Sharing the Near-Perfect Rejection Letter

This is an example of the kind of rejection letter every author wants to get. And it is a rarity among the finer and more established literary journals in the world. I’m sharing it with you with two tips for submissions:

      1.   Choose journals with heart like this one—when you can tell the difference.

      2.   Choose journals that offer a subscription to their journal as a benefit for paying for one of their contests.  Missouri Journal does both.

The only additional thing I could have asked for (would it be presumptuous of me to ask?) is, why?

Why would a story that is otherwise praiseworthy and additionally has bigotry as an important theme not be “not right” for a literary journal in a state that still harbors much bigotry—and don’t all journals (states) fall into that category? Could that really be it? 

Happy submitting!

And keep reading for an Audio prize Missouri Review is offering!

Carolyn

From: Missouri Review <submissions@missourireview.org>
Date: February 9, 2016 at 9:37:43 AM PST
To: hojonews@aol.com
Subject: Your submission to Missouri Review

Dear Carolyn Howard-Johnson,

Thank you for sending us "The True Big Bass Story".

This is a delightful story with a great grasp of narrative movement, plot, and strong insights on the world of journalism.

Unfortunately this particular piece was not a right fit for Missouri Review, but we were very impressed by your writing. We hope that you will feel encouraged by this short note and send us something else.

We look forward to reading more.

Sincerely,

The Editors of Missouri Review

----------
We’re awarding a $1,000 first prize in Prose, Poetry, Audio Documentary and Humor categories in our 9th Annual Miller Audio Prize audio competition. Send us your entries by March 15, 2016.

Find out more at http://www.missourireview.com/audiovisual/submissions/


-----
 Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The multi award-winning second edition of The Frugal Editor; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor .

Tip on Choosing Contests

I'm on sabbatical this week so I'm running a few of my favorite tips selected from my SharingwithWriters newsletters. Subscribe so you never miss a single one at http://howtodoitfrugally.com. There's a subscription form in the upper right column of every page of the site including all the Writers' Resources pages, just as I suggest in my The Frugal Book Promoter.  You'll get a freebie e-booklet, Great Little Last Minute Edits, too.

 

Tip: One of the things I look for before I submit my work for an award I’m unfamiliar with is added value.

That value can be as ephemeral as name recognition (like a link on the contest site)  or as tangible as help with marketing (like the help Dan Poynter’s Global Ebook Awards gives their nominees).

I don't like it when awards don't at least give the winning authors a few stickers/labels for their books . It's not a make or break deal for me but that’s one of those things that indicates their caring (hospitality)--and maybe lack of greed. The contest can always offer additional labels for sale once the author has run out. And savvy authors will want to support the contest that supported their efforts. 

When choosing small literary contests for short stories or poetry, I look for a free subscription to the journal for a year which benefits everyone--journal and author. The journal benefits by getting wider distribution and perhaps a regular paid subscriber once the subscription expires which ups their distribution statistics. The author gets resource material that may inspire her, give her a better handle on how to win next time around (and maybe examples of new  techniques she can use).

Find an accessible contest list, articles, other ideas on the contests page at my HowToDoItFrugally Web site. While you're there browse the other Writers' Resources on that site.

PS: To read a few recent issues of SharingwithWriters newsletters in .pdf go to http://howtodoitfrugally.com/newsletter_copies.htm.

-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor .

"Extra Innings" with Marshall Cook: A New Resouce for Writers and Readers

Finding a person knowledgeable in literature who has the time to support emerging authors is never an easy thing. I've found one in Marshall J. Cook. The calls himself "the coach." A retired professor, he continues to publish works by writers of all kinds in his Extra Innings journal. You'll find the fourth issue (February) at http://www.dcs.wisc.edu/lsa/writing/extrainnings/extra-innings4.pdf As it happens, this one includes a poem by one of my faithful subscribers, Norma Sundberg. But more about the journal. It's sure to be a resource writers can use regularly for submissions. When published, one they can proudly refer to as having been published there. And one readers who love good literature or who want to write better will enjoy. Here is more on Marshall and his journal.

