Weekly Roundup: Oct 10, 2024
Weekly Roundup: Oct 10, 2024
Basking in the glory of... rejection
Some of you may remember that I sent out a short story into the world last month… to some 19 publications.
Yesterday, I got a response… a rejection.
Naturally.
But the thing is… this rejection email hit me differently—it had me swooning all day yesterday.
JW McCormack of The Baffler wrote me this:
Hey Maliha,
Solid stuff, I'm very sorry to pass. We just don't take very much given that we're not primarily a fiction mag, but I loved reading this and wish you luck placing it elsewhere. Hit me up again anytime.
Best,
JW McCormack
I can’t get the phrases “solid stuff,” “loved reading this,” and “Hit me up again anytime” out of my head.
Honestly, I didn’t even expect to hear back. So, to not only get an email but get an email from the “literary editor” of The Baffler—a magazine I’ve loved for years—in and of itself is kind of… wild!
It’s funny that I’m bragging about a rejection letter… lol… but… that’s got to be a solid-good rejection letter, no?
I’ve had my share of rejections, but this… this… is the cream of the crop so far.
I’m pretty excited and flying high, in case you couldn’t tell :p
Now, bring me down a peg or two, yeah?
Send me your best rejection messages (and why you love them), and I’ll share them in the next email. Share in the comment or DM me… either is fine :)
Curated Opportunities
These opportunities focus on creative and sometimes magazine writing. I try to include a mix of super high-profile and indie publications that are more beginner-friendly. (Click the names of the publications for detailed submission guidelines.)
The Baffler: In appreciation of a great rejection email, I’ll start off today’s list with this lovely magazine. As JW writes in his email, The Baffler is primarily a nonfiction magazine. Still, I know for sure that they also publish fiction occasionally, which is why I submitted my story in the first place and also why they have a dedicated fiction editor, a.k.a. JW McCormack. They accept prose and poetry submissions on a rolling basis. Pay: yes; amount unknown.
[My note: I recommend emailing your submission to the appropriate editor instead of using the form on the page I linked above.]Aurore: Erotica/porn lovers! Aurore pays for your sticky stories!!! Send them the stuff polite society thinks is too crude for casual conversations. Pay: yes; amount unknown.
Five South: They’re open for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry submissions. Pay: yes; amount unknown.
The Masters Review: They’re always open for work from emerging writers who do not have a single-author, book-length work published (or under contract). Accepted genres are fiction and narrative nonfiction. Pay: yes; amount unknown.
Witness: They’re accepting fiction, nonfiction, and poetry through November 1. Pay: $150 for prose and $75 for poetry.
Hippocampus: They’re accepting creative nonfiction through November 30. Pay: $40.
A-minor: They’re accepting flash fiction/nonfiction and poetry for their January 2025 issue. Pay: no.
Waxwing: They’re open for nonfiction prose through Oct 31. Pay: no.
Zone 3: They’re also accepting creative nonfiction… through November 1. Pay: no.
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*** Note: I cannot always vet each of these publications, unfortunately. So, please do your due diligence and research. See if their values align with yours, if there are conditions/restrictions to who can or cannot pitch/submit, whether or not they’re a paying market, how much they pay, etc., if these things matter to you.***
That’s all for now.
But before I go…
Do any of you live in Denver? I was thinking of starting a local newsletter… nothing’s certain yet. But if you want to be on it, let me know and I’ll send you a link to subscribe… although I probably won’t be launching it for another month or so… if I even do.