Thursday, August 2, 2012

Argh blargle article rejection

Eh. Whaddaya gonna do?

Poor Floyd has been rejected --- just about exactly 6 months out --- but at least it was a very nice email rejection. They said it was very well-crafted but a bit general/generalist and it included key critical terms of the field rather than complicated them in cutting-edge snazzy ways. Hmph. I can possibly see that, although I could also argue that what the article really is doing is bringing together some subfields that never get brought together, but I think the real reason for rejection is that this is a bit of a cliquey journal and I am not "in" with anybody or anybody's grad student, and my article was not brilliant and shiny enough to overcome their inclination to not go with a new person. My Advisor --- as well as Not My Advisor --- have published in there, but only once and they are definitely on the fringes of this journal's group of "cool people."

I am not too upset. I have just been gunning for that journal and inclusion with the cool kids for a while now. Unfortunately, I just finally decided not to go to that journal's conference this year --- I don't have new stuff and I do have plenty of book chapters to revise, plus fall will be crazy enough with teaching classes and job applications without hopping on a plane and being Conferential for a week, so my plan to weasel my way into the cool kids circle is delayed yet again. It's more of a career-long goal than an immediate one, anyway. Actually, truth be told, it's mostly a "you lost my article for over a year once and then rejected it without any explanation or apology --- fuck you! I will have my revenge!" kind of thing.

So I will probably not revise or look at the article at all, and just email it out to one of the next big journals tomorrow, like Country That I Study Journal or possibly Century That I Study Journal, unless I choose The Journal of Sisyphus's Century Studies. Of course, one of the things I liked about the journal that rejected me is that it has insanely high word count limits, and Floyd is BIG. So I'll have to check if these journals have way lower word cutoffs and, I guess, pick the one that doesn't make me have to cut things. :) It's not laziness, it's planning! I still have much work to do on the book Defender of the Universe.

Also, I went shopping and spent far too much money, which was fun, so expect an update about fabulous clothes here soon.


4 comments:

Feminist Avatar said...

If a journal has shorter word limits, you can always email and ask for consideration anyway. I do this all the time, and I'm yet to be rejected for length.

Bavardess said...

Aw, sorry Floyd didn't make it in with the cool kids, but yes, turn him around and send him straight back out the door!

Fie upon this quiet life! said...

Boo. Sorry to hear.

Susan said...

Boo hiss. But definitely just send it out again, to whichever alternative journal has a high enough word count!