Should one send a thank you on rejection?

For a form rejection: No. If they sent you a personalized rejection and showed that they spent time writing back, then a short thank you will suffice.

I would suggest not sending a thank you for any rejection. There is a big chance that your story was rejected by a reader and that the editor never saw it. And even if you were rejected by the editor who did read it, they still didn't like it enough to publish it. Why are you thanking them? For their time? And you want them to spend more time reading an email from someone they already rejected? What you can do (which I believe is a better approach) is send them a new story. If your rejection was personal and said anything positive about your last story, mention that in the cover letter for the new story. In the new cover letter, you can say, "thanks for your words of encouragement on my last story" or something like that.

If I get a personal rejection through email with feedback, I'll send a quick thank you. Otherwise, don't bother. It's usually form.

If it's the kind or personalized rejection where the editor plainly went above and beyond the line of duty critiquing the story, then a short thank you email is fine. It can even lead to sales. Otherwise, no. If every write sent a thank you note, the editor's inbox would be bloated beyond use.

gettingby said:

I would suggest not sending a thank you for any rejection. There is a big chance that your story was rejected by a reader and that the editor never saw it. .

Click to expand...

You'll know who read and critiqued it by the kind of rejection it is.