posted
If you regularly surf on the duotrope website (as I do), you may notice that some markets are harder to get into than others. Duotrope does an excellent job of submission tracking. With the help of struggling authors, they will let you know what the success rate of selling a story to a particular market, and what the rate of response an author can expect. There are a handful of publications that are list as Extremely Challenging Fiction Markets. To make this list, there has to be zero acceptances for at least 100 responses in the last 12 months reported to duotrope (very tough). In the speculative fiction genre (sci-fi, fantasy, horror), there are only two that make this list, Realms of Fantasy and Greatest Uncommon Denominator or GUD. I made my second submission to GUD in March. The first time (in 2008) my rejection came back in a timely manner (less than 3 weeks). I have yet to hear from the editors for my March submission. According to duotrope, that submission is being held 4 times longer than their average response time, which usually means one of 3 things. a) The rejection was lost in email b) My story is lost in their data base or... c) I don't want to think about it because getting my hopes up may be more than what I can take.
So, not wanting to jump to conclusions, I dug up the old email response and followed the link.
GUD has done what I have yet to see any other publication do of yet, follow duotropes lead to fill in submitting authors on what they are up against.
Checking my own stories status, I have learned that mine has been viewed but not rejected. However, there has been others that have been waiting longer than I. In fact, of the 286 left out of 1593 submitted for their issue #8, mine is 7 days short of the average still waiting for a response.
So what does that mean? That my story wasn't lost and it is now in the top 18%. Unfortunately, I have to beat 275 or more of the rest to be able to jump for joy.
Anyone else waiting for a reply? I sure to do hate waiting all alone.
[This message has been edited by snapper (edited August 17, 2010).]
posted
I just got a story back from Bull Spec, a rejection but a nice one. He said that he was very backed up at the moment so that may be the reason. Mine was out a while and I don't have time to look up the number of days but it was over sixty. But who knows maybe they are keeping it for extra consideration.
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posted
I know the editor of Bull Spec. Sam may be suffering from biting off more than he can chew syndrome. He is the sole reader at the magazine. Tough gig when you advertise that you are a pro publication with aspirations of becoming SFWA qualified. I think the guy would do better with a slush readrer or two, so he could at least trim that pile down a bit.
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It seems like Duotrope is more interesting than than useful. I like to think about the submission process like an assembly line, nice and predictable. Unfortunately, the assembly line is in the middle of a war zone. It is very handy for avoiding publishers who seem to be dead or behave like they are.
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Duotrope is very VERY useful on any number of levels. I can't begin to express how useful it is. Even just as a listing of markets and a submission tracker. I don't know what I'd do without it.
I recently had much the same experience with GUD. I've been submitting to them off and on pretty much since I started submitting, until now they've always been very fast. I guess their submission volume is increasing.
And yeah Sam at BULLSPEC is great but also greatly overworked.
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I was referring only to the topic of the day, of course--looking at Duotrop's sub stats, trying to guess whether your sub made to the next level of readers. Their market information is a wrter's best friend. I use it often and have recommended it on the FFO blog.
Posts: 746 | Registered: Jun 2007
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There's a lot that can be inferred by following Duotrope's stats. It's interesting to look, for instance, at the steady stream of responses for some markets, the fits and starts at others. Yesterday, for example, I got a 42-day rejection from BCS, which was disappointing because it was well over the average; however over the previous couple of weeks I had seen other rejections running in the 30-40 day bracket, as well as the more common 9-10 day range, so I knew that being well over the average wasn't a guarantee of success.
I look at Duotrope at least once per week, sometimes more often than that, even if I don't record any new subs/responses.
Oh, and as for challenging - last time I checked Clarkesworld had got 991 responses reported on Duotrope and 1 sale, which puts things into perspective. And as for long response times... my last Black Gate submission is now over 500 days...
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Glad to know I am not the only one who looks at those stats and thinks, surely my story being held that long means I am past the slush at least. Posts: 232 | Registered: Apr 2010
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posted
It's even crazier when you've had a story accepted.
I was supposed to have a short story published a month ago in an online magazine that shall remain nameless. I've sent two emails asking about an ETA, and haven't heard from the editor. I'm a patient guy (and it's not like the $25 is needed to keep the lights on), but I figure another month, another email, and then I respectfully request to cancel the contract so I can shop the story around again.
