Dear ( ) Editor:
Thank you for your recent rejection letter. I apologize for the form response, but I receive many more rejection letters than I can personally respond to.
Please know that the time you took to send the letter is appreciated. Only about half of the submittee magazines makes the effort to send even a form letter.
One of my observations about your letter is:
Your use of the word “unfortunately” was inappropriate, implying that luck or chance played a role in your selection process. Even if it were true, it’s not something you’d want to advertise to your contributors.
Charles Joseph Albert