See got a face-to-face meeting with that editor in NYC. Courtship, but of a different kind.
This is a great attitude to hang onto when the rejections roll in: it's not the end of a publishing opportunity, but the beginning of a courtship.
When my brother in-law was trying to win over my sister, he put single red roses on her windshield, befriended my younger sister and I - heck, he even got a job at the same place she worked.
They've been happily married for 7 years now.
Now let's say an editor turns down a piece. In dating terms: the editor's just waiting to see what's next, just needs to be "won over". It's not so much a no, as a "not yet." So keep sending those "roses" and maybe they'll accept your proposal.
2 comments:
Early on, I heard that if a rejection letter has any type of personal touch -- if the editor mentioned something they liked, or says the writing is strong but they can't use this particular piece, or they invite you to submit again -- these are all positive signs and shouldn't be ignored.
I have such a back-and-forth with a particular editor. Nothing published yet, but always a positive comment about the writing. So of course I keep sending her material - I just keep telling myself it's a matter of time!
Anne
Hi Anne,
That is a great sign that the editor takes the time to comment. I'd love to know what types of notes the editor makes! I had one once, they just wrote that the article was good, but they'd just published a similar piece.
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