Orca

Fiction rejections

Standard

Dear —,

Thank you for submitting your work to Orca. As writers ourselves we truly appreciate the time and effort that goes into crafting short fiction. We know a lot about rejection too, and know that even the most positive rejection carries with it the sting of disappointment. But the nature of literary journals means we have to make judgments—many arbitrary—about others’ work. So although we have chosen not to publish your story, we wish you well in placing this work in another venue.

Sincerely, Joe, Zac, Renee, David, Zoe, Marci, and Tommy Orca, A Literary Journal

Tiered

Dear —,

Thank you for submitting your work to Orca. As writers ourselves we truly appreciate the time and effort that goes into crafting short fiction. Although we are passing on the opportunity to publish your story, we wanted to let you know that your submission was well received and seriously considered for publication. There was a lot to like about it, but we have to make some hard choices in planning each issue, and that means disappointing many deserving writers such as yourself. Trust us, we know what it’s like.

We hope you’ll consider submitting to Orca in the future. We mean that.

Sincerely, Joe, Zac, Isabel, Renee, and David Orca, A Literary Journal

2024

Dear —,

We recognized your name and we’re glad you chose to submit your work to Orca. Although this submission didn’t quite work out for us, we’d love to see something else from you.

Sincerely,

The Editors