The Great W1S1 Hey-Do-You-Know-About-This-Market Thread

Tienci

Lost in the Land of Giants
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 2, 2005
Messages
840
Reaction score
66
Location
Everywhere and nowhere
I noticed it's been like that for a bit now and I keep expecting it to be back up any day. But if it doesn't come back up in time for the deadline, I still have a new shiny piece inspired by the prompt I'd have no problem subbing elsewhere! :)
 

Lillie

practical experience, FTW
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 14, 2011
Messages
1,585
Reaction score
178
Location
Wales
Thanks.
Mine should have no problem going elsewhere too.
 

alexshvartsman

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 27, 2010
Messages
2,049
Reaction score
156
Location
Brooklyn, NY
Yup - they accept reprints so it was very easy to submit to that one. Sent mine in 30 days ago. No word yet, but according to Duotrope they haven't began to respond yet.
 

soapdish

writing
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 7, 2009
Messages
17,205
Reaction score
6,050
Location
At the portal to the Pacific
Yup - they accept reprints so it was very easy to submit to that one. Sent mine in 30 days ago. No word yet, but according to Duotrope they haven't began to respond yet.
They do? Purrfect. I have something. I just have to dig it out and get it in snail mail. By the 31st.
 

Lillie

practical experience, FTW
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 14, 2011
Messages
1,585
Reaction score
178
Location
Wales
:(

Thanks. It can go somewhere else instead.
 

Tienci

Lost in the Land of Giants
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 2, 2005
Messages
840
Reaction score
66
Location
Everywhere and nowhere
Too bad about ReadingWriters' "Road to Eerie"--although it did spark a story for me so I'm grateful for that.

I missed a few recent interesting contests/anthologies, but I should make Penumbra's Sports/Games themed one (due 09/15) and the On the Premises Myths & Legends one since I already have pieces I can just revise and send.
I have something for Enchanted Conversation too but additional goals/heads up include:

- BayCon (pro-pay, up to 4k)- due 09/15
- Wily Writers: Lovecraftian Horror- due 09/30
- Tin House: Weird Science- due 10/01
 

jazzman99

Recovering Academic
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 29, 2011
Messages
122
Reaction score
28
Uncle John's Flush Fiction

Yup - they accept reprints so it was very easy to submit to that one. Sent mine in 30 days ago. No word yet, but according to Duotrope they haven't began to respond yet.


Their website says they'll be notifying the people they accept in early 2012, so we're gonna have a while to wait on this one. I got the impression somewhere that they aren't even bothering to send out rejections, but I could be wrong on that. I'll be keeping a close eye on that one in Duotrope.
 

mhaynes

practical experience, FTW
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 1, 2011
Messages
657
Reaction score
36
Location
Ohio
Website
www.michaelhaynes.info
Their website says they'll be notifying the people they accept in early 2012, so we're gonna have a while to wait on this one. I got the impression somewhere that they aren't even bothering to send out rejections, but I could be wrong on that. I'll be keeping a close eye on that one in Duotrope.

I think the guidelines requested a SASE for return of manuscript. At least, I hope they did, because I included a large SASE with a buck or so of postage on it! (And there's something I haven't had to do since the 1990s...)
 

alexshvartsman

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 27, 2010
Messages
2,049
Reaction score
156
Location
Brooklyn, NY
I think the guidelines requested a SASE for return of manuscript. At least, I hope they did, because I included a large SASE with a buck or so of postage on it! (And there's something I haven't had to do since the 1990s...)

You always have the option of including a regular $0.44c SASE for their answer and marking the manuscript as disposable.
 

zanzjan

killin' all teh werds
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
VPX
VPXI
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 5, 2010
Messages
9,728
Reaction score
3,208
Location
home home homityhomehome
Short story contest. Write something about a particle accelerator!

No entry fee. First prize is £ 500. Deadline Nov. 30th.

http://www.light-reading.org/LightReading.html

-Suzanne

ETA: fine print suggests some unfavorable terms. Read carefully before submitting.
 
Last edited:

alexshvartsman

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 27, 2010
Messages
2,049
Reaction score
156
Location
Brooklyn, NY
Suzanne: Good find, but please beware that as per their contest rules they OWN your entry. i.e. you can't submit it elsewhere, nor have it reprinted in another market, except for free on your web site:

8. Entrants agree to assign the entire copyright subsisting in the entry and waive absolutely their moral rights under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 in respect of the entry to Diamond. This means that the Diamond owns the entry, and so can use, adapt and edit the entry and any underlying rights in the entry, free of charge, in all media, for all purposes as it wishes. The entrant is granted a non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the entry for non-commercial purposes such as posting on a personal blog or displaying on a personal website.
 

JC Romel

Banned
Flounced
Joined
Jun 15, 2011
Messages
309
Reaction score
34
Location
Blargville, Republic of Rejectonia
Suzanne: Good find, but please beware that as per their contest rules they OWN your entry. i.e. you can't submit it elsewhere, nor have it reprinted in another market, except for free on your web site:

8. Entrants agree to assign the entire copyright subsisting in the entry and waive absolutely their moral rights under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 in respect of the entry to Diamond. This means that the Diamond owns the entry, and so can use, adapt and edit the entry and any underlying rights in the entry, free of charge, in all media, for all purposes as it wishes. The entrant is granted a non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the entry for non-commercial purposes such as posting on a personal blog or displaying on a personal website.

