Ultimate Rejection Slip

Here's a picture of the ultimate rejection slip, for an anthology edited long ago by the most-excellent writer David Gerrold.

Not everybody got one of these -- I think David saved them for people he knew.

I learned some good lessons from David when I started writing, not the least of which was, never argue with the man who holds the microphone ...

The artwork is by George Barr. A great illustrator, Barr doesn't get near the respect he deserves. He illustrated one of the first short stories I sold, "An Eye for Detail," (written under my pseudonym, Jesse Peel.) I always thought of that one as "The coffee cup story," 'twas in the September-October 1978 issue of Asimov's.

If you are a Star Trek fan, you already know who David is -- his first sale was "The Trouble with Tribbles ..."