Timeline of Events Relevant to Getting My Stories Published


I set a goal to get 100 rejections from publishers in a year in order to force myself to get my stories out there.

Here's how it has played out so far:

  • 06Apr2017 - First Submission:  Submitted "Should Old Acquaintances" to Smokelong Quarterly, kicking off the process.  
  • 17Apr2017 - First Rejection:  "Should Old Acquaintances" rejected.  While disappointed, I was happy in a sense because I didn't like the title being plural.  Renamed the story "Should Old Acquaintance" and moved on.
  • 18Apr2017 - 30Sep2017 - Decided the whole one-at-a-time thing was foolish and began the flood.  Thus began five months of accumulating 41 rejections.
  • 02Aug2017 - Hit the 25% mark on the 100 Rejections Goal.
  • 01Oct2017 - Submitted "Three Twenty" to Medusa's Laugh Press.  It had been rejected once already by a different publication.
  • 02Oct2017 - First Acceptance:  "Three Twenty" accepted by Medusa's Laugh Press.  Story to be published in print form as part of an anthology of microfiction.  Withdrew the story from consideration from six other publishers.
  • 15Oct2017 - Submitted "What Red Did" to Dime Show Review.  This version of the story was a rewrite of one that had been rejected in its original form.  
  • 16Oct2017 - Second Acceptance:  "What Red Did" accepted by Dime Show Review.  Story to be published online with potential for print publication.  Withdrew the story from consideration from one other publisher.
  • 17Oct2017 - Submitted "Lost and Found" to Dragon Poet Review.
  • 18Oct2017 - With a three-hit from a publisher who pulled the plug on their publication, I hit the 50% mark on the 100 Rejections Goal.
  • 22Oct2017 - First Online Publication:  "What Red Did" renamed to "Red Did It" and published online on Dime Show Review's site.
  • 13/Nov2017 - Submitted "Bocce and Apple Crates" to Digging Through the Fat.
  • 14Dec2017 - Hit the 75% mark on the 100 Rejections Goal.
  • 17Dec2017 - First Print Publication:  "Red Did It" published in Dime Show Review, Volume 2, Issue 3, in the section called "Risable."
  • 16Jan2018 - Second Print Publication:  "Three Twenty" published by Medusa's Laugh Press in their hand-made book "Microtext 3."
  • 30Jan2018 - Third Acceptance:  "Lost and Found" accepted by Dragon Poet Review.  Story to be published online mid-February.  Withdrew the story from consideration from seven other publishers.
  • 05Feb2018 - Hit the 100% mark on the 100 Rejections Goal!!!
  • 12Feb2018 - Fourth Acceptance:  "Bocce and Apple Crates" accepted by Digging Through the Fat.  Story to be published May 2.  Withdrew the story from consideration from two other publishers.
  • 14Feb2018 - Second Online Publication:  "Lost and Found" published in Dragon Poet Review, Winter/Spring 2018 edition.
  • 07Mar2018 - Submitted "Funnel Cake" to Flash Fiction Magazine.
  • 23Mar2018 - Submitted "Hard to Move" to Firewords.
  • 06Apr2018 - One Year Anniversary of the start of the project.  Thus far 116 Rejections have been received.
  • 22Apr2018 - Fifth Acceptance:  "Hard to Move" accepted by Firewords.  Story to be published June 25.  Withdrew the story from consideration from twelve publishers.
  • 02May2018 - Third Online Publication:  "Bocce and Apple Crates" published in Digging Through the Fat, Stories No. 69.
  • 10May2018 - Sixth Acceptance:  "Funnel Cake" accepted by Flash Fiction Magazine.  Publication date to be determined.  Withdrew the story from consideration from four other publishers.
  • 23May2018 - Fourth Online Publication:  "Funnel Cake" published in Flash Fiction Magazine
  • 24Jun2018 - Hit the 25% mark on the Second 100 Rejections Goal.
  • 07Jul2018 - 200 Submissions mark reached.
  • 16Jul2018 - Submitted "Odobenine" to 101Fiction.
  • 29Jul2018 - Third Print Publication:  "Hard to Move" published in Firewords 10.
  • 12Aug2018 - Hit the 50% mark on the Second 100 Rejections Goal.
  • 25Aug2018 - Submitted "Needs Must" to Dime Show Review.
  • 27Aug2018 - Seventh Acceptance:  "Odobenine" accepted by 101Fiction.  Story to be published September 2.
  • 02Sep2018 - Fifth Online Publication:  "Odobenine" published on 101Fiction.
  • 04Sep2018 - Submitted "Winter" to Literally Stories.
  • 13Sep2018 - Eighth Acceptance:  "Winter" accepted by Literally Stories.  Story to be published October 3.  Withdrew the story from consideration from two other publishers.
  • 24Sep2018 - Hit the 75% mark on the Second 100 Rejections Goal.  250 Submissions mark reached.
  • 03Oct2018 - Sixth Online Publication:  "Winter" published on Literally Stories.
  • 27Oct2018 - Hit the 100% mark on the Second 100 Rejections Goal!!!
  • 03Dec2018 - Chosen to be featured as a Community author by Digging Through the Fat.
  • 03Dec2018 - Hit the 25% mark on the Third 100 Rejections Goal.
  • 15Dec2018 - Asked by Firewords to be a reader!
  • 19Dec2018 - Began reading for Firewords.
  • 16Jan2019 - Ninth Acceptance:  "Needs Must" (ten word story) accepted by Dime Show Review.  Story to be published online with potential for print publication.
  • 27Jan2019 - Finished reading for Firewords.
  • 30Jan2019 - Seventh Online Publication:  "Needs Must" published on Dime Show Review.
  • 11Feb2019 - Hit the 50% mark on the Third 100 Rejections Goal.
  • 29Jun2019 - Tenth Acceptance:  "The Negative Ramifications of Heartbreak" accepted by 42 Stories Anthology.  Story to be published in December.
  • 21Jul2019 - Hit the 75% mark on the Third 100 Rejections Goal.
I will update this timeline as things evolve.