If any of you can’t wait to get your very own F&SF rejection letters for free, check out eBay: some generous soul is auctioning off an old rejection letter, with the starting bid of just $24.99. Quite a bargain!

Actually, there is a somewhat interesting angle to the item, in that back in the old days, the editors sometimes wrote rejection letters on the back of cover proofs. Upon seeing the item, Gordon remarked “Yeah, instead of using the backs of old cover proofs, I’ve been thinking of using the backs of envelopes, old napkins, discarded review slips.”

In light of our corporate name, Spilogale, I think we should mail dead skunks in lieu of rejection letters. Not only does this reinforce our brand, but it clearly spells out our opinion of the submitted story, namely, that it stinks. In the long run, this would probably be a bit more expensive than reusing random pieces of trash around the office, but it would certainly make quite a statement, and would make for far more interesting eBay auctions in 50 years.