My writing career started out quite well. The first few stories I sent away were rejected promptly, always within two or three months. It seems that my writing has degenerated, however, because now I can't even seem to get a rejection. I sent four stories away between December and April, and have yet to get a response on any of them. What's going on? Would they deny me even the simple pleasure of wallowing in self-pity?
Kidding aside, how long should I wait before I give up or send a letter asking if they received my story? Is it normal for it to take this long?
BTW, the mags are: Outer Darkness (in December), Absolute Magnitude (in April), and Nth Degree (March and April).
Thanks for any advice- Jon.
Posted by debhoag (Member # 5493) on :
I'd check them out on duotrope and see whether they are ignoring everybody equally, or if they have singled you out for special torture. www.duotrope.com
Of course, theere is always the possibility that they are stunned by your greatness, and have not responded yet because they are on their way to your house to personally beg you to publish with them. Leave the porchlight on, just in case
Posted by luapc (Member # 2878) on :
Or it could be that they are seriously considering your work for publication. Usually rejections happen much quicker than acceptances.
Posted by annepin (Member # 5952) on :
You can also check out Andrew Burt's submission black hole for writer-reported response times (and, of course, report your own experience once you've heard back):
It would be helpful to know response time relative to acceptance/ rejection, however, since yes, I bet rejection usually does take a shorter time.
Good luck!
Posted by Rick Norwood (Member # 5604) on :
Never heard of Outer Darkness or Nth Degree, but Absolute Magnitude is definitely dead. Feel free to send that story to another market.
Posted by Jon Ruyle (Member # 5943) on :
Okay, thanks for the replies.
I won't leave my porchlight on for Absolute Magnitude: according to Duotrope, they're no longer accepting submissions, and their website is gone (though it wasn't when I submitted my story). I feel stupid for not checking that first but I didn't expect them to just disappear. Should I feel free to send it out to someone else now?
Couldn't find any info on Nth Degree (there are no reports on Duotrope, and it's not listed on scifi.fictionfactor markets)
Duotrope has one report on Outer Darkness: 330 days to respond!
Jon.
Posted by Jon Ruyle (Member # 5943) on :
Okay, thanks Rick. (I must have been asking the question while you were answering it). Jon.
Posted by WouldBe (Member # 5682) on :
It seems like many if not most editors these days will say you have to wait three months and then assume you've been rejected, even for e-submissions. That is REALLY annoying. That means: their time is worth everything and yours is worth nothing. So there.
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
I'm inclined not to submit to something that doesn't return manuscripts. (E-submissions are a different matter, but I'm not inclined to do that, either.)
The longest I ever waited for something to come back, where it actually came back, was about two years. (Without it coming back, it's thirty-two years and counting.)
Posted by RMatthewWare (Member # 4831) on :
It should be a courtesy for any serious publication to let the writer know they've been rejected. If they can't do that, they have no business in the business. I wouldn't want to do business with them.
Business.
Posted by franc li (Member # 3850) on :
I had entered a contest, and they don't send rejections for that. You just see the winners posted and none of them is you. I had realized I didn't want that particular piece to win, but one still always hopes in whatever organ is the seat of ambition.
