The View from the Editor’s Desk

Over the last three months, my co-editor Natasha Watts and I have had the honor of reading 78 short fiction submissions to RMFW’s 2020 anthology.

Before taking on this job, I submitted countless stories, poems, and articles to countless magazines, journals, and anthologies. I learned the ropes of navigating a contract, working through revisions with an editor, and coping with an endless barrage of rejection.

Now, as anthology co-editor, I’m seeing the submission process from a whole new perspective. Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

1. We want you to succeed. Editors aren’t lying when they say they look forward to reading your work, or that they enjoyed your story even though they declined it. They mean it when they wish you the best of luck and say they hope you’ll find another home for your story. They know writing takes time and practice to master; they don’t mind reading work by less experienced writers. And for goodness sake, they don’t gather around the water cooler to make fun of your story. As intimidating as editors can seem, they’re actually rooting for you before, during, and after the submission process.
2. We’re easily annoyed. There’s a reason editors post detailed submission guidelines. When you blatantly ignore these guidelines, it irks them. A typo here and there? Don’t sweat it. But submitting something we don’t accept or putting your name all over a blind submission will send you straight to the bottom of the slush pile. Start off on the right foot by doing your homework, showing some professionalism, and following the darn guidelines.
3. We’re short on time. Reading 78 submissions takes time—and that’s just the beginning. We also have to reread the promising stories, dissect them, discuss them, and consider what revisions to suggest upon acceptance. When you don’t hear back on a submission for weeks or months, it’s not because the editors take their job lightly. When you get a form rejection, it’s not because the editor doesn’t respect you or didn’t read your story thoroughly. It’s simply a matter of time. If you’re lucky enough to get some kind of feedback, whether positive or negative, take heart—because the editor liked your work enough to take that extra time and send you a personalized response.
4. Rejection is hard on us, too. Natasha and I are being forced to make some tough decisions. We’ll have to eliminate some promising stories because they aren’t quite the right fit for the anthology—for instance, they don’t suit the theme well enough or they’re too similar to another story we selected. Trust us, these tough choices break our hearts as much as yours.
5. When we say thank you, we mean it. Thank you for submitting. Thank you for thinking of us. Thank you for trusting us with your words. These statements pop up in almost every rejection letter, and as a writer, I interpreted them as meaningless fluff meant to soften the blow. Now, I realize editors really mean it when they say thank you. Natasha and I are truly thankful we got the chance to read and enjoy your work, even if it doesn’t make it into the anthology. We’re thankful we had 78 fantastic stories to choose from so we could put together the best anthology possible. And we’re thankful you’re getting practice submitting—because no matter what the result, it’s going to make you a better writer.

Thanks again to everyone who submitted to the anthology. The wait is almost over—we’ll respond to every submission in October!