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All together now... 'Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I think I'll go and eat worms'... I like to think I'm quite a positive person, alright I like a moan as much as the next person, but I try and think positive and see the glass as half full. But sometimes I feel like giving this whole trying to be published business up. Last night was one of those times. I'd had a long day at work and was feeling tired anyway but then I spotted a large parcel on the table. My book had come back again. I knew without opening it would be a rejection, but I was hoping for at least a comment or two in the letter. Now I've had a few indifferent comments in the past, those I can handle, what really gets to me is the standard letter. I know it's unreasonable of me, but there's something about them that puts me under a black cloud. Why do I hate them? Of course I realise publishers and agents are extremely busy people and can't always give feedback but in this case the submission requirements asked for the entire manuscript. That means two lots of expensive post and the best part of an ink cartridge and a lot of paper (ok I know that's part of the deal when submitting.) I can't help, ok probably unreasonably, thinking it would be nice if that would warrant just a line or two especially as my experience of this company has been excellent and I think it hurt a little more than usual because of that. What really annoys me is the signature you get on these type of replys. They are nearly always a squiggle with no printed name underneath and my understanding from reading 'how to' books and blogs is that they are designed to stop follow up calls - in other words crazed stalker like behaviour. I like to think my letter, manuscript and outlines show I have a professional approach to the submission process, I don't feel I deserve a squiggle, especially when most times I've written to a particular, named, editor or agent. To top it off this particular letter read 'Re: Dr Midas and the Pirates outline' which makes me suspect that the assistant flicked to the first page and copied that off my outline. I guess she was having a busy day. I would like to say though that I do think the manuscript was read, I know some wannabe authors are suspicious of the slushpile, but if I began to think like that I would become even more disillusioned. Anyway as I said at the beginning I like to think I'm a positive person so instead of throwing my laptop out of the window I opened up a short story I've been working on. The story is for a competition and I was a good 500 words short of the word count, well not anymore. If I hadn't had that rejection I dare say it may have been left unfinished.