Thursday, August 7, 2008

Engorged Sinus of the Bird Hormone

I got a rejection today from New Ohio Review, for my story THE DISAPPEARED, which appears in their current issue. That's kind of new. The editorial culling process employed by these bigger magazines is really confusing, so it probably confuses them too. I know the editor from the first 3 issues who had accepted and published the story just got yanked for reasons I am unsure of. Still, I want to send them a copy of their own magazine back with my story in it and the rejection slip attached, and a rejection of their rejection.

Rejection letters now just make me smile, if anything, I have no feelings anymore, the work is what the work is, in fact I think I get more kicks out of rejections than I do acceptances somehow, is that weird?

Shane Jones had some extremely nice things to say about my forthcoming novella EVER... to be mentioned in the same breath as Unguentine, Motorman and the Singing Fish is beyond...

No Colony went off to printers today. I feel like we shat a baby, Ken and I. Looks like we'll be having a couple of launch parties in the next few weeks or month, one in NYC and maybe west coast and/or Atlanta. More on that soon.

Luna Park Review called NO COLONY "2008's most talked most about and most feared new lit mag."

Whatchu know about dat?



Atlanta/Brooklyn based magazine THE OPEN FACE SANDWICH just took one of the last unpublished stories in Scorch Atlas. Their first issue looks really nice and has work by Deb Olin Unferth, Ariana Reines, etc. People should buy issues and send to them, they read quickly and have a good style, aesthetic.

I am going to post a list of the small presses I found when subbing my longer books recently, ones that are open and accessible seeming. This is a note to self to remember to do this.



The 4th issue of Keyhole Magazine is now for presale and it looks amazing. Keyhole just keeps getting better and better, I can't wait to see this issue. It includes new work by Kevin Wilson, whose story from 2006 in Diagram fucking rules: THE DEAD SISTER HANDBOOK, as well as friends Jason Jordan, T.J. Forrester, more.

Adam Robinson continues to be one of the most entertaining people on the lit web, profiling/interviewing some bitchass kid named Zach

Thanks to everyone so far who has had kind words, posts, etc., about LILY HOANG's THE WOMAN DOWN THE HALL, I hope people keep reading it, the story is designed that each page stands apart and they weave together, so reading in splashes is encouraged. It's hard to read long online, so the book will be there for you, gobbbless the interslice. Please more share!

I can't believe I missed these guys in Atlanta this year:



Atlanta.

Sigh.

30 comments:

ryan call said...

i hitnk that is one of the best rejeciotn stories ive ever heard

BLAKE BUTLER said...

it made me giddy

Peter Cole said...

thanks Blake!

and you really should send them a rejection of their rejection. hilarious

BLAKE BUTLER said...

peter is my hero

clarkknowles said...

blake i like your rejected story very much. I think perhaps I'll start sending out my own rejection letters to reviews... "I'm sorry, but your review does not suit my current needs..." i know some people who keep their rejections for some reason. I like that you are strictly focused on the work. that is all there is.

Clark

BLAKE BUTLER said...

Clark! Great to hear from you man. Thank you for the nice words.

I have all my rejections, email or otherwise. It is a massive massive folder in my closet. I like them, they are fun. I should take pictures of me rolling around in them on the floor in a thong.

ok, no thong.

hope you are well sir.

Brandon said...

There should be a book or literary zine full of rejection stories, it'd be the modern equivilent of a Henry Miller novel or something.

Catherine Lacey said...

Definitely send them a rejection for their rejection:

Thank you for sending us "A Rejection Letter For Blake Butler's Story." We're going to pass on it; we don't think it will fit in here in the present, where things are logical, for the most part, and time moves in a more or less linear way. Best of luck with it else where.

jereme said...

that is freaking awesome.

people always make me laugh.

thank you 'people'.

i grind up all of my rejetion letter into mulch and sprinkle them on my apartment floor.

it helps hide the roaches and broken dreams

or something.

BLAKE BUTLER said...

hi catherine and jereme

maybe i should call them on the phone

act all angry and cursing

maybe i could be mean

i want to be mean some more, i think i am going to soon

Keith Montesano said...

what did open faced take?

and yes, the NOR story's hilarious. i wonder if they'd be em-bare-assed if you wrote them and said, "thanks for the rejection of my already-published-by-nor story. does that mean i have to take it off my c.v. now or what?

printers! no colony! awesome!

BLAKE BUTLER said...

i did a massive rewrite on 'television milk', which i finally got 'the way i wanted' after so much time sending it out in a shitty form, for which i apologize to any editors i sent the old version to, it was really bad before, i dont know how i didnt know

now it is good i think and i like it

i am going to get drunk and make some aggressive phone calls and record them sometime

it will be a laugh

BLAKE BUTLER said...

by that i mean they took a very new version of the story 'television milk'

Pet & Gone said...

xiu xiu will be in atl soon. i am excited.

Matt Bell said...

"Thank you for sending us "A Rejection Letter For Blake Butler's Story." We're going to pass on it; we don't think it will fit in here in the present, where things are logical, for the most part, and time moves in a more or less linear way. Best of luck with it else where."

That's fucking hilarious.

BLAKE BUTLER said...

ha yes, i liked it a lot i forgot to say that

i squeaked out through my nose a little

Anonymous said...

Debra Di Blasi has a book of crayoned and doodled responses to rejection letters that is pretty funny. She wrote it under the guise of Jiri Cech. I sent my copy to brother Markus I think.

Matt DeBenedictis said...

I have often wondered, and even pondered, if stories ever get printed despite rejection. Thanks for sharing that.

Josh Maday said...

that's a great rejection story, blake. mine isn't that good, but i did get my rejection from nor a couple of weeks ago for the piece that i withdrew back in, um, february, when it was accepted for phoebe. so, yeah, not as funny, but still makes you wonder if anyone talks to anyone else.

gustavo.rivera said...

if there's a release party in atlanta, i'd try to make it.

BLAKE BUTLER said...

jiri, that sounds good i'd like to see that

BLAKE BUTLER said...

matthew, i wondered that too, i giggled a lot

josh, rejections after you withdrew the ms always make me roll my eyes and want to write the editor back and pee on them through email, i dont know why that bothers me than a real rejection, dumbz

andy, awesome, if it happens i will announce it here, pleae check back

sam pink said...

i was thrown out of a xiu xiu show. the last thing i remember hearing was some skinny guy saying "not cool man".

BLAKE BUTLER said...

haha 'not cool man'

i like that

xiu xiu kids don't like to be touched, unless it is in a way they can emotionally prepare themselves to interpret

sam, you fuck

ryan call said...

i hate to admit
ive been guilty of sending rejections after the withdrawal


but it doesnt bother me much when it happens to me, i dont think.

though it does mess up my filing system

blah
balksdlkjhadgfjkldafg

BLAKE BUTLER said...

im not sure why it annoys. i think it is more in seeing that their filing system is that weak, and that they continued to waste time reading my shit when it wasnt necessary.

i feel like most literary journals have email inboxes that just keep collecting and swelling like spam folders: another black hole

Pet & Gone said...

sam, what did you do to get thrown out?

Unknown said...

I need a story for the next mipo. Send me one.

d.

BLAKE BUTLER said...

i'm kind of running dry on stand alone stories, everything is really long, i'll see if i can find something thanks didi

Anonymous said...

Similar thing happened to me. A mag called the Benefactor rejected after accepting my story. Submitters beware.