REJECTION IS ONE THING...

Just about anything you read regarding proper conduct for writers when contacting editors and publishers will tell you not to pour out your personal story in your cover letter. For instance, no one really needs to know that you are currently bagging groceries while dreaming of literary success. I had someone try to pull that on me once, saying I was the only one who could save them from this fate. It didn't make the person's work any better.

Any similar descriptions of, say, a physical ailment would also be met coldly. Everybody's got problems, and prospective employers aren't going to be guilted into hiring someone whose work they don't enjoy.

So, how is it that I can be sent a rejection letter that begins like this: "Please forgive this form rejection letter. Personally I loathe the things and would never willingly use one. However, I have developed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome which may require surgery and am no longer able to write the personal notes to authors which is my usual custom."

What the hell? Personally, a form rejection letter doesn't bother me one bit, but I hate seeing someone on the other side indulge in behavior that would likely get my submission tossed in the garbage. And it really just makes me feel more odd about the experience than anything. Like I made this person's life difficult by asking them to move my manuscript from the envelope it arrived in to the one they sent it back in. Not only does my work suck, but I'm a schmuck, too! Thanks!

Current Soundtrack: John Wesley Harding, Here Comes The Groom