I have been keeping a record of my writing, (seriously) since 2004. I sent off pieces several times before then via land-based mail – in the dim and distant days before the internet made these things so much easier – which I have not tracked, but that aside, I have now made over one thousand submissions. Short stories, poems, novel extracts, a song, and a script!

Within that number are 105 acceptances, which, by my low-level arithmetical capabilities, is a success rate of just over ten percent. That may not sound like much, but if you’re targeting the right markets, you are, oddly, looking for a high rejection rate. If you’re hitting too often, it’s probably because you’re aiming too low, and – to be honest – I am as guilty of that as every other serious write out there.

So, here’s to the next thousand, and to many more rejections!