Why Did My Story Get Rejected?

Essay by Marian Zimmer Bradley

The first sad truth about marketing fiction of any kind is this, and you are just going to have to deal with it:

EDITORS DO NOT BUY STORIES BECAUSE THEY ARE WELL WRITTEN.

Accept it. Memorize it. Put it up over your typewriter. Yes, it's unfair. And editors have no objection to "well written" stories. Between two salable stories, one well written and one badly written, most editors would rather buy the one that is better written. But if an editor has a well written story that does not meet her requirements, and a BADLY written story that DOES meet her requirements, she will buy the badly written story that does meet her requirements.

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