Questions about Submissions/Queries that have gone Astray or Wait Times

Melinda Moore said:

Witch_Turtle, I queried awhile ago about a piece I submitted in November, but I never heard back. I meant to requery, but it's on the bottom of my to do list. I hope you've heard from them by now.

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Still nothing. I just queried.

Hitting the sixth month with Weird Tales.

Got an email in March, then...silence. Despite queries from yours truly since.

Now I know there's a lot of this n that about the semi-pro zines, volunteer staff, resources, in-house partying or whatever, but,

Is it really, really, that difficult to respond to an email?

I mean Weird Tales in particular, they are as close to pro as a zine could get.

A million facebook* followers, paid staff, major brand name...

( I know they've FB probs at the mo, but that can't be the reason)

I know, in the writing biz, there does tend to be a much greater expectation and even tolerance of non-response, but does that mean, it's OK?

I don't.

Yes, in small one person agencies, a response will take time.

But in an entity designed to draw its product from its submissions...I really just can't see it.

Of course, that could be just it. Maybe Weird Tales doesn't really draw its material from submissions - unless they know them, or recognize their work?

I dunno.

Yes, this sounds like a sour grapes rejection rant, (lol, and why not?) but it isn't. Not completely anyway.

It's just an amazement at the inability to do THE BASICS.

THE BASICS!!

RESPOND TO EMAILS!!!!

Phew.


That felt good.


But then, why do I feel so bad?

I'm at day 88 with Cr0ssed Genres. I've already had one sub eaten by a gremlin there -- first time that ever happened to me. They acknowledged this sub, but they acknowledged the disappeared one, too.

On Grinder I see 83 and 84-day responses so I figure I'll give it a few more days. Curious if anyone knows about their process. There wasn't a bump or anything.

Hanson said:

Hitting the sixth month with Weird Tales.

Got an email in March, then...silence. Despite queries from yours truly since.

Now I know there's a lot of this n that about the semi-pro zines, volunteer staff, resources, in-house partying or whatever, but,

Is it really, really, that difficult to respond to an email?

I mean Weird Tales in particular, they are as close to pro as a zine could get.

[snip]

RESPOND TO EMAILS!!!!

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I withdrew a sub from WT last year. A few months later I received a rejection for it anyway. I got the impression at the time that their submissions handling might be a tad disorganised.

I guess it might be hard to keep up with all the emails if a market is slow to respond to subs and ends up getting lots of queries. But even a form to say, 'yes we got your query, your story is still in our queue', would be nice.

To all those with R's - commiserations. And especially for those subs that took a long, long time.

Batspan said:

I'm at day 88 with Cr0ssed Genres. I've already had one sub eaten by a gremlin there -- first time that ever happened to me. They acknowledged this sub, but they acknowledged the disappeared one, too.

On Grinder I see 83 and 84-day responses so I figure I'll give it a few more days. Curious if anyone knows about their process. There wasn't a bump or anything.

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Mine was the 83-day response. I'd give it a couple more days before any serious concern. Then maybe send them a query. Who knows? Maybe they're considering your sub for publication. (fingers crossed)

I too had a previous sub disappear into the cracks with Crossed. I think they've got an automated system, similar to others, that sends a message out as soon as they receive a sub. Then it goes into the slush pile where it sits until someone gets a chance to read it.

Melinda Moore said:

I got my Ares Magazine in the mail today. I wonder if they'll be getting back to submissions now. I'm at 221 days there.

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I've got something there at 220 days, so I'm right there with you.

Steve Coate said:

Mine was the 83-day response. I'd give it a couple more days before any serious concern. Then maybe send them a query. Who knows? Maybe they're considering your sub for publication. (fingers crossed)

I too had a previous sub disappear into the cracks with Crossed. I think they've got an automated system, similar to others, that sends a message out as soon as they receive a sub. Then it goes into the slush pile where it sits until someone gets a chance to read it.