Yikes!

I wonder what makes those clowns think that it's okay to ask for those kinds of rights?
 

zanzjan

killin' all teh werds
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
VPX
VPXI
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 5, 2010
Messages
9,728
Reaction score
3,208
Location
home home homityhomehome
Suzanne: Good find, but please beware that as per their contest rules they OWN your entry. i.e. you can't submit it elsewhere, nor have it reprinted in another market, except for free on your web site:

Good catch; I'm at work and it's the first day of classes so things are crazy here, and I hadn't had a chance to read deeper. Another good example of why it's important to read the fine print before you sub something anywhere (-:

I wonder what makes those clowns think that it's okay to ask for those kinds of rights?

My guess is that this is something they've never done before and they're just sort of clueless, but that's not an adequate justification.

-Suzanne
 

JC Romel

Banned
Flounced
Joined
Jun 15, 2011
Messages
309
Reaction score
34
Location
Blargville, Republic of Rejectonia
My guess is that this is something they've never done before and they're just sort of clueless, but that's not an adequate justification.

-Suzanne

I have a bad habit of assuming the worst of people, so I wonder if it's just that they're hoping to either catch writers unawares, especially those like you, who have hectic schedules. That, and the newbie writer who doesn't know better.

The fact that they know the clause in the law that needs to be waived makes me think they know exactly what they're doing. As much as I believe a magazine has a right to make money and grow their business, that kind of rights grab is, in my view, outrageous, and takes advantage of writers.
 

alexshvartsman

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 27, 2010
Messages
2,049
Reaction score
156
Location
Brooklyn, NY
JC: I've come across publications that purchase rights in perpetuity before. Never ever submitted to them though.

Just like anything else, this is a business transaction. If you are willing to accept their terms, they are willing to pay you/enter you into the contest/etc. It doesn't make them evil, but as writers we should always be aware of the terms offered before submitting to a market.

In this particular case I agree with Suzanne - they seem inexperienced in how the short story market world works. Their terms were probably written by their legal department with an eye toward being able to use entries for their promotional purposes, rather than looking to hurt the writers. It's not at all unusual for such contest to request full rights, either.
 

zanzjan

killin' all teh werds
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
VPX
VPXI
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 5, 2010
Messages
9,728
Reaction score
3,208
Location
home home homityhomehome
I wonder if it's just that they're hoping to either catch writers unawares, especially those like you, who have hectic schedules.

Certainly I would have read the full terms before submitting, much as I assume anyone following any link to a market will do.

In this particular case I agree with Suzanne - they seem inexperienced in how the short story market world works. Their terms were probably written by their legal department with an eye toward being able to use entries for their promotional purposes, rather than looking to hurt the writers. It's not at all unusual for such contest to request full rights, either.

Especially since this particular entity isn't normally in the business of publishing anything, other than perhaps scientific papers. I would tend to guess they just copied the contract from somewhere else that seemed to be doing something similar to what they were thinking, and thought it sounded reasonable (which it very well might, to a non-writer.)

-Suzanne
 

JC Romel

Banned
Flounced
Joined
Jun 15, 2011
Messages
309
Reaction score
34
Location
Blargville, Republic of Rejectonia
Certainly I would have read the full terms before submitting, much as I assume anyone following any link to a market will do.

-Suzanne

Given that you provided the link, I assumed you had simply overlooked it. I'm sure people miss fine print all the time, I certainly didn't mean to imply anything more than that. My apologies.

alexshvartsman said:
Just like anything else, this is a business transaction. If you are willing to accept their terms, they are willing to pay you/enter you into the contest/etc. It doesn't make them evil, but as writers we should always be aware of the terms offered before submitting to a market.

Just because they are compensating you for your work doesn't make the deal favorable or ethical. You can legally sign up for a lot of things that aren't fair to you, such as no-return policies and long-term contracts with outrageous early termination fees. I'm sure some writers don't have an issue with it, but I wonder how many writers actually understand the gravity of what that means. We've all heard of wide-eyed writers entering awful book contracts simply because they were thrilled to be getting a book deal, haven't we?
 

alexshvartsman

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 27, 2010
Messages
2,049
Reaction score
156
Location
Brooklyn, NY
JC: Absolutely. That's why you and I probably won't submit to that one... but I think there are plenty of folks that will, and most of them will not be doing it simply because they misunderstood the terms.

Everyone values their time/creative effort differently. I'm happy to submit my fiction to some markets that pay $0.01 per word, which comes to a fraction of minimum wage once you calculate all the time that went into writing, editing and submitting the story, but I routinely turn down consulting projects (in the gaming industry, so also a creative endeavor) that pay under $30/hour. Similarly there will be writers who are willing to give up full rights to their work in exchange for a higher pay rate, or good odds at a free-to-enter contest. They're not fools, they are just valuing their effort differently.