Dear Reader, Issue 4, Volume 1

Off the shelf and into your living room.

Dear Reader:

This week I received one rejection. I’m waiting on a response from Orion’s Belt on a submission and I should hear back on September 1 regarding my Elegant Literature contest submissions from July. I also submitted a single entry for their August contest, which is being judged by thriller author, Nicky Shearsby. I have decided my next submission will go to Interzone Digital.

You may wonder why I send a story to a single publication before shelving it. The reason is quite simple. Every editor has their own unique preferences. Beyond the subject matter or tone, there are vastly different requirements with regard to length. This is certainly true of speculative works, while literary short stories have a much broader market and audience. Magazines like Elegant Literature publish by theme, which further limits what I can submit.

I’ve heard it said that writers should tell stories that are not overtly influenced by these publication requirements. I say hogwash. It’s been a series of constraints that has inspired me to hone my writing skills as opposed to feeling like I’m being held creatively captive. When I do feel like the walls are closing in, I’ll reevaluate the story, or I’ll table it for another day and start a new story that better fits the boundaries within which I must work.

Those Lonely Shelved Stories

So, what happens to all of those stories that get shelved? Will they ever see the light of day? Will you ever get to read these literary masterpieces of wonder and escapism? The answer unequivocally is… that depends.

I decided that any rejections will be held back from Substack, and will make their debut in a softcover anthology that I’m planning for early next year. By the time 2023 rolls around, I should have close to two hundred pages, which is a combination of Substack short stories and shelved submissions. How that anthology will come to fruition is still up for debate. More on that in future Dear Reader posts.

The shelved stories I consider to be some of my best work. A part of me wants to get them in front of readers immediately so that I can determine if they hold the same interest for you as they do for me. I don’t doubt that you will be pleasantly surprised if you decide to own a copy of the book. It will be worth the wait.

The idea of holding the book in my hands is an exciting prospect, but that’s only one advantage of traditional publishing. Having other people around the world hold my book in their hands, reading and hopefully enjoying stories that I’m writing, is what’s most gratifying. Illustrating the cover art, registering an ISBN, registering a work with the U.S. Copyright Office and smelling those freshly printed pages creates a sense of permanence that I can’t replicate through other means.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter. While I do enjoy reading stories on my phone or tablet, there is nothing like the experience of reading a physical book that you can buy new or used, lend out and donate to a library. Do you feel the same way?

Happy Reading,

Brian Reindel