Rejectomancy

ohthatmomagain

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Got my second R tonight. It didn't hurt as much as the first one did lol. I edited it and subbed it to another site.
 

mhaynes

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Do those guys take speculative fiction or only General? I've never submitted to/read JCCA. Any tips?

I've read at least some Slipstream-ish stuff there, at the very least. I think that would be a fair description of this piece (http://matterpress.com/journal/2011/11/17/that-long-evening-on-our-balcony/)

Their guidelines (http://matter.submishmash.com/submit) have some atypical items.

Two are: 1) You can only submit one piece of fiction per reading period -- so you want to make it count, I guess. 2) You have to submit a statement of what "compression" means to you relating to your submission.

Also... "Word count alone doesn't create compression, so we ask that you also consider why this piece works for a journal obsessed with what's compressed."
 

GCU_Dramatic Exit

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Do those guys take speculative fiction or only General? I've never submitted to/read JCCA. Any tips?

pretty much what mhaynes wrote

I doubt they'll accept straight SF

the whole write a statement about compression kind of threw me...I just wrote a simple flash piece lol

awfully nice form rejection though
 

Sai

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Rejection from Clarkesworld. Whenever I get rejected by them, I always try and look on the bright side that at least now I don't have to sign a hundred chapbooks ;).
 

defcon6000

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Got my R from Apex today -- and if anyone was wondering, I didn't receive an email saying the story was under review. Off to Clarkesworld for the hell of it.
 

MysteryRiter

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Defcon, was the R for their anthology? When did you send it? I have a submission out for the anthology and am curious about when to expect a response. :) Sorry to heard about the Rs, everyone.
 

defcon6000

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Defcon, was the R for their anthology? When did you send it? I have a submission out for the anthology and am curious about when to expect a response. :) Sorry to heard about the Rs, everyone.
It was just regular Apex, 25-day R.

I have yet to even write my entry for their antho. :tongue
 

Marzioli

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It was just regular Apex, 25-day R.
That's discouraging for so many reasons. I just can't figure out how they're doing their submissions. Some days less than ten, other days greater than twenty. I'm sitting on a 33-day sub and I can't help thinking it's just languishing, untouched and unread.
 

Koobie

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As of 4/6/07, 54 rejections, 1 pub for free (Tales of World War Z, so doesn't really count), 1 semi-pro sale (Abyss & Apex). Nowadays I'm more concentrating on writing better than subbing more, though... :tongue Peace!
 

defcon6000

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That's discouraging for so many reasons. I just can't figure out how they're doing their submissions. Some days less than ten, other days greater than twenty. I'm sitting on a 33-day sub and I can't help thinking it's just languishing, untouched and unread.
I know what you mean. I have a story sitting at 39 days with FFO, and yet I see all these swifter rejections (though I guess it's good that I haven't gotten an R yet...*knocks on wood*)

Have patience. :Hug2:

As of 4/6/07, 54 rejections, 1 pub for free (Tales of World War Z, so doesn't really count), 1 semi-pro sale (Abyss & Apex). Nowadays I'm more concentrating on writing better than subbing more, though... :tongue Peace!
Oh, is your Abyss & Apex story published? I wanna see!
 

Aggy B.

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That's discouraging for so many reasons. I just can't figure out how they're doing their submissions. Some days less than ten, other days greater than twenty. I'm sitting on a 33-day sub and I can't help thinking it's just languishing, untouched and unread.

Perhaps I'm wrong, but my suspicion (with any magazine, not just Apex) is that the variance in response times is usually due to the normal "weeding" that occurs in the slush. Super fast R's can (and probably are) frequently due to material that is clearly not the right genre (opening a cover letter and seeing "Attached is my 4k erotic romance" when the mag is spec-fic) or not formatted anywhere near properly (14 point purple Gothic somethingorother) or is otherwise poorly written. This, all before the rest of the stories are actually read. I could be mistaken.

But I figure it's like the SYW. Some stories you look at and within one sentence you know it's needs a ton of work. (Of course, with a magazine, that means no thanks.)

Just my two cents. No need to stress over it. Or wonder if the editor has Bovine Encephalitis.
 

Marzioli

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Perhaps I'm wrong, but my suspicion (with any magazine, not just Apex) is that the variance in response times is usually due to the normal "weeding" that occurs in the slush.
Perhaps. I think the thing that's been getting to me is not simply impatience, but the idea that my submission/s was/were lost and I'm sitting on thin air. Ever since I started reading real stories about that happening (on this website) it's been a constant, nagging fear.

I'm calm, now, though. Thanks. :D
 

Lillie

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Oh. I think that too.
I just ignore it.

You can't query until the query time is up, so you can't know till then.
So just forget it.

If its been so long you can ask about it, and it really bothers you, send a query and find out.
Or if you don't want to do that, just carry on trying not to think about it.

That's what I do. That last one.

The more stories you have out, the less it bothers you.

Sub some other stuff. That should take your mind off it.
 

Project Deadlight

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Colored Lens, Shadows and Tall Trees, A Cappella Zoo: Personal R's.

CandC, Apex, Camera Obscura: Forms.

I had such high hopes for 2012; a disappointing year so far.
 

Aggy B.

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Colored Lens, Shadows and Tall Trees, A Cappella Zoo: Personal R's.

CandC, Apex, Camera Obscura: Forms.

I had such high hopes for 2012; a disappointing year so far.

:Hug2:

On the bright side, it'll be difficult to get much worse than six Rs in two weeks. (Unless you're one of those mad micro-fiction peeps who crank out a dozen stories a week and multi-sub them.)
 

Marzioli

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The more stories you have out, the less it bothers you.

Sub some other stuff. That should take your mind off it.
Thanks, Lillie, great advice as always.

Electric Spec R two days ago. Not a big fan of the overly positive rejections they give as a *standard* rejection. It seems a little false, exactly opposite of what most authors need. Although I hear if you're an absolute screw up they remove the encouraging parts.
 

Lillie

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Colored Lens, Shadows and Tall Trees, A Cappella Zoo: Personal R's.

CandC, Apex, Camera Obscura: Forms.

I had such high hopes for 2012; a disappointing year so far.

Ouch. That's harsh. :(

Mine all came trotting home just before Christmas.

It's nasty when that happens, so you have my sympathy.
 

Cidewalk

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All three times S&SF have rejected me, it's been quick (less than 3 weeks,) but today I received one for a story I mailed on the 6th, with rejection listed on the 9th. The 7th and 8th were a weekend. I kinda wonder what submission rule I broke...
 

GCU_Dramatic Exit

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got a rejection from DSF. I'm actually not in the least bit surprised, I realised the story wasn't great...going to do some editing and send it out again