From Extra Innings, the free journal associated with the University of Wisconsin at Madison's Continuing Studies program. It is sponsored by University of Wisconsin-Madison Continuing Studies and edited by Marshall J. Cook, the “Coach.”

"Extra Innings is a place for sharing your news and views on writing and publishing. Fiction and nonfiction writers, poets, screenwriters, editors—anybody who loves writing and publishing—is welcomed. Each newsletter is filled with tips, funny stuff, wisdom, and camaraderie.

"Created by Marshall J. Cook, Extra Innings replaces his long-running Creativity Connection, which retired when Marshall retired from teaching in 2009. Copies of Creativity Connection are also available in the archives on the Extra Innings page.

Marshall loves to hear from you. He’s always looking for potential contributors, columnists, and creative sorts to weigh in with news and opinions. You’ll find his contact information in each newsletter. You can visit this web page each month to download a new edition of Extra Innings, or subscribe to receive notification by email when a new issue is ready. To subscribe, simply send a blank e-mail message to: join-creativity-connection@lists.wisc.edu.

Marshall's old Creativity Connection archived issues will also soon be posted on the entry page to Extra Innings.


Marshall wants you to put Extra Innings into your writing life.

I think it would be only smart! (-:



-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor .

If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about it:

A Resource and a Little Bragging from Carolyn

Naturally, I love to shout to the world about journals I'm published in so I'm hoping this one will interest some of you for either reading or as a resource for submissions. Especially the poets and literary writers. Here is the notice that Front Range, a literary journal from Montana State University sent out asking for support in both instances:

The 2010 issue of Front Range (formerly MO: Writings from the River) is now out, and is bigger and better than ever! This year’s issue features the works of such talented writers and award-winners as Mark Gibbons, Robert Lee, Ellaraine Lockie, Joshua Gray, Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Tom Holmes, Alan Berecka, Donna D. Vittuci, Adrian S. Potter, and many, many others!

Copies are available delivered to your home annually for $11 plus $3 postage.

Please feel free to check out archives and submission guidelines at http://www.frontrangemt.org

Frederick Bridger, PhD, Editor, 219 12 St. N., Great Falls, MT 59401

My story that appears in Front Range this issue is "Grandfather Rock." It is a story told to me by an American Indian woman I met when I was on a retreat for cancer survivors several years ago, a kind of magical realism piece. I am truly proud to be part of the literary effort.
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor .

If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about it:

Promotion for the Shy Writer and Newbies

In The Frugal Book Promoter , I advise the shy writer to promote by what they love to do most, writing. Yes, you can sit behind your computer and promote. There are a litany of ways for both publishers and writers to get the message about a book out there; they’re all listed in The Frugal Book Promoter with advice for how to do each of them. But the ones that seem most appreciated are the ones that authors (and their publishers!) can utilize from behind their own computer screens. I also include methods that are accessible to those who haven't yet developed a lot of contacts.

Among those are publishing in anthologies and lesser-known or beginning journals. The emerging writer has a better chance of recognition with these kinds of publications and the shy writer need never show his or her face or even pick up a phone. And "anthology" and "lesser-known" does not mean you don’t have to sacrifice quality. New or small or online does not necessarily mean that a journal isn’t respected.

One of my poems about morning glories and chicken poop was just published in Writings from the River edited by Frederick Bridger (www.frontrangereview.org). It is Montana State University’s journal (so it has the academic cache), but they specialize in a Midwest sensibility which this little poem (borrowed from my childhood experiences) had in abundance. By the way, they will soon be publishing under the name Front Range Review.

I had a similar experience with Mary, a journal put out by St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles.

