Rejectomancy

Eliza C

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I'm addicted to Duotrope! I've already done a search, but was wondering if anyone knew of something besides ASIM that's partial to humor. Of course, right after posting this, I saw Alex's thread about the anthology he's editing, which sounds perfect.
 

mhaynes

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Jeez, 274 days? That's one reason why I've been holding off on subbing to AHMM.

Yeah, 274 is rough - especially if your end result was a rejection. There are some markets I just won't sub to because of their response times.

Ditto. AHMM is a huge exception for me because it's one of only a very, very small number of viable pro/semi-pro mystery/crime markets.

Even then, you're basically only getting to submit 5 stories to them every 4 years.

All of this has combined to make me very unlikely to write mystery/crime stories at this point since the process basically goes like this:

1) Send it to EQMM and get a rejection in 2-6 weeks.
2) Decide if you want for it to be this year's submission to AHMM. If yes, wait for that opportunity to come open. If not, submit it to the handful of viable semi-pros and/or self-publish it.

Bleah.

For some kinds of crime stories you have a chance at getting published in some of the more broad-reaching literary markets. Recent years' Best Mystery Short Stories have included works from Cincinnati Review and several other similar venues. But something like a straight PI story or something more thriller-ish (like "Levels of Trust") doesn't seem to have any chance at those markets.

Anyway, pardon the mini-rant. I just love crime short stories and hate the fact that there's no market for them.
 

J.W. Alden

The King Who Bore the Sword
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Happy rejections to all those I've missed lately. Keep at 'em.

Got a 7-day from Apex the other day. Now awaiting my Clarkesworld R to get the ball rolling on a new story I finished yesterday.
 

Eliza C

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Ha! Quickest Ideomancer rejection on Duotrope - 2 days! On the other hand, it was a personal rejection from Beth Langford that said she found it "amusing" the end was 'not what she had expected' and an "I hope you will try us with something else." So not all bad at all. I have subbed so seldom to Ideomancer that I can't remember if personal rejections are the norm.
 

alexshvartsman

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Ha! Quickest Ideomancer rejection on Duotrope - 2 days! On the other hand, it was a personal rejection from Beth Langford that said she found it "amusing" the end was 'not what she had expected' and an "I hope you will try us with something else." So not all bad at all. I have subbed so seldom to Ideomancer that I can't remember if personal rejections are the norm.

Liz,

Their loss may be my gain. I look forward to reading it whenever you send it over!
 

Marzioli

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Very nice and quick personal R from UFO Anthology! They run a tight ship and a class act over there. ;)
 
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Sai

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Hit in the latest wave of Analog rejections. I think I'm going to tinker with this story (just a little) and then send it to DSF.
 

Marzioli

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Aaaaand a personal R from Shimmer. They've hit the 21 day R mark twice in a row now. Very good recommendations by the reader mixed in with complimentary comments. I like this place. I know I haven't cracked it yet, but I appreciate the way they do business.
 

sarahthegrey

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Aaaaand a personal R from Shimmer. They've hit the 21 day R mark twice in a row now. Very good recommendations by the reader mixed in with complimentary comments. I like this place. I know I haven't cracked it yet, but I appreciate the way they do business.

I've got an 18-day submission with them, so I'm expecting an R any day now (I have no illusions; Shimmer is tough). I'm really hoping for personal comments. They're classy and a great read. I'd be thrilled to have their input.
 

alexshvartsman

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Very nice and quick personal R from UFO Anthology! They run a tight ship and a class act over there. ;)

Sorry about the R. :( Sending out rejections, especially to people I know, is by far the worst part of doing this project. There are some AMAZING stories coming in so the competition for space in the TOC is going to be super fierce.
 

Marzioli

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Sorry about the R. :( Sending out rejections, especially to people I know, is by far the worst part of doing this project.
No problem, Alex! Hopefully, if they're from here, they've proceeded with the same level of professionalism you yourself responded with. At the end of the day, submissions and their responses are part of the business. And I respect both sides of the coin. ;)
 

mhaynes

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Aaaaand a personal R from Shimmer. They've hit the 21 day R mark twice in a row now. Very good recommendations by the reader mixed in with complimentary comments. I like this place. I know I haven't cracked it yet, but I appreciate the way they do business.

Agreed 100% about Shimmer. It's a really good publication, all the way around. I came very close with my last submission but not quite close enough. (A bit of rejectomancy that seems reasonable to share, come to think of it... Flash is apparently somewhat inherently a hard sell there.)

I'm looking forward to reading Issue 15 when it is released.
 

defcon6000

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88-day R from Penumbra for dream issue. The story made it to the 2nd-round, however, this R feels like a form, compared to the last one I received.
 

Project Deadlight

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I got a really nice, detailed personal for the Penumbra dreams issue attached to the end of the final round form. Editor said she loved the story but the competition was more fierce than other issues which is why she R'd.
 

fihr

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Sorry to hear about the Penumbra R's, Defcon and Project Deadlight. Always tough when it's close. And Marzioli, you sound like you're close, with Shimmer. I had a nice personal R from them once, but haven't had the right kind of story to send them since.
 

defcon6000

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56-day form R Asimov. It was a long shot, but thought I'd try.

I got a really nice, detailed personal for the Penumbra dreams issue attached to the end of the final round form. Editor said she loved the story but the competition was more fierce than other issues which is why she R'd.
Mine said it wasn't a good fit with the other stories--which is what they said last time about my story. But how am I supposed to predict what others will write?
 

sarahthegrey

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Sympathy on the Penumbra R's, everyone. Looks like they did some chopping yesterday. :(

10-day R from Strange Horizons in the middle of the night. Having trouble sending the story back out this morning, which is unusual for me. I got this horrible thought in my head that editors will read it, think it's awful, and stick me on an informal blacklist of suckage.

Irrational, I know. But still. Rejections make me crazy. :e2hammer:


Mine said it wasn't a good fit with the other stories--which is what they said last time about my story. But how am I supposed to predict what others will write?

You really can't, can you? I've read a few blogs where people assert that getting published is entirely skill, no luck involved. It seems like any other profession, though--you gotta be in the right place at the right time offering the right product for the right price. Luck's a pretty big factor in that equation. It's enough to send a control freak into fits. :)
 
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defcon6000

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Sorry about the R, Sarah. I receive R's at all hours of the night; maybe it's a timezone difference or editors are night owls.

I think the only blacklist an editor has is if a writer emails them back with a list of expletives--or maybe they hang those sorts of emails on the wall. :tongue
 

Taylor V

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Aaaaand a personal R from Shimmer. They've hit the 21 day R mark twice in a row now. Very good recommendations by the reader mixed in with complimentary comments. I like this place. I know I haven't cracked it yet, but I appreciate the way they do business.
Oh yeah, I've only submitted to them twice, but both times I've gotten Personal Rs, one of them pretty in-depth. An R may be an R, but it's nice to know someone actually read it and thought about it at least a little.
 

Marzioli

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Painful 37-day form R from Apex. Just when I was beginning to hope, and all that jazz.
 

O'Dandelo

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Painful 37-day form R from Apex. Just when I was beginning to hope, and all that jazz.

Really bummed to hear about this one. I like that story a lot.

And condolences for the Penumbra Rs and all the other ones, guys.

Next time I come here, I'd better see new posts in Braggage and none in Rejectomancy.
 

W.L. Marks

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Ouch! Sorry, Marz... At least you know it's good enough to be seriously considered. It will surely fit somewhere else.