And then wait forever all over again during the submission process.
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If you've sent two emails inside a month, and are planning to wait no more than another month before pulling your story, then I'd question that (with regard to the publishing business) you count as "a patient guy".
I subbed a story in 2006 that was accepted in 2007 and will probably see print in late 2011. I sold another story in early 2008 which looks unlikely to be published before 2011, if then.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: this is NOT the business to be in if you're in a hurry.
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The old rule, pre-Internet, was that "payment on publication" meant two things. (1) When a story wasn't paid for until later, there was absolutely no incentive to hurry along and publish the story, and (2) "payment on publication" really meant "payment long after publication."
Good to see the art of not paying writers is alive and well...
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Hello there, I'm new here so I hope I don't go overboard.
I've only sent a story to GUD once maybe twice. One story didn't take that long compared to usual pro markets. And I can't recall if there was a second or if I just thought about sending one in.
I know that Escape Pod takes a whole long time, they may have the record. At least for me.
But I don't blame you for maybe getting your hopes up. I've felt the same way a time or three. Especially with Fantasy and Science Fiction and a couple of others who usually take a very short time to respond. Nothing though, evidently I didn't even make it to the second stage even though it took two and three times as long.
I ended up stopping before I was done with my last note. Some of my stories have taken half a year or so to get a response even though I don't always pay attention. I write down, actually type down, the date I send in a story but I usually don't take a second look at it. Sometimes when it seems like its been a lot longer than normal I do or if I think about sending out that story again, I check to see if it's out. So mostly I go by feeling more than counting days or sometimes I go by months. I say to myself "boy that story's been out for five months I wonder if they got it". There has been maybe three times I never got a response back, once was from a pro mag I usually send stuff to.
In reverse once I got a rejection in two hours...the wonder of the internet. That story must have been in bad shape.
Some magazines are easy to tell if they are taking longer then usually. When Fantasy and Science Fiction is late I tend to start hoping it's for a good reason but it never is. Others like IGMS always take a while.
posted
Well, GUD reopens for submissions tomorrow. Mine is still waiting for a decision (one of 283). Don't know if this encouraging news, but it can't be all bad.
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posted
Speaking of taking a while. I just received a rejection from Black Gate. I sent it in May... of last year. When the window for submissions was open for a month or so. I had given up on them figuring my story didn't get to them before the window closed.
They said to send in another when it opens again. Whenever it opens, that is.
Of course they always say something good about a story they reject.
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I just had a reply to a query at Bull Spec. He reckons at least another month. Duotrope have them down for a 30 day response and it's been that all ready so it looks like they're a good month behind.
quote:I just had a reply to a query at Bull Spec. He reckons at least another month. Duotrope have them down for a 30 day response and it's been that all ready so it looks like they're a good month behind.
They're more than a month behind. I've had a story there since the end of May. I queried to be sure he got it. He did. That's all the information I have so far.
Like you, I hope it'll be worth the wait. There are a couple of other markets I have in mind for that story.
"I have been closed to submissions for a while, and had hoped to re-open on 10 July; however I did not, and still not have been able to read through my current submissions to the point where I feel it is fair to consider incoming ones at this time........"
I submitted this in July and queried in August (told all was fine, just a bit behind). I don't think it beyond reasonable for him to have said this when I queried.
quote:Just a heads up on BullSpec Got an email from them today.
"I have been closed to submissions for a while, and had hoped to re-open on 10 July; however I did not, and still not have been able to read through my current submissions to the point where I feel it is fair to consider incoming ones at this time........"
I submitted this in July and queried in August (told all was fine, just a bit behind). I don't think it beyond reasonable for him to have said this when I queried.
I haven't even heard that much. I submitted in May and queried in about July.
posted
Well, I am still waiting on my march submission. Currently GUD have almost 700 submissions that are pending, but I'm betting 2/3 of that pile will be wittled away. 7 months is a long wait but the longest has been waiting 15 months.
On another avenue, the Bull Spec editor said he didn't like the ending of my piece but liked the story enough to advance up the chain. Crossing my fingers for that one.
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