I also had the luck to publish with a brand new journal Pear Noir . When one submits to something brand new, one has no idea of what to expect. It turned out to be beautiful and this note today is mostly to urge you poets and short story writers to submit to them. When I received this well-designed volume, I was surprised to see that a fellow UCLA instructor, Les Plesko, was also published in it along with quite a few recognizable names in the literary world.

So, one can luck out. But even if the newbie journal doesn’t turn out to be all that you’d hope, it is always a thrill to have someone think enough of your work to want to include it.

Keep in mind that payment for some of these journals is often very low. Sometimes they pay only in copies. I wouldn’t submit, though, if they don’t offer at least one copy in return for using your work. That feels a little scammy. You’ll want to see your work, after all, and you shouldn’t be forced to buy a copy to see it. In fact, that’s one of the ways you can determine the difference between an authentic literary journal and one that will publish anything to get unsuspecting authors to buy lots of copies or one big, thin-paged, unedited, and generally awful volume.

On the other hand, it is nice to buy an extra copy or two of a legitimate journal to support the people who cared enough to publish the very best--YOU.


PS: All of these literary journals will qualify for Poets and Writers'list of published poets (and other writers)--even if they don’t presently have these journals on their list of publications. It is a nice little literary touch to be listed among the nation’s greatest authors on that magazine’s site.
Technorati Tags:
les plesko, carolyn howard-johnson, writings from the river, montanta state literary journal, pear noir, front range, literary journals, book promotion, book marketing, anthologies, the fruga book promoter, promotion for the shy writer, promotion for emerging writers, promotion for newbies,
Add to: | Technorati | Digg | del.icio.us | Yahoo | BlinkList | Spurl | reddit | Furl |

-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

Publish Your Work to Build a Platform

In The Frugal Book Promoter I advise the shy writer to promote by what they love to do most, writing. Yes, shy writers can promote by sitting behind their computers. There is a litany of ways to get your message out there and they’re all listed in the book with a little advice for how to break into each of them.

Those ideas include publishing in anthologies and lesser-known or beginning journals. The emerging writer has a better chance there. And you don’t have to sacrifice quality. New or small or online does not necessarily mean that a journal isn’t respected.

One of my poems about morning glories and chicken poop was just published in Writings from the River(www.frontrangereview.org). Edited by Frederick Bridger, it is Montana State University’s journal (so it has the academic cache), but they specialize in a Midwest sensibility which this little poem (borrowed from my childhood experiences) had in abundance. By the way, they will soon be publishing under the name Front Range Review. I had a similar experience with Mary, a journal put out by St. Mary’s College here in Los Angles.

I also had the luck to publish with a brand new journal Pear Noir (http://www.pearnoir.com). When one submits to something brand new, one has no idea of what to expect. It turned out to be beautiful and this note today is mostly to urge you poets and short story writers to submit to them. When I received this well-designed volume, I was surprised to see that a fellow UCLA instructor, Les Plesko, was also published in it along with quite a few recognizable names in the literary world.

So, one can luck out. But even if the newbie journal doesn’t turn out to be all that you’d hope, it is always a thrill to have someone think enough of your work to want to include it. And you develop a platform as a credible writer when you publish.

Keep in mind that payment for some of these journals is often very low. Sometimes they pay only in copies. I wouldn’t submit, though, if they don’t offer at least one copy in return for using your work. It feels a little scammy; you want to see your work, after all, and you shouldn’t be forced to buy a copy to see it. In fact, that’s one of the ways you can determine the difference between an authentic literary journal and one that will publish anything to get unsuspecting authors (especially poets) to buy lots of copies or one big, thin-paged, unedited and generally awful volume.

On the other hand, it is nice to buy an extra copy or two to support the people who cared enough to publish the very best--YOU.

Keep Writing, Promoting and Yes, Editing, Too!
Carolyn Howard-Johnson

PS: All of these literary journals will qualify for Poets and Writers list of published poets (and other writers)--even if they don’t presently have them on their list of publications. It is a nice little literary touch to be listed among the nation’s greatest authors on that magazine’s sites.


-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.