My friend and fellow gag cartoonist Roy Delgado writes about getting rejected at his Roy Delgado Blog.
Now, Roy, as you probably know, has submitted something like 20,000 cartoons to The New Yorker magazine since 1992. I am not joking. All of these submissions have, so far, been summarily rejected by The New Yorker. The man KNOWs rejection. I like Roy's work. I own Roy's book.
But The New Yorker, well, so far, he's been a-knockin' and no one's been a-answering.
OK, that's the background. Now that you're filled in, here's this week's adventure in ironic rejection:
He was recently asked, by a former Good Housekeeping editor, to contribute some cartoons to a new publication (unrelated to The New Yorker). It's always nice to be asked.
And then, he was ... rejected.
Rejected for being "too New Yorker."
It's all here, complete letter and all.
The letter is dated 1998. It's not something that happened 'recently', is it?
ReplyDeleteI love the 'editor' who writes "thanks agin..." after the rejection. Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteNelson, you're right.
ReplyDeleteJonathan, I didn't see the typo until you pointed it out! Yow!
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ReplyDeleteReact magazine has been out of business for years. They published several of mine before they folded. As I recall, they also published several by PS Mueller, who is a frequent New Yorker contributor.
ReplyDeleteRandy Glasbergen
www.glasbergen.com
Ever notice that every cartoonist seems to be too much like someone else? I imagine the first caveman who drew on the cave walls had critics who said, "Me see them same scratches on tree made by dinosaur."
ReplyDeleteRoy, the next NYer rejection you get...send it back unopened with a note with your letterhead saying, "Thanks, Bob, for your kind rejection, however, I have about 20,000 similar rejections notices at the moment. I encourage you to submit future rejections to me again at a later time. Thanks, again for the opportunity to consider your rejection. Keep up the great work."
Dan R.