Hey, Industry: Silence is Rude (Sydney Salter)
A few mornings a week, I swim laps at my local public pool, usually accompanied by the indomitable water aerobics ladies. Today a pair of teens swam next to me, one swam so fast and gracefully, the other struggled like crazy to keep up.
Oh, how I love teens. All the trying. All the potential. The dreams. The heartbreak.
I love writing for teens--hoping that my perspective can help make someone feel less alone. I spent my laps thinking of stories about those teen girls.
But the industry is heartbreaking. All the trying. All the potential. The dreams. The heartbreak.
The least we deserve is an actual response to our submissions. Just type the word "NO." Ignoring writers is just plain rude. Publishing professionals depend upon us, so maybe they should treat us like people.
I miss collecting rejection letters--I made a game of it. I kept them in a notebook. Can't collect silence.
This is why I've gone the self publish route. I might not get rich, but I have the satisfaction of seeing my work in print AND in Maine libraries.
ReplyDeleteI believe that you never know where a story will go, once it's in the world :)
ReplyDeleteI am so with you on the rejections. I actually always found the rejections helpful--even a one-sentence response is food for thought.
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