A few months ago, I submitted a couple of my poems to a well-paying, well-established magazine and they were rejected in one of the nicest tones I've seen used in that type of situation. I accepted it without much hurt- except maybe for the nice check I would have received- and moved on as only my kind can.
So, imagine my surprise when I saw a letter from them today as I opened my mail box. The envelop was heavy, bulging from its contents, and my heart began to emulate it. They say in moments of anticipation, blindness sometimes sets in, and I had been skeptical until today. I blinked to coax my sight back and to calm the alarmingly-high heart rate. I tore the damn envelope and damn near cursed myself to that despised of all kingdoms come...the one with fire and brimstone, not the gold and harps.
The contents, I found out, were marketing materials asking me to purchase a subscription for the upcoming year, with elegant material on the history and the forecast future of the magazine. My first- and only- thought was, why send to people who have been rejected??? We are the ones least likely to purchase because, a) resentment for being rejected, and, b) no money, since we weren't paid.
I would stick to advertising to those who were accepted since they are the ones more likely to sign up. However, I understand if they think the rejects are the ones in most need of seeing what type of poems are accepted, and, thereby, improve their craft along those same structures. Well, that might be well and all, but, once again, as my favorite Calypsonian famously proclaimed, "NO MONEY, NO LOVE."
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