Why did they reject your amazing story?

It might not be as bad as you think

Rejection is the worst part of writing.

We send our story babies out into the world, only to have them come home with their tails between their legs.

We pat them on the head and send them out again.

“Why don’t editors love them as much as we do?!”

If we want to be published writers, we need to learn to deal with rejection.

I got a “No thanks” in my inbox just yesterday. It was a stock rejection, no specific feedback, but after almost two decades in this business, I barely blinked. In fact, I can’t even remember what I sent!

That’s where I want you to be.

At the place where you’re like “rejection smection.”

One way to get to that point is to understand why pieces get rejected.

I’ve also worked as a subeditor, an editor, and in close partnership with other editors.

After a while, you start to see clear patterns of what stories get accepted and why. It stops feeling like a personal attack and becomes something you can work with.

It feels a lot like dating actually and has some similarities. Here are 5 common reasons stories don’t get a first date:

You’re not their type

Some people head into dating with a wish list.

• Loves dogs.

• Has a job in the film industry.

• Is called “Ryan Reynolds”.

Editors are often looking for specific people too.

They might only want articles by experts and well-known writers. The New Yorker is one publication that often runs stories by well-known essayists, journalists, and novelists.

You’ve probably seen editors putting out calls for writing from particular groups, countries, or with certain backgrounds.

Many favor their regular contributors and staff writers. (They prefer Friends with Benefits).

If you don’t fit the brief, it’s unlikely you’ll land the gig. You’re not their type, but don’t take it personally. You will be someone’s!

They think you’re a bot

“I like eating in and watching movies” isn’t going to catch someone’s eye. But “I make the best roast potatoes and collect Tarantino films” might draw the right person in.

If your story is generic, editors probably won’t want it. The topic is often the culprit here.

Many new writers make the mistake of picking topics that are too broad and common.

Few ideas are completely original (I know it’s hard!) but if you’ve written another “Healthy living” article about how we need to get sleep, get up early, exercise and eat less junk food, don’t expect it to be accepted.

If you want to write about healthy living, write about how starfruit transformed your breakfasts, how getting up an hour earlier helped you lose weight, how new research shows that watching the sunrise decreases your risk of depression.

The sexiness in a story is its details. Go small and specific. Show some personality too! Use your uniqueness to get them curious.

You’re messaging the hottest guy on Tinder

Perhaps your story is fantastic, but you picked a hot publisher. Some editors receive a flood of submissions and it’s hard to stand out, even if you’re great.

They rejected your story, not because it’s terrible, but because their DMs are full right now.

Even online publications have a certain number of articles they prefer to publish daily. There are only so many days in a week. Once your dating schedule is full, it’s full.

Your rejection may have been a case of bad timing — persevere!

(Or try someone a little more available.)

You’re not ready to date yet

You thought you were ready to get out there, but maybe you’ve still got a bit of work to do?

If your writing needs work, take some time to learn: do a course, read, find a mentor. Professional writing is like any other career — there’s a training period. Few people become paid writers instantly.

You’ve gone low-effort

Perhaps you’ve been rejected too many times and now you think, “They can take it as is.”

I get it. If you don’t try too hard, it doesn’t hurt too much when they turn you down, right?

But if your story is full of errors and badly written, expect a rejection. No editor wants to see your rough first draft.

The same goes for failing to do your research.

It’s obvious when people haven’t read the submission guidelines. If editors want personal essays and we send in a 5K piece on UX design, we’re just wasting everyone’s time.

• Do your research on the publication you are sending your story to.

• Read some of their stories and submission guidelines.

• Do a Google search of your topic alongside the name of the publication to make sure they haven’t run a similar piece recently.

Make the effort. Put some metaphorical pants on your writing before you send it out.

You can get more yes’s

You have no control over some of the reasons your story gets rejected. You do, however, have control over the majority of them.

Good writing stands out — it will get a “yes” eventually.

Badly researched, unoriginal writing full of errors will never get a date with a publisher, no matter how many places you send it.

Put your best face forward. Edit, read it aloud, and then edit again — don’t let small fixable errors be the reason you get rejected. Do your research on the publication and send in something they can’t ignore!