stories, short plays, poetry, and the feminist essays you see here on this Substack. I spent the remaining time working on job applications and working on my academic writing and scholarly publications.

In a way, it was a dream for me to have so much writing time. If I were independently wealthy, likely I would likely continue this lifestyle, alas though I need money.

Getting published was an entirely different ballpark though.

• I researched professional writing strategies and signed up for Submittable, Duotrope, Chillsubs, Write or Die.

• I attended every free online workshop and seminar I could. I attended readings and workshops with lit mags like Smokelong Quarterly, or Write or Die but mostly several that were run out of the local library systems.

• I studied Erika Krouse’s ranking of lit journals.

• I created multiple spreadsheets to track my submission.

• I made lists of academic journals and literary journals and their acceptance rate. This list is now over 500 entries long.

• I made special folders for my writing files since they were ballooning all over my computer.

• I applied to be a reader for a few literary journals—I was rejected from them all but did have to go through an interview process where I read and critiqued a few pieces which helped me a bit.

• Created a professional writers website

• Crafted a professional bio.

• Learned how to write a decent cover letter—make it basic.

• I AVOID submission fees as much as possible. It can add up quickly (If I paid a $3 fee for each of my rejections that would be $3000), I set small budget of $20 a year, but rarely exceed that by keeping on top of journals (many have free but limited submission periods) and doing a lot of research.

The Siege

Pretty soon in 2020, I got my first short story published ever and was ecstatic. Then 10 more months of rejection. I did get a lot of encouraging feedback from journal editors but no acceptances. So, I didn’t give up, I submitted MORE.

I sat down once a week and made a “battle plan” of where to submit for the month. I submit aggressively, at least 4 submission a week, and by late 2022, was getting an acceptance about every 2 months, enough to encourage me.

I kept going, fueled by a few tidbits I gleaned:

• I heard at one seminar run by Smokelong Quarterly where one woman talked about how many writers ‘gave up’ after a year or so—it took all they had to get one acceptance.

• Another woman on Twitter who was a reader for literary magazines said that men are out-submitting women in submissions 3 to 1.

• I heard from another woman who had graduated from a prestigious writer’s workshop experienced 5 years of no acceptances the market is that competitive.

I also realized this was something I wanted. And each time I write I get better and improve.

Examples of How I Track My Work

This is how I calculate my acceptance rates in Excel. Every time I get an acceptance or rejection, I add it to my list and just divided acceptances by rejections from that year to get acceptance rate. I calculate also the average number of acceptances per rejection (1000/57) means that on average I get 17 rejections until I get an acceptance. “Ghosts” means I never heard back from the journal.

My Stats:

My Journal Database

Here is a list of journals—I track name, info on what it takes, % acceptance rate based and if it pays. Duotrope & Chillsubs are the best resources for finding this out. Unfortunately so many journals have been suspended in the last 5 years, and I track if it closes.

Tracking Submissions

Here is a list of how track submissions—I write the file title, the type of submission, where it was submitted, the journal title, fees, and statuses.

Author Bio:

Keep it short and sweet:

Evalyn Lee is a former CBS News producer currently living and writing in London. She has produced television segments for 60 Minutes in New York and the BBC and it was her honor to write for Dan Rather, Mike Wallace, and Lesley Stahl while covering a wide range of stories, including both Gulf Wars and numerous investigative pieces. Her short stories, essays and poems have appeared in over 80 literary magazines in the US, Ireland and England. She is currently at work on her first poetry collection.

Cover Letter, short and sweet:

Dear editors of Smokelong Quarterly,

Please consider the attached 600-word flash fiction piece entitled “My Journey”. This is not simultaneously submitted.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Name, website.

Conclusion

Here’s to a 1000 more rejections!!