“Thank you for your submission. I really like your work, but
I can’t afford you. Keep it up, though.”
Those were words that I have gotten on a few occasions –
particularly early on in my writing career. They sound like a little bit less
of a rejection, but still a rejection.
Or, so I thought.
I received such an email in the middle of 2011 upon
submitting some of my writing for an outlet. It wasn’t the first, nor the last
rejection I’ve received, but I was intrigued by the “I can’t afford you” line.
To quote Dumb and Dumber, that made me feel “Maybe there was a chance.” In
spite of that email, I attacked writing with reckless abandon in the summer of
2011. In a lot of cases, I wrote for the exposure and not money. I wanted
people to become more aware of my work, but I didn’t have a plan to do so other
than just do it. I was living in Georgia at the time, and working at a
newspaper there. I was going to have to make a decision about what to do with
my life pretty quick, but again, there was no concrete plan.
Then, one day while I was at work, I received a rather
routine email. At least, I thought it was. It said “Special Opportunity –
Billboard.com.” As a member of the CMA and other trade organizations, I got
emails from to time offering me special subscription rates to Billboard – which
I had taken part of before. So, I didn’t think too much of it. In fact, were it
not for the fact that I was about to head out the door for lunch, I might very
well have deleted the email and gone about my business. I came back to the
office, and got busy and totally forgot the email. That night, as I was
covering a football game, I decided to check the email. I opened up the
Billboard email.
For a lot of reasons, it was the answer to prayer. More than
anything, it provided me an opportunity which I hope I have made the best of
since then. I don’t know what M.Tye Comer saw in my writing, but I’m glad something
sparked his attention. I have written in the past that I don’t know if I belong
in the same company of writers who have been – or are at Billboard, but I do
take pride in the fact that I feel that I have grown a lot in those five years.
I hope to continue that growth in the years to come. There have been some
changes there, editors have came and went. But, I have had a solid base of
editors and fellow writers who have encouraged me, such as Thom Duffy, Deborah
Price, Serena Kappes, and Joe Lynch. I’ve had to be a little more proactive in
promoting myself, but I’m still here. For that, I count myself blessed…and
grateful.
So, about that rejection. On one of my first trips to New
York after being hired, I went out to dinner with Tye and the superb Marc
Schneider, who was one of my editors for about four years. Tye said ‘I don’t
think I told you how your name came to my attention.’ I had always thought
possibly it was through Wade Jessen, who I had known in the past. ‘It was
Beville at The Boot. We were talking about writers in Nashville, and she was
very complimentary of your work.’
Beville Darden Dunkerley – the editor who told me “I can’t
afford you.” A few months prior, I thought her rejection was like all the
others. As it turned out, it was her recommendation that got me a chance to
show what I could do. The morale of this story is that if you are wondering of
you are ever going to be able to make a mark in the field in which you want to,
keep trying. And, “rejection” isn’t always. So, Tye – and Beville, I appreciate
your belief in my work….more than you’ll ever know!
