Rejectomancy

Aggy B.

Not as sweet as you think
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Crickets.

Made notes on the new, huge calender to remind myself to query about outstanding stories in a few months.

Aggy, trying to maintain some sanity whilst subbing (without checking Duotrope every two minutes)
 

Polenth

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I've only had form rejections from Pedestal and always after the issue is published, often making it impossible to sub to the next issue. It does look like people who get close also get faster rejections.

I usually skip them now, as there are other places where I've gotten closer or sold stuff. So those markets come first.
 

alexshvartsman

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A 51 day R for a reprint drabble from Drabblecast. I'm curious if it's a regular form or a higher end form. The R was:

"Thanks for letting us look at "Chill" but I'm afraid it's not for us. Great story, though. Please feel free to send more of your work our way."

I've only submitted one other time to this market and received a less-encouraging form that time, without an invitation to send more. Anyone have much experience with Drabblecast and would like to compare notes?
 

Adam Israel

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A 51 day R for a reprint drabble from Drabblecast. I'm curious if it's a regular form or a higher end form. The R was:

"Thanks for letting us look at "Chill" but I'm afraid it's not for us. Great story, though. Please feel free to send more of your work our way."

I've only submitted one other time to this market and received a less-encouraging form that time, without an invitation to send more. Anyone have much experience with Drabblecast and would like to compare notes?

I'm still waiting on a response to my first sub to Drabblecast, but I'd say that's a personal rejection using a high form. The middle sentence specifically compliments your story and that's unusual for a form letter to include that kind of informal language, with the invite to send more typical for the high-tier rejections.
 

mhaynes

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Slightly-puzzling 53-day R from Beneath Ceaseless Skies tonight. They had the story a good bit longer than average, but the comments in the rejection were solely about the first page or two of the story. So, yes, good feedback that the opening might need further "hook"age... But it seemed more like a "I started reading this and got bored" type of R than a "this attracted enough interest to stick around quite a while but still wasn't quite for us" type of R.

Ah, well... Trying to read these tea leaves can drive a person mad.
 

Marzioli

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Asimov helped me bring in the new years with a form-R at 8 PM! Even though I really love this story, and perhaps because of my ever optimistic view of the New Year, I wasn't upset in the least.

Pedestal is still dragging its feet. I noticed they're rejecting subs from the 60 day period. Mine's only at 37. I guess it's possible I could be waiting a long time? Or am I reading them wrong?

And new Apex's rejection practice just confuses me. I'm just going to ignore them until I get the R or the missing response / query period starts.
 
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OtterFactory

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I submitted a SS to some pro mags, and am surprisingly calm about it and find myself not caring at all about the crickets stridulating! I really love my piece, and had a hair-tearingly fun time writing it, but it'll probably be my only short story for a long time, as I'm more of a novel writer.

I also subbed a couple occasional poems to AGNI and The Believer, which has me more piqued because I'm really not a poet, and it'd be cool if they got published.
 

alexshvartsman

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Slightly-puzzling 53-day R from Beneath Ceaseless Skies tonight. They had the story a good bit longer than average, but the comments in the rejection were solely about the first page or two of the story. So, yes, good feedback that the opening might need further "hook"age... But it seemed more like a "I started reading this and got bored" type of R than a "this attracted enough interest to stick around quite a while but still wasn't quite for us" type of R.

Ah, well... Trying to read these tea leaves can drive a person mad.


Sorry about the R, Michael. It's possible that the slush reader liked it enough to pass upward, but then the editor didn't like it enough to read deep into the story, and offered the comments on what he/she did get through? Either way, it's a personal R, so not too bad.
 

Marzioli

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Slightly-puzzling 53-day R from Beneath Ceaseless Skies tonight.
This is a really good market for personal R's. You can never tell how far they get before they stop unless it's clued in by the response itself. When they sent me my personal R they used the protagonist's name which I didn't mention until a few pages down, so they got at least that far.

Other than that, you never know. You might as well focus on the positive, professional criticism they offer. If they only had a problem with your intro, that could be good news! As for me, they told me the main character was flawed (i.e. he sounded too much like a human, even though it was a dragon).

Sorry about the R.
 

mhaynes

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It's possible that the slush reader liked it enough to pass upward, but then the editor didn't like it enough to read deep into the story, and offered the comments on what he/she did get through?

Thanks, Alex. Yes, that would certainly be consistent with the evidence at hand. I suspect something like that is indeed what happened.

Either way, it's a personal R, so not too bad.

Normally, I'd agree, but BCS gives personal Rs for nearly every rejection, so in this case it really doesn't mean the same as it would for your average pro market.

Not a big deal, just was a slightly-strange way to end the year. I'll just get it back out the door as soon as the next market I want to send it off to is available.
 

victoriajakes

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And new Apex's rejection practice just confuses me. I'm just going to ignore them until I get the R or the missing response / query period starts.

What's going on? I haven't subbed with the new system yet, but I was thinking about it. What's the new rejection practice? Duotrope is a little all over the place too.
 

Marzioli

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What's going on? I haven't subbed with the new system yet, but I was thinking about it. What's the new rejection practice? Duotrope is a little all over the place too.
It's precisely because of the Duotrope data. I believe mhaynes stated he sent a sub via their new preferred submission method, by email, and was given a quick response. Several other quick replies followed on the response data page, but then they resumed longer 20+ day responses (which I assumed were old method submissions). They're now switching back and forth between quick and long so it's impossible to determine when to expect a response.

There's something about the inability to brace myself for a rejection that puts me on edge. At least with Clarksworld and Lightspeed I know where I stand. But with Apex I have no idea. It's like a mine field. Any second it might explode in my face. :p
 

victoriajakes

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Haha, I know that feeling. About to send a story to them, so I'm bracing myself for the unknown :p
 

mhaynes

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The anticipated Pedestal rejection came this morning and it brought friends home with it. Clarkesworld and Shimmer followed shortly thereafter. Lots of hours left to make this my first 4-R day. :)
 

victoriajakes

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The anticipated Pedestal rejection came this morning and it brought friends home with it. Clarkesworld and Shimmer followed shortly thereafter. Lots of hours left to make this my first 4-R day. :)

:Hug2: That's a rough achievement. But good for you for having them all out there. Slightly OT, but how long were you at Shimmer?
 

mhaynes

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:Hug2: That's a rough achievement. But good for you for having them all out there. Slightly OT, but how long were you at Shimmer?

Five days. Not sure if it means anything, but this rejection came from the head editor. My previous Rs there came from associate editors. The text was the same, though, so it may just mean that the head editor does first-reads, too.

-Michael
 

victoriajakes

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Their return times are all over the place. I've been there for 10 days, but Duotrope is reporting 13 days and 28 days and everything in between. I've never subbed there before, so I guess that's just how Shimmer works :)
 

alexshvartsman

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An 11-day rejection from Flash Fiction Online. This time it was just a form R, didn't make it into the second round.
 

Sai

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A personal rejection from On Spec saying that the story was engaging but needed more of a pay-off. Not sure where to send the it next. It's sci-fi, but pretty light with the science. I think might appeal more to non sci-fi readers, so maybe I'll branch out a little more with where I send it next.
 

Marzioli

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Form R from Fantasy & Science Fiction. It was a long shot, but even with the wasted cash it took to send it I'm glad I tried. That was only my second ever postal submission. :eek:
 

pangalactic

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Sorry I've been absent, folks, and hugs to everybody who needs them. I just got a very nice form R from Beneath Ceaseless Skies. I think I've run out of markets for this story now, which is a shame as it's my best one (IMO). Oh well.