Hi, all,
The dream for anyone starting his career as a writer is to get published… the ultimate dream is to become a famous writer... but we all must take baby steps.
On Wednesday I received a dose of reality. I got an email from Grey Matter Press where they informed me they wouldn’t be publishing the story I submitted to their Savage Beasts anthology. When I first read their response, I couldn’t help being disappointed—anyone would be. But as I re-read their response, I realized it wasn’t a failure.
The acquisitions editor who wrote to me praised the story and the quality of the writing. Ultimately, she explained, the final choice was not made based on that criteria… they had many entries and only a limited number of stories to publish. I made it past the first part of the selection process, which she indicated was proof how good the story was. She even made it a point to ask that I submit my work to them again and that she wanted to hear from me in the future. In the end, I have decided not to feel bad and not to take it badly, because she could have said this is rubbish and keep your day job, but she didn’t. I see it as proof that I can make it and that the day will come when I will get published.
As usual, I’ll go over the story and see if there is anything that needs polishing up before I send it out for publication to another call for submissions. As with any work, it never truly is complete and you always see room for improvement with every subsequent pass.
H. J. Chacon