Children’s Writing Web Journal

(Note: the following is excerpted from our acclaimed eBook Improving the Odds, Insider Secrets that Can Help You Get Published! by CBI Publisher Laura Backes.  To read another excerpt and get more information about this eBook, visit http://write4kids.com/odds.html)

Here’s a fascinating question I received a while back. It brings up an interesting dilemma faced by writers who receive personal (as opposed to form) rejection letters.

Although getting a rejection letter is no fun –even if it’s directly from an editor who clearly enjoyed your work — you’ve actually established something quite important: a relationship with a real live editor.

Here’s how I advised one writer about taking advantage of this great opportunity:

Hi Laura,

I seem to have clawed my way to the near the top of the slush pile; I am now receiving signed, personalized rejection letters rather than photocopied forms. Several of the letters have included favorable comments, but so far I have received no suggestions for revisions of the manuscripts, or requests that I do so. My question is, if I revise the manuscript substantially, can I send it back to the same editors again? Or does ‘no’ mean ‘no, no, never, never’?

In publishing (unlike the rest of the world) being rejected “personally” is much better than being rejected anonymously. It’s frustrating, though, if the editor doesn’t tell you why your manuscript was rejected (that’s up to you and your writers group to figure out). If the editor doesn’t specifically say she wants to see the manuscript again, then “no” means “no”. However, she may say she’d like to see other manuscripts from you. If that’s the case, be sure to send her something else, and remind her in your cover letter that she requested another story. Even if she didn’t mention seeing more work, I’d still send her another manuscript (provided it’s the kind of thing that publisher is looking for) and in your cover letter thank her for taking the time to respond personally to your previous submission, and say “Here’s something else I thought you might like.” Forming a relationship with an editor now can often lead to a sale later.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 at 11:08 pm and is filed under business of publishing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.