What is the average rejection ratio to work submitted?

Question

Just starting to submit short works of fiction - how many rejections have you had before being published? And how do you deal with being told you are rubbish?!

Answer 1

I write short fiction and get about 10 rejections for every 1 acceptance. But I also target small university presses that specialize in what I do. I'm building a "resume," and as my publications increase, I hope to be able to send work out to larger presses, eventually garnering enough of a "name" to have my work looked at by book publishers. The larger the circulation, the greater the chance for rejection.

At one point, I had received 23 rejections in a row. I was just about to give up. The following week after the 23rd, I received 3 acceptance letters in two days. You just have to keep plugging on. The most important thing is to keep writing--don't let the rejections affect your work because if you have nothing new and fresh to send out, you might be missing an opportunity.

As to how I accept rejection? The first few times brought tears. I also received no comments to give me any idea how to make my work more acceptable. By this stage in the game, I just dust the thing off and send it out again. I keep the rejection letters, then when I get one published, I staple all of the rejections together, and place the acceptance letter on top. Boosts my morale.

Answer 2

I am not sure there is an average figure on such a thing - each writer submits differently - different quantity and quality of work. I've heard stories about writers selling their work after only one submission, never even receiving a rejection. I've heard stories of people selling after dozens, even hundreds of rejections.

Are your rejection letters really saying your work is rubbish? Or are they the standard form rejection, the "not right for us, but thanks anyway" type?

To get a better gauge of the quality of your work, you need to have complete strangers with no emotional or financial investment critique your work. How? Join online critique groups. For short fiction, try www.zoetrope.com. After registering, you'll need to critique other writers' work before submitting your won, but believe me, it's worth it to get some constructive criticism and advice. Give it a try!

Good luck!

§♥♥♥§

Answer 3

I've had many good comments from agencies such as, "You write well, but this is not right for us at this time." The rejection rate is high (99.9%) among non-published authors so expect it.

If you haven't got "The Elements of Style" written by Strunk and Williams, then get it. It's a handy reference book that should be near your keyboard.

Stories and novels are subjective to the critic reading them. The main thing you must do is to craft a powerful query letter and submit grammar-perfect manuscripts.

Good luck!

Answer 4

The average rejection ratio these days is close to 99.6% for first-time writers.

I've had over 100 rejections--but nothing published.

I stopped submitting to the mainstream after 8 years of trying--because I no longer have the energy to continue on.

Answer 5

It's about 90-99.9% rejection. If you get accepted in any of your first dozen attempts, you should celebrate. Make sure you know exactly what you have written (no, you may not know) and exactly what kinds of things the magazine will accept. This will help a lot and will lower the percentage of rejections.

Answer 6

About 1 - 100 thousand. Short fiction probably higher. .Most agents wont read short fiction anymore - not enough profit in it. Same with poetry. Pax - C

Answer 7

i have a lot of erections. then if I'm told I'm rubbish it tens to stop them. hope this helped