No one likes rejection, but there’s an art to delivering bad news that can lessen the pain and may make recipients feel a bit better about themselves rather than spiral into unhelpful feelings of inadequacy and resentment. Yes indeed, publishers, agents, publications and award panels are inundated with unsolicited and requested work and the majority will be dismissed as inappropriate or will fail to make it further along the line. But how to communicate this to the unfortunate writer? Here are five tips ArtsHub has collated – publishers, agents, journals and prize committees, take note!
In this article:
Any communication is better than none
Writers have all been there. In good faith we’ve submitted a poem, short story, essay or indeed any piece of writing to a publishing outlet or agency and waited for weeks and months without receiving any news as to the outcome. Unless the organisation has an addendum that explicitly states that no communication within a certain timeline means the piece has been rejected, then the onus is on them to contact those who’ve submitted work to tell them they’ve been unsuccessful. It’s polite and good manners, if nothing else.
Have a pro forma rejection note at the ready
Following up from the first point, if you are asking people to submit anything, be it a job application or a manuscript for possible publication, make sure you actually have an email rejection note already organised to send out to those who are not successful. Far too many times, the applicant is left on hold and not told anything, only to find out weeks or months later, when the job is filled or the publication publishes their contents page online or the winners are announced in a literary award. Letting people wait indefinitely for an answer either way is unprofessional.
If the work shows promise, say so
Quite often, a work is rejected not because of its poor quality but for various other reasons. Perhaps the publisher/agent has already filled their yearly intake, the submitted work too closely resembles a recent or upcoming acquisition, the work does not fit with the editor’s overarching vision for that particular journal… If the work is deemed impressive, a short, encouraging note added to the pro forma rejection slip can mitigate the disappointment and help the writer try again next time when the stars are better aligned.
Consider feedback
Pending time availability, consider also adding some personal feedback to the author if they fail to make the grade, but the work has potential. Feedback does not have to be long, just a paragraph to explain why the manuscript or piece of writing does not work as it stands in its present condition, so the author can be made aware of possible workshopping possibilities.
Read: 5 tips to maximise your chances of being a guest at writers’ festivals
Be considerate
We all know writing is a hard business and most writers are sensitive flowers with fragile egos. Moreover, the publishing community in Australia is a small, interconnected one. Just because you reject work from a writer it doesn’t mean that their subsequent offering won’t be good enough. The ever-evolving politics of the zeitgeist may mean that their next manuscript or piece of work will be exactly what you’re looking for, but if you are rude, tardy or simply non-communicative when it comes to rejection, then this writer, holding onto a grudge, may well approach a rival publishing house, agent or publication with their next, potentially award-winning pièce de résistance and you’ll miss out.
