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defcon6000

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So does Apex like stories with heavy secondary-world? Like the focus is on an entirely non-human race, and the way they run things is unlike how humans do it.

Because I have an idea for their Dark Faith 2 antho, involving one of my favorite characters, but he isn't human.
 

alexshvartsman

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This was an excellent day. My first day off work since before Xmas. I got to finally finish and submit a 6300 word story I've been working on (on and off) for several months. I got to do LBL edits for a friend on a 12k+ story that I absolutely loved, and lots of other smaller reading and writing tasks.

I need more days off!
 

Izz

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@defcon: Write it anyway. If it doesn't sell there you'll sell it somewhere else :tongue (with an attitude like that, it's a bit strange that i edit a zine :D)

@alex: Nicely done. Days off to write are great, aren't they?


I have a C&C question for you peeps. I'm thinking of opening a CafePress store for the zine, and selling t-shirts and hoodies and mugs, and maybe even wallets and other stuff, emblazoned with Comets and Criminals in a fancy font (and perhaps the website address too, if i'm able to). What do y'all reckon? Good idea or not so good?
 

Sea Witch

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I have a C&C question for you peeps. I'm thinking of opening a CafePress store for the zine, and selling t-shirts and hoodies and mugs, and maybe even wallets and other stuff, emblazoned with Comets and Criminals in a fancy font (and perhaps the website address too, if i'm able to). What do y'all reckon? Good idea or not so good?

I think it's a great idea; however, your customers will likely be those writers who you have published. Not sure how big that market is. If someone publishes me, I'd buy their T-shirt in a New York minute even if I wasn't paid anything, but if they reject me, I won't feel so warm and fuzzy and generous.
 

defcon6000

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I have a C&C question for you peeps. I'm thinking of opening a CafePress store for the zine, and selling t-shirts and hoodies and mugs, and maybe even wallets and other stuff, emblazoned with Comets and Criminals in a fancy font (and perhaps the website address too, if i'm able to). What do y'all reckon? Good idea or not so good?
Hmm... my intuition tells me to maybe hold off for a year, or at least until you have good bit of a following -- not saying you don't have a following already, but you've only just started. :tongue

The merchandise would help spread the word of C&C, but only your diehard fans (because I know that stuff isn't cheap) are going to purchase it.
 

Aggy B.

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Wrote about 3.4k words last night on a quasi-historical fantasy erotica short I've had sitting on the shelf for months. No idea where I'll sell it when I get finished, but I made a lot of progress.
 

alexshvartsman

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I have a C&C question for you peeps. I'm thinking of opening a CafePress store for the zine, and selling t-shirts and hoodies and mugs, and maybe even wallets and other stuff, emblazoned with Comets and Criminals in a fancy font (and perhaps the website address too, if i'm able to). What do y'all reckon? Good idea or not so good?

From the business perspective, it's probably a bit early to try and sell branded merchandise (especially at CafePress prices). There's little to gain, and you'd rather those readers willing to spend the extra money do so directly with the magazine.

Perhaps offering something like signed chapbooks might be both more desirable to the readers and more profitable.
 

Izz

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Thanks, peeps :) I think i'll shelve the idea for a while (though who wouldn't want to walk around wearing a Comets and Criminals hoody?)

Unfortunately, being down the bottom of the world does make international merchandising a bit difficult. Everything becomes expensive, especially if it's something i have to physically ship from NZ. Though, it probably would be cheaper to get some t-shirts done locally and ship them anywhere than go through CafePress (looking at place that has a special on basic t-shirts, with front and back design at $8.00 ea--which still isn't particularly cheap).
 

alexshvartsman

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Thanks, peeps :) I think i'll shelve the idea for a while (though who wouldn't want to walk around wearing a Comets and Criminals hoody?)

Unfortunately, being down the bottom of the world does make international merchandising a bit difficult. Everything becomes expensive, especially if it's something i have to physically ship from NZ. Though, it probably would be cheaper to get some t-shirts done locally and ship them anywhere than go through CafePress (looking at place that has a special on basic t-shirts, with front and back design at $8.00 ea--which still isn't particularly cheap).

There are fulfillment places/distributors you can use in US and Europe. But, again, I don't think it would be time well spent for you and C&C at this stage.
 

MysteryRiter

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I'm finding that I haven't gotten any responses for subbed shorts in a while... Is it just me or is everyone else stuck in this purgatory? I haven't heard back about anything since mid-Dec.
 

KitCat

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me either, but you gotta figure all the holiday and family times all at once, give them time to get in the swing of things again
 

MysteryRiter

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I know. I guess I'm just being impatient, haha. But not a single response for a month. I didn't submit to more than 15 places for my 3 shorts on submission but still... Oh well, I'll just have to wait. ;)
 

akaSylvia

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I'm finding that I haven't gotten any responses for subbed shorts in a while... Is it just me or is everyone else stuck in this purgatory? I haven't heard back about anything since mid-Dec.

Yep. In fact I just checked the stats on Duotrope, wondering if all my subs got eaten by spamtraps! But no, looks like it's just still slow. I hope things pick up soon. :D
 

GCU_Dramatic Exit

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thanks for the suggestions defcon & seawitch! Phantom Drift might be a good fit....the flash pieces are more literary absurd rather than genre absurd (if that makes sense)

:)
 

Sea Witch

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I have to say that I am really in awe of the SF and F writers among us. I mean, I know all writing is hard, and I know how I struggle with characters and settings in the real world. Now that I beta some SF&F, I'm reading a lot more of it than I used to, and I just shake my head in disbelief. I don't know how you folks create whole other worlds with whole other characters and critters that occupy them. I get the impression that the majority of people on AW are in those genres, and, well, my hat is off to you.
 

SmallThing

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Yes, responses have been slow in coming lately. My writing inbox has been begging for spam lately, anything to keep it from feeling so empty and alone. :)

I think I may be taking a break from short stories, at least for a month or so. I got about 1200 words done today on the novel of doom. The one I was supposed to finish last spring, and then last summer, and then last fall... I'm going to see if I can finally do it this time. My goal is to get through another 2-3K tonight. If I do that, I should be committed enough to finally push through to the end by mid-February.

Of course, I could also manage to do nothing tonight, and decide to leave the whole mess alone for another six months instead. :D
 

MysteryRiter

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Anyone know of any good poetry markets? I just dug one up that I wrote as a 12 year old, and it's actually pretty good. I must have been using a thesaurus, because I had to look up a few of the words. :)
 

akaSylvia

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Well, I'm happy already. The story I thought I would sub isn't ready yet and nothing has been rejected for a bounce back yet this year. I had a piece that was going to go straight to the trunk because there was no obvious market for it and knowing I *had* to submit something, I took a harder look. I found a market! It's a bit of a longshot but it is a good fit for the piece. So that's a nice result as of week 2. :)
 

MysteryRiter

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My submission has been listed as "under-review" all day with Fugue. I hope that's a good sign. :)