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Thanks, Steve. I queried a few days ago, silence still. With the eaten one, they responded fast to my query, but of course it was far too late to resubmit for that theme. This one's at 103 days, so I suspect it was another wasted effort.

Best to you and Melinda with Ares.

Lost in an Apex black hole?

I’ve a story at Apex for 67 days now, with no word other than the initial notification of submission receipt. From what I’ve read on other threads here, and from Apex folk themselves, it’s normal to get a note if passed on to the editor, and I get the impression that this would usually happen long before this point, so I’m not hopeful. One post in AW said that stories might be passed around multiple first-readers-in-training, so this might explain my situation(?) This story had already been held up for a year at another marker due to an IT snafu there which affected a few authors, from what I gather...so I’m not looking forward to another waiting game . I suppose I should just bite the bullet and query, as 60 days is the suggested cutoff.

Any further insight or current current experiences at Apex, other than those already mentioned on AW, welcome .

Cannelids said:

I’ve a story at Apex for 67 days now, with no word other than the initial notification of submission receipt. From what I’ve read on other threads here, and from Apex folk themselves, it’s normal to get a note if passed on to the editor, and I get the impression that this would usually happen long before this point, so I’m not hopeful. One post in AW said that stories might be passed around multiple first-readers-in-training, so this might explain my situation(?) This story had already been held up for a year at another marker due to an IT snafu there which affected a few authors, from what I gather...so I’m not looking forward to another waiting game . I suppose I should just bite the bullet and query, as 60 days is the suggested cutoff.

Any further insight or current current experiences at Apex, other than those already mentioned on AW, welcome .

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You don't always get a note that you've been passed up to the editor. It may be different now since they went to Submittable, but when they were doing email subs, only about 50% of my submissions got the "passed up to the editor" note, but all of my subs either got accepted or a personal from the EIC.

That said, they're now processing subs on Submittable and there's a new EIC, so IDK. The process may have changed. I'd drop them a note just to ask. I'm sure it's possible that a sub could get lost since they're transitioning sub platforms.

CL_Hilbert said:

You don't always get a note that you've been passed up to the editor. It may be different now since they went to Submittable, but when they were doing email subs, only about 50% of my submissions got the "passed up to the editor" note, but all of my subs either got accepted or a personal from the EIC.

That said, they're now processing subs on Submittable and there's a new EIC, so IDK. The process may have changed. I'd drop them a note just to ask. I'm sure it's possible that a sub could get lost since they're transitioning sub platforms.

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Thanks CL - that's interesting to know. And kudos on your record there!

I wonder whether anyone has ended up with a form rejection after a long wait and no note that it went to the editor.

(I was aware of the EiC and submission tech changovers - my story went in after the former and before the latter. These things may well have introduce some further rendomness to the process, though.)

Cannelids said:

(I was aware of the EiC and submission tech changovers - my story went in after the former and before the latter. These things may well have introduce some further rendomness to the process, though.)

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I'm in the same situation with Apex. Have one at 31 days—after the EiC change, before the switch to Submittable (was aware of former but not latter). Seems like they've been turning around form Rs within a week pretty regularly, so guessing the new process is quite efficient.

The mean/median stats on Grinder suggest there are a few dozen elderly stories being fitfully tended, then a slightly bigger slushpile getting processed at a healthy pace.

Peace
Ty

Ty Schalter said:

I'm in the same situation with Apex. Have one at 31 days—after the EiC change, before the switch to Submittable (was aware of former but not latter). Seems like they've been turning around form Rs within a week pretty regularly, so guessing the new process is quite efficient.

The mean/median stats on Grinder suggest there are a few dozen elderly stories being fitfully tended, then a slightly bigger slushpile getting processed at a healthy pace.

Peace
Ty

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Thanks Ty,

Yes, I've also been keeping an eye on the Grinder stats and 'recent activity' pages. On the latter, there's the odd personal r for elderly stories, as expected, and sporadic r's for ~20-60-day subs, some personal. ('Interestingly', there are no acceptance reports since the current 'batch' of decisions started...maybe the new EiC is pickier!)

