Stephen King began writing since the first grade and as a preteen he had already begun sending works he had written to an Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. He says in his memoir, On Writing, "By the time I was fourteen... the nail in my wall would no longer support the weight of the rejection slips impaled upon it. I replaced the nail with a spike and went on writing" (King, 2000, p. 41). This quote is not meant to discourage you, especially if you were not writing by the time you could write. What is important, however, is that even the great writer himself received rejections and didn't let them stop him from writing. If you have that gut feeling, that urge to write, don't let rejection stop you. Be prepared to learn from it.
Works Referenced:
- King, Stephen. (2000). On Writing: A memoir of the craft. New York: Scribner.
Very inspirational! I suppose each publisher will have their own niche they have to fill, and so the stories they accept will depend a lot on the genre, as well as the quality of the work. Do you think that vetting the publisher first would increase your chances of getting your story accepted? Or do you just suggest a carpet bombing of applications to all publishers everywhere?
ReplyDeleteGood question! For now the short answer is that both tactics have the potential for good results. If you are able to make the connections to where you can focus your energies on one publishing company then go for it. If you have no idea which company to start with first then send out multiple query letters stating that it is a simultaneous submission (submitted to more than one place). But be sure to do your research because some publishing companies will not accept simultaneous submissions.
Delete