I got this comment from Recycled Paper Greetings’ Steve Gruhn today. (You might want to read the original post to get up to speed…)
Hey Mark,
I’m the author of that rejection letter. You failed to mention that you have been sending our company your cartoons for years. I’ve sent you many previous letters asking you not send anymore designs in a “nice way”. I said that I didn’t think your cards were a good fit for our company. It seemed as though nothing was getting through. I actually figured we were on a distribution list of yours and they were always going to keep coming. Sorry that it had to be so harsh.
-Steve
Hey Steve,
You got me.
I’m a persistent guy. I sent Recycled stuff for a long time, even after a lot of rejection and “you’re not a good fit” notes, because that’s what good cartoonists do.
95% of the material a cartoonist sends out get rejected, and that’s if you’re good.
Here’s the thing – if you’re going to accept submissions, accept them. Sure it’s annoying, but I’m sure you’ve discovered some profitable talent that way.
If the incoming slew of cartoons has significantly gummed the machinery, stop accepting submissions. To my knowledge neither Hallmark nor American Greetings accept submissions, and I’ve never sent them any.
In any case, you don’t have to worry about any more submissions from me.
Mark
P.S. – For the record, I’ve been submitting to greeting cards for about two years. So “years” is technically correct, but just barely. Also, I don’t recall any “nice” stop submitting letters outside your normal rejection form letters, but even now I get rejected an awful lot, so I’ll have to take your word for it.
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Well that's settled, huh. But your main point is very good: if you (the greeting card company) accept submissions, then "accept" them. Gold miners work the same section of a stream over and over again.
I wonder how many greeting cards the average shopper looks at before finally choosing one. For myself, I probably look at two dozen, easily. If I find one that I really like, I will buy all on display. Once I found a birthday card so funny that I bought them all, then drove over to a sister store on the other side of town and bought all their stock too.
You know, honestly, I probably should never have mentioned the whole affair. Normally my years of sales training would kick in and I'd just bow out gracefully.
I guess all thing considered, each of us could've acted a little more professionally…
As far as how many the average shopper looks at, I can only hope the cards you really like are some of mine! 🙂
Mark:
I think you handled yourself as professionally as anyone can expect.
You made a great point in that if they are excepting submissions they should except them. No need for comments on the rejection letters.
Dave
Maybe their rejection letters really mean what they say? And the other companies don't mean it when they say "not a good fit"? I think I would have stopped submitting after maybe 2 times, unless the style and humor was different.
Since I've never submitted to greeting card companies, maybe Recycled would be interested in a Minnie Pauz line!!! 😉
I enjoy your cartoons and your blog Mark! 🙂 Keep up the good work!