A little while back, I submitted an academic article idea for an edited collection on Hermione Granger/Harry Potter novels. I thought it was a good idea. Alas, I did not make it into the collection (though the email rejection seems to hint that I did make it through several rounds of consideration). Such is the life of trying to get published. Better luck next time:
Dear Mr. Chang,
Thank you for your submission to “Hermione Granger Saves the World.” As you might imagine, quite a number of submissions were received, and I apologize for taking so long to get back to you. The winnowing process has been very complex, with several rounds of cuts being made before settling in on the final chapter acceptances.
Unfortunately, at this time, I am unable to include your submission in the final volume. Your proposal was very interesting, but upon further narrowing the focus of the volume, your submission fell outside of the lines of the vision I have for the project.
Thank you again for submitting, and good luck to you in your future endeavors!