Application 6-I Write a Rejection Letter"

The background. Writing rejections to job applicants, nonprofits that have submitted grant proposals, and other petitioners for various opportunities is not an easy business. You want to write rejections with tact, both to honor the sensitivities of the recipient of the bad news and to cultivate goodwill among community members whose interest or help you might want to cultivate in the future. (For examples of tactful and harsh college rejection letters, in particular, enter Wall Street Journal and college rejection letters into a search engine.) In this application, you are an editorial assistant at StarShip Publications, and the editor-in-chief does not have time to write all the rejection letters to the authors whose submissions he and others have reviewed. He has asked you to write a graceful rejection letter to Rachel Adams, who submitted a novel based on her experiences as a competitive surfer.

The purpose. Your supervisor wants the letters from StarShip Publications to be respectful toward the authors who have submitted their work; to suggest plausible, noninsulting reasons for the rejection; and to encourage authors to submit their future projects. This purpose coincides with the companys broader efforts[]

The audience. Creative people are often very sensitive to criticism of any kind. While no recipient will enjoy your rejection letter, make it friendly and respectful, even encouraging if possible. Remember that most aspiring authors, even those who eventually become famous, receive countless rejection letters. Make yours stand out for its sensitivity.

The communication strategy. Begin by expressing the publishers gratitude that the author submitted her work for consideration. Frame the rejection in a way that does not denigrate the writers talent. Also, offer a plausible reason for the rejection. For example, Rachel Adamss surfing narrative might not fit with the market demographic for your firms publications, or StarShip might recently have published a novel with similar content. Conclude with a bit of encouragement regarding Ms. Adamss future projects.