Check out this rejection! One of the best I’ve ever got. (I’ve removed details of the magazine and other related things because I don’t like putting names on stuff, but it should still make sense.)
Dear R.J. Astruc,
This is XXXX, one of the editors of XXXX. Unfortunately, we have to reject both poems because they don’t adhere to our submission requirements (poetry must be sixteen lines or fewer; see our FAQ page). If you happen to have any poems that are less than 16 lines, please consider submitting those by this Friday, which is our deadline. However, in lieu of the formal letter we typically send, I wanted to write you personally because I was so taken with your poems.
I absolutely loved them, particularly “Something Not Quite LIke Morning”, and I feel that you may have better luck sending this to another XXXX journal called XXXX. Here is part of their mission statement: “XXXX.”
I encourage you to submit to both poems to the editors there. I have already alerted them about your poetry (though I did not send your work), how much I liked it, and how upset I was we could not accept it at XXXX.
All of us here at XXXX send our best wishes to you on your path as a writer. We hope to receive submissions from you again.
Good luck,
XXXX
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