When Do I Give Up On A Market?

[Aggy B.]

All right. Last October I sold a story to GUD Magazine (after a very long wait - something like 590 days). I'd let it ride for that long because I really like the magazine and their business model is cool.

However, now it's almost the end of May and I still don't have a contract. A couple of emails to the editor(s) have gotten no response. And I'm really starting to think I need to move on. I would lovelovelove to be published in GUD but the ongoing stalls in the production schedule, the increased delay in release of further issues and the lack of commitment to a time frame for publication (as evidenced by the lack of contract which would - I imagine - have an expiration of rights clause) are making me think it's time to cut my losses.

Anyone have any advice here? I first submitted the story in February of 2010 and it seems like I'm not any closer to seeing it in print now than I was then. What should I do?

Aggy, a little disgruntled

[W.L. Marks]

Ouch! I'm just commenting to offer my sympathies. I don't know what I'd do in your situation, and it sounds so frustrating.

I guess it would depend on how certain I felt that the story would sell at a comparable market. If it's a really great piece that has a fairly mass appeal, I would probably pull it and resub elsewhere.

Just my 2c

[Sai]

Even though it looks like it's fallen through, belated congrats on the sale .

I'd move on, but I'm impatient like that. Someone with more experience might have better advice, but to me it seems like they don't have their act together and aren't going to get it together anytime soon.

Whichever track you take, good luck!

[alexshvartsman]

Aggy,

That sucks very much. I simply don't submit to places that take forever (Tor.com, GUD) to avoid such issues, but in this case I would find it difficult to walk away. Some markets (Abyss & Apex for example) don't send contracts until very close to publication, so they can accept the story and send you a contract nearly a year later. I don't know about what goes on at GUD, but as long as there are some signs of life there I'd probably just let it ride at this point (I mean, you've been waiting on it for so long, whats another few months to a year?)

[Polenth]

I sold a poem to Issue 7 and there was an email this year asking for updates to bios. I think they lost the editor who was handling Issue 8. That's about all I know. If it'd been a story rather than a poem, I may have withdrawn. But I rarely sell poetry, so there's nothing lost for me to wait.

[Aggy B.]

The story in question is good, but I don't know about mass appeal. It fit well with the GUD Issue 8 theme of "bad decisions make good stories". But I have wondered if a story about a borderline socio-path bounty hunter with a robot spider companion looking for redemption in the slums of Venus is going to sell well elsewhere.

I would let it ride out a little longer but I don't like it when I don't get any response to queries and I haven't heard anything from GUD since October (despite two different emails asking for updates on schedule etc.) Meh. Just a little frustrated. I'd been about to withdraw it last fall after the death of their website and dead silence from the editors and then they turned around and got it back up and sent out an acceptance email.

I just hate letting a story I think is good enough to sell elsewhere sit around doing nothing.

[Aggy B.]

After much angsting, I have sent a Withdrawal notice to GUD. I'll give them a week or so to respond if they feel like they should. (I'm not really sure if the protocol is different if a piece was accepted but not contracted, than when it's merely under consideration.)

I'll let the story breathe for a bit, then try the markets I would have normally sent it to if it hadn't been with GUD for so long.

*sigh*

[sammyjwebb]

<<huggs>> Aggy. I know you were so pleased when GUD accepted the story. Stinks that you have been left waiting to know what stage things are at.