How I was Rejected by a Small Pub and What I Learned From it.
It turned out to be a good thing
I am used to reading stories of writers getting rejected by big pubs so I thought why not write about how I experienced rejection from a small pub.
If you have read some of my articles, you may know that I publish mostly in small pubs and that I am a big supporter of them. I also attribute my accomplishments during my 6 month journey on this platform to those small pubs and my loyal readers.
Back in July, I submitted an article titled “5 Effects Of A “You’re Cute But Fat” Comment I Received At Age 16" to a certain small pub (less then 1K followers) only to receive a response from the editor that they were giving my submission a pass. No reason was given as to why.
So I politely inquired as to the reason because I was curious and also thought it a good thing to know as a writer intent on bettering her craft.
Apparently Grammarly found 20 issues with my submission.
The editor had an issue with the ‘orientation’ of my article image.
Also the pub didn’t accept ‘listicles’.
I didn’t know whether to laugh out loud or cry.
I thanked the editor and immediately resubmitted the same exact draft to a different, much bigger pub (51K followers). I am glad this pub noticed my story’s potential and more importantly, the message it contained.
“….but can I just say I think you picked the perfect feature/cover image for this article? I always have trouble picking images which is why when I saw this, I was like — wow she chose such a good one!” — Toffy Char (in the comments section)
The bigger pub published my story right off the bat without asking for any edits. They didn’t have an issue with the orientation of my image nor the so-called ‘listicle’ part.
Agreed that gauging the ‘quality’ of an article is subjective. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure and all of that.
But using Grammarly as the main criterion for gauging the quality of an article is ridiculous in my opinion.
Long story short, this formerly rejected article has since received a decent amount of engagement (2.7K claps and 63 comments)as many readers could relate to my love-hate relationship with food as a teenager and how I eventually overcame it by developing a healthy self esteem.
Yes, I do understand that an editor is under no obligation to go out of their way for me. Having said that, my experience with editors of pubs like Age of Empathy, The Daily Cuppa, Thank You Notes, The Shortform, Heart Affairs, Tingly Mind, Hello Love, The Pink, Be Open, KTHT, Write to Inspire, Synergy, Illumination, Dr. Funny, An Injustice and Invisible Illness have been nothing short of excellent.
They have not only provided valuable feedback and light editing but also suggestions to improve my articles, titles and images rather than send me packing.
This warm relationship I have with my editors and the wonderful sense of community are the primary reasons I stick with small and medium sized pubs.
Therefore, I am assuming I was rejected outright by this particular pub simply because the editor did not wish to work with me.
Well, water off my back.
In hindsight there were a few things I should have considered prior to submitting to that pub:
- Done my due diligence as to whether that particular pub was a good fit for my article. Considering the fact that it was about eating disorder which is a mental illness — probably not.
- Carefully gone over their submission guidelines — the editor did let me know that it would have saved me time if I had done so prior to submitting.
How could it have saved me time? Mainly due to the fact that I don’t use Grammarly or any writing assistants for that matter as I feel they impede the flow of my writing.
Simply put, I prefer my articles to be organic, not processed.
I should have realized then and there that this pub and I were definitely not a match made in heaven.
“….you write as a friend/bestie. That’s one of the reasons I enjoy reading your work” — Kristina God
Since I do have a specific writing style that appeals to my readers, what is the point of going with a pub that wants to publish a perfectly structured, 100% error free version of my draft and that too edited to within an inch of its life which none of my readers would want to read?
What I could have brought to the table:
- A strong personal essay about an eating disorder that resulted from an inability to cope with anxiety and stress as a teenager and how I successfully overcame it.
“ I believe your sharing your experiences will help others in a way you will never find out. I’m so sorry you had to go through this and all the pain you endured. Fat shaming is never ok” — Ali Hall (from comments section)
2. A decent amount of internal traffic.
3. A decent amount of reader engagement.
4. A decent amount of curiosity about the pub from my followers.
5. A decent amount of new writer sign ups for that pub on account of said curiosity.
In light of experiences such as these, it is not surprising therefore that more and more writers are starting their own pubs or choosing to self publish rather than be at the mercy of pub editors.
At this point in my journey, I have to say I too am finding the self publish route more convenient as it gives me a lot of freedom and control with regards to what I write and when I publish.
And no, I don’t see much of a difference in readership, chosen for further distribution or earnings from self publishing my articles.
Thanks to Benny Lim
If you liked this, you might also like these articles about my Medium journey:
https://readmedium.com/i-am-part-of-the-100-club-on-medium-thanks-to-small-pubs-546acf54f06c
https://readmedium.com/how-i-got-mentioned-in-an-article-about-success-on-medium-49e9457b68c4