Anyway, good luck

I have a poem over sixty days there, was told to query the poetry editor but the old e-mail bounces back to send to submittable

ETA and just got a response. . .first rewrite request.

V1c said:

I have a poem over sixty days there, was told to query the poetry editor but the old e-mail bounces back to send to submittable

ETA and just got a response. . .first rewrite request.

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Thanks V1c - things are looking good for your poem, then

Was the response prompted by your query, or just a coincidence? (Did you end up re-sending the query by submittable?)

I was in the same position as you Cann, I was at 68 days yesterday. So given they suggest querying at 60, I emailed. Got a blunt form r later that day, which suggests to me my sub might have been sitting around in a spam folder somewhere. I wouldn't usually mind, but this is the 3rd time something like this has happened with this particular mag. In fact, my last sub there was at 140 days when I queried, and I got an email weeks later saying the sub editor assigned had left. I'm hoping things improve there now they've switched to Submitt@ble. I would query if I were you, though I hope your story enjoys a happier ending than mine.

Project Deadlight said:

I was in the same position as you Cann, I was at 68 days yesterday. So given they suggest querying at 60, I emailed. Got a blunt form r later that day, which suggests to me my sub might have been sitting around in a spam folder somewhere. I wouldn't usually mind, but this is the 3rd time something like this has happened with this particular mag. In fact, my last sub there was at 140 days when I queried, and I got an email weeks later saying the sub editor assigned had left. I'm hoping things improve there now they've switched to Submitt@ble. I would query if I were you, though I hope your story enjoys a happier ending than mine.

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Thanks PD - that's a bit demoralising!

I've just sent a query now (to their contact email, which is still listed on the website as the place to send queries). (Like V1c, I immediately got an auto-reply saying to send via Submittable...but the message only refers to submissions, with no mention of what to do about queries. I'll leave it a few days and re-send via Submittable if I don't get a reply.)

coincidence, I think, it didn't reference the query. I will say I did have similar experiences to PD on the fiction side- got up to the EIC with each one prior, waited over a hundred days, queried and automatically got a form R back each time.

V1c said:

coincidence, I think, it didn't reference the query. I will say I did have similar experiences to PD on the fiction side- got up to the EIC with each one prior, waited over a hundred days, queried and automatically got a form R back each time.

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Thanks V1c. (At least you were getting your stories past the first reader.)

Meanwhile, I got a reply to my query: Said they sent the decision (a form r) back in Sept, and that it must have got caught in my spam filters.

On to the next market...

Anyone have news from STR@ON? I'm suspecting my submission is lost, but I don't want to assume anything. I saw on Stupefying's facebook page that they're bringing out the first issue soon, but that's all I know.

Capability said:

Anyone have news from STR@ON? I'm suspecting my submission is lost, but I don't want to assume anything. I saw on Stupefying's facebook page that they're bringing out the first issue soon, but that's all I know.

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Query if you haven't heard in 90+ days (or whatever their guidelines specify). The editor is a very approachable/easygoing guy, but he's going to be very busy with the Campbellian anthology in the coming months so it may be best to ask sooner rather than later.

alexshvartsman said:

Query if you haven't heard in 90+ days (or whatever their guidelines specify). The editor is a very approachable/easygoing guy, but he's going to be very busy with the Campbellian anthology in the coming months so it may be best to ask sooner rather than later.

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Thanks for the reply-- I think I will. It's so hard to know when to just ask, especially when you don't want to be pushy, or unprofessional...

Capability said:

It's so hard to know when to just ask, especially when you don't want to be pushy, or unprofessional...

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The time to query is exactly one second past the suggested query time given in a magazine's submission guidelines. Don't hang about, no editor will mind a polite query.

Anyone submit to the Australian magazine Aurealis? I have previously over a year ago, and both times got an acknowledgment of the submission within a day or so. This time, nothing, it's been about two weeks. But it says nothing on the website about sending an acknowledgment of submission received. So do I just leave it?