Well, my attempt to be published in an anthology with my hero, Ramsey Campbell has come to an unfortunate end. My story for the Dead Letter Press evil books anthology, Bound for Evil, did not make the cut. I will say that the editor over there, Tom English is a good man. He actually gave me some feedback on the story and offered to give me some further suggestions if I wanted them (which I accepted of course). He did say that it was it was pretty good with a good idea and writing that was generally good. He said that as it is he thinks I could place it in one of the small press magazines, which was nice. In the end, I really appreciated my dealings with Dead Letter Press despite my story falling short. Once Halloween is over and I don't have to spend all my free time building the haunted house in my basement I plan to work on revising it and sending it to some other places.

Matt:

Sorry you didn't get the sale, but good editorial feedback is rare. I hope you sell the story down the road.

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http://www.markjustice.blogspot.com

And remember that editor's name. If he's helpful, he might be open to looking at more work from you later too.

While not as good as getting a "yes," near misses are ways to build a writing reputation as well.

Condolances and congrats (at the same time). As mark said, any reaction like that from an editor is a positive sign. Think of how many stories they have to read, and then reject without comment.

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My experience editing Shadow Regions taught me that sometimes you have some really good stuff but only a short number of slots to fill. You are forced to make a decision and you end up feeling bad for that story you don't use. Still, a good story will always find a home. I smile every time I recognize a title which I had to pass but which later I've found published elsewhere.

Keep up the good work and make the best out of the advice you get. I'm sure we'll see your story published in the future.

All the best,

Cesar

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Read my blog at .

Hey Matt - if the editor took the time to give you some feedback, that's a good thing.

While rejection is hard, it only makes you a better writer in the long run!