Do response times typically slow down around the winter holidays? Depends on the market? Different for pro vs semi-pro etc?
Posted by tchernabyelo (Member # 2651) on :
I suspect it depends on the market. Doubtless many editors are quite sensibly busy. Doubtless many submitters are too, though, so that may cancel out. I certainly haven't really noticed (if anything, responses seem slowest around July-August) but if you watch Duotrope closely enough you may be able to work it out, assuming there are particular markets you are interested in.
Posted by LDWriter2 (Member # 9148) on :
I don't know if editors take off any extra time during Christmas and New Years but it would seem like they might. But the mail is definitely slower. Three years ago I sent a story to F&SF just before Christmas and it took two months to get the response back. Part of that was slow snail mail both ways.
Posted by Ethereon (Member # 9133) on :
Thank you tchern and LD. I have an electronic submission that has been at a market somewhat longer than their average response time (but nowhere near long enough to query). This has never happened to me at this particular market. I'm trying not to read too much into it, but it's hard not to hope that it made it past the first slush reader.
[This message has been edited by Ethereon (edited December 16, 2010).]
Posted by TamesonYip (Member # 9072) on :
I think I have heard right after the holidays there are more submissions to agents since lots of writers make it their new year's resolution to submit and so they get a bunch of stuff that isn't necessarily ready Not sure if that is a phenomenon with markets.
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
On delay times---what you guys call "snail mail" (what I make a living sorting) is running nearly three days right now from point-to-point in the continental USA as far as nearly all letters go...flats and parcels are running a little longer.
However I wouldn't recommend submitting during the season---the system is too overburdened, and chances of delay are still quite high. Wait till after January 1st.
Posted by LDWriter2 (Member # 9148) on :
Ethereon
I know the feeling. I think that is natural. I had begun to think that one from S&SF that was two months late was late for what I call a good reason. Nope. I try not to get my hopes up if a rejection is significantly late but the longer it's late the more hope builds.