I received Submission Rejection #1 in 1999, so it’s been a long time since I’ve been through this process. Within the next few months, I’ll probably accumulate a large number of rejections and, one hopes, a few acceptances. That’s the way it works. But I consider this moment, more than anything else, to mark my formal entry into professional writing:
Dear Mr. Coyne,
Thanks for submitting “The Fifth” to XXXXXXXXXX. With regret, I must inform you that we’ve decided not to purchase this work. I’m afraid the volume of submissions has made it impossible for us to comment on most rejections. Nevertheless, best of luck with this story and with all your writing.
Yours,
XXXXX XXXXX
Editor, XXXXXXXXXX