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The Scream Factory
By: Peter Enfantino
on Mon October 10, 2011, 22:19:20
Wow!That’s me. Sorry for the quick note, Barry. By 1990 I was getting about 100-150 submissions a week and I couldn’t do the personal rejects that I did in the “early days.” I use to do line-by-line on some of the stories I rejected but I was spending hours a day and several times I had writers coming back to me less than pleased with being rejected in the first place. Thought it a good time to cut down on my correspondence about that time. But, you’re right, it’s not a form letter and it never would be.
-Peter Enfantino
Re: This Week in Rejection!: The Scream Factory
By: Barry
on Tue October 11, 2011, 08:28:29
Hi, Peter!
You know, I figured that someday, one of the actual editors who sent one of these letters would pop up here. And today is that day!
I hope you didn’t take any umbrage at my comments; I admire your willingness to respond personally. And I hope that your comment here gives hopefuls some perspective on what they may be up against. 100-150 submissions per week! That’s a huge number to go through, especially when the odds are most of them aren’t up to snuff. Remember this, people, the next time you’re annoyed by a rejection.
This is probably as good a time as any to remind folks that in almost every instance of “This Week in Rejection!”, the rejection was quite richly deserved on my part. (And never fear — I’ll tell you in those few cases where I don’t think it was deserved!)
Thanks for dropping in, Peter!
Barry
You know, I figured that someday, one of the actual editors who sent one of these letters would pop up here. And today is that day!
I hope you didn’t take any umbrage at my comments; I admire your willingness to respond personally. And I hope that your comment here gives hopefuls some perspective on what they may be up against. 100-150 submissions per week! That’s a huge number to go through, especially when the odds are most of them aren’t up to snuff. Remember this, people, the next time you’re annoyed by a rejection.
This is probably as good a time as any to remind folks that in almost every instance of “This Week in Rejection!”, the rejection was quite richly deserved on my part. (And never fear — I’ll tell you in those few cases where I don’t think it was deserved!)
Thanks for dropping in, Peter!
Barry