Monday, April 24, 2006

My Great American Acceptance Letter

By far, composing an enthusiastic acceptance letter has been my favorite task as a new fiction editor; and sending this newly crafted letter to a writer, who is being published for the first time, is pure joy!

Dear Writer,

I am delighted to select ??????? for publication in ???????'s May issue.

We receive a number of quality submissions—each strong in its own way, but only those stories which are well-crafted and well-suited to ???????'s progressive and innovative tone make the final cut.

Congratulations!
Fiction Editor


Future topics I plan to cover in the Diary of a Literary Fiction Editor. . .
(I am also open to other suggested topics as they are presented to me. )

Sending the right story to the right publication: Bull's eye marketing

The importance of supporting the markets you wish to be published in

Story craft vs. content/Why did you bother to write that so well?

The infamous first sentence, and why it means more than the entire story.

How I will determine what stories I select/my criteria


My name won't even be added to the magazine's masthead until the May issue is published. Open the gates and let the submissions roll in--I'm ready!

4 comments:

Dama Negra said...

Lol, you're missing some ego-inflating praise in that acceptance letter ;)

J.Alpha said...

I think the power of the letter is in seeing your name in place of 'Dear Writer,'.

That said, send me something I can place in June's issue, and I'll customize a mega ego-inflating acceptance letter just for you :)

Anne C. Watkins said...

Well, that letter sounded a lot more fun to write than the rejection! That's the kind of acceptance that'd put a smile on any writer's face. Sounds like you're enjoying yourself. :)

Very interesting, reading an editor's perspective on stuff. I'll be baaaccckkkk...../arnold

J.Alpha said...

Anne,

I agree with you; it is interesting to read an editor's perspective. I'm speaking first hand about my experience this morning when I read "Confessions Of a Lit-Mag Editor" a feature article in the May/June issue of Poet's and Writer's.

The author, Peter Selgin, is one cranky editor. I had to wonder if I was looking into a crystal ball at what I might eventually morph into. I'm going to comment on the article in my next blog.