Editor's Notes: Today We Walked Away From An Anthology

I have a story that was accepted for publication in an anthology  but the publisher went belly up. I have since tried to place it but have met with three distinct rejections.

One told me the enjoyed it and then proceeded to criticize every aspect of it.

Another told me I don't know how to write a story and proceeded to explain how stories are written.

And today we find the third where I was told it was publishable but anti-climatic. Now this was after I was accused, in a off handed way, of plagiarizing a scene. I respectfully explained where the scene came from; in other words that it was part of a recurring childhood nightmare.

Right off the bat I can see the publisher and I are going to be really good friends.

I ended this story having the character who represents the embodiment of evil go off into the world to do his deeds. My idea is that evil is ever present. Yet anti-climatic for this publisher who wants a knock down Armageddon battle and he gives me two days to re-write it to fit this scene.

And by the way, going back and looking at the guidelines; the pay itself should have made me think twice about submitting in the first place.

I decided to walk away.

My opinion is that while horror should make you uneasy and make you jump it should not be simplistic.

Editors like doctors need to have a bedside manner.