The Best Rejection Letter I've Ever Received

The Best Rejection Letter I've Ever Received - Arbee Cole

Getting rejection letters is part of being a writer. Especially when you're relatively unknown, your stack of "do not want" replies far outnumber the acceptances. But, hey, even J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter was initially rejected by publishers - it is just part of the process.

Most of the rejection letters I get are of the form-letter variety - that is, they are usually addressed to some nondescript person ("Dear Author:") and contain little to no feedback. In the worst cases, they have checkboxes, and an editor will X-Mark whatever generic box they believe best sums up why the submission was rejected. A story I submitted to Darkhouse Books, however, received this very nice reply:

Hi,

I really wanted to take this one, but the narrative voice and
tone that developed for the anthology, and to be honest,
the length of the story, prevented a good fit.

You certainly demonstrate considerable writing chops and
I have no doubt you'll find a good home for it elsewhere.

I look forward to hearing of its publication and to reading
more of your work.

Andrew

I should backtrack here and tell you that the story (and the anthology) is set in a "retro-future" based on the 1939 New York World's Fair. What's that? Why, only a world of flying cars, smoking robots, and too-cool men in suits doing manly things! The setting is INCREDIBLE, but... I also knew that getting the story published there would be a longshot. After all, my story deals with... well, you'll have to read it for yourself and see.

Retro-Futuristic Robot wants HUGS!

"Invaders From the Other Side" is now available in ebook format on Amazon.com for your reading pleasure. It is 6200 words of wild science fiction that touches on the best aspects of the genre - flying cars, robots, social issues, and more. If you are a KindleUnlimited subscriber, there is no additional cost to read it - for others, there is a small $1.00 fee (at the time of this writing) to own it. Support fun science fiction and enjoy a romp through a future that never was with this great story! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DBQ3TZM

If you find yourself really enjoying the setting, also check out Darkhouse Book's anthology Stories from the World of Tomorrow. It is available in both ebook and print version on Amazon.com here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011OPW8YK

Enjoy exploring the World of Tomorrow (today!),

-= Arbee Cole