Bitter Sweet-My Best Rejection Letter so Far

The ironic double meaning of a kind and thoughtful rejection letter

I favor semisweet or bitter chocolate as opposed to milk chocolate. For some reason, I enjoy the bitterness of chocolate with little or no sugar. The less sugar the better for me.

I admit the bitterness in the following rejection letter, but I also have to recognize its sweetness. It is not a copy-and-paste form letter and actually states my rank in their selection process with words of encouragement at the end.

This is a far cry away from saying, “not what we are looking for at this time,” which I have often heard in the past and is way overused by publishers.

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Hi Tony,

Thank you again for your submission. While we really enjoyed reading this amazing essay, we have decided to go with other writers this time, but it came very close to making the cut. We look forward to reading more of your work when submissions reopen in January 2025. 

Kind regards,

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So What’s Next?

Does this mean I’m getting closer to the top?

Will the next time be the charm?

Bittersweet Chocolate Premium Baking Bar with 66% Cacao | BAKER’S | Products – Heinz® (kraftheinz.com)

Best Dark Chocolate: The Ultimate Buyer’s Guide (healthline.com)

Ghirardelli Chocolate Company

My favorite chocolate bar with the most cocoa, the Lindt EXCELLENCE

95% Cocoa Dark Chocolate EXCELLENCE Bar (2.8 oz) (lindtusa.com)

The standard Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bar

HERSHEY’S Products | Chocolate Bars & More | The Hershey’s Store (hersheys.com)

The “Agony of Defeat” for a writer, the rejection letter-15 so far – The Writings of AjTony Perkins

Annotations

Far cry Definition & Meaning – Merriam-Webster

BE A FAR CRY FROM SOMETHING – Cambridge English Dictionary