Planning on subbing to Cemetery Dance?

Haggis · Feb 27, 2009

Better plan on waiting until 2010.

Just got a notice from them (enclosed with a friendly, normal form rejection), that they're not going to be accepting subs again until sometime in 2010.

There are so few pro markets out there for our genre as is. Guess we gotta suck it up some more.

Maryn · Feb 27, 2009

I subbed to them twice, with SASE and all, and never received any kind of response. This was some time ago, but I crossed them off my list then. Sounds like there's no point in reinstatement, eh?

Maryn, making a list, checking it twice

Haggis · Feb 27, 2009

Maryn said:
I subbed to them twice, with SASE and all, and never received any kind of response. This was some time ago, but I crossed them off my list then. Sounds like there's no point in reinstatement, eh?

Maryn, making a list, checking it twice

Well, damn. That wasn't friendly.

I've subbed thrice, I think, and I got a reply every time. One was even kind of a nice and encouraging reply. And they are a quality 'zine, and they do publish good stories. But, yeah, Maryn. I'd be kind of put off by that too. Once, not a problem, but twice? Not so good.

The notice said they get 500 or so subs every month, so that might explain why some might fall through the cracks. But I can see why you're not too excited by them.

Let's hope that when they reopen for subs they'll be in a position to give every story a read and most importantly, a response. In the meantime, we've got to find somewhere else to sub anyhow.

Haggis, furiously scrolling through Duotrope

Maryn · Feb 28, 2009

I write so little horror, but at the time I was reading a fair amount of it and thought my stories were as good as what they were publishing. My experience cost them a reader, too.

Lately I'm thinking about horror again, though. I reread some old Judith Merrill short stories, which were classed as "fantasy" before the term means what it does now, and thought, Damn, there's nobody writing the modern-day version of this stuff. I think I could...

Maryn, delusional

Haggis · Feb 28, 2009

That would be sweet. I'd love to see it.

Aschenbach · Feb 28, 2009

Balls. I had a story that I was going to sub there as soon as it got rejected by another market (I always expect the worst, saves disappointment.)

The closed to 2010 thing is on their website now;
http://www.cemeterydance.com/page/CDP/Guidelines#MAG

Cemetery Dance goes out bimonthly, 8 stories per issue, and already they have every slot filled for almost 2 years. Scary. Forget the slush, there are obviously a lot of very good, publishable horror stories out there, competing for so few slots.

FOTSGreg · Mar 1, 2009

Aschenbach, Or there are so few quality horror stories available that CD has to publish what it gets sometimes - not that I think that's really the case here.

I do, however, think that there is an incredible glut of horror writers in the horror market these days. Everyone hears about King's success or Koontz's success or somebody else's success and they automatically think "I can write that stuff!" Soon, the decent magazines are being deluged with 500 submissions a month, especially if they're like CD and have a reputation for decent pay and solid stories (and are also one of the few markets remaining).

It's enough to make me begin to discourage newbies from trying to write horror...

williemeikle · Mar 1, 2009

You've got to think outside the genre boxes.

Yes, I write horror, and I have pro-sales inside the genre. But several of my pro sales and many semi-pro ones, have come from selling horror to non-genre, generalist markets and anthologies. You've just got to seek them out.

Willie

bsolah · Mar 1, 2009

FOTSGreg said:
It's enough to make me begin to discourage newbies from trying to write horror...

It's probably gonna be not worth it, but I'll flag that I really disagree with this sentiment. All power to anyone who wants to write and submit, I say.

williemeikle said:
You've got to think outside the genre boxes.

Yes, I write horror, and I have pro-sales inside the genre. But several of my pro sales and many semi-pro ones, have come from selling horror to non-genre, generalist markets and anthologies. You've just got to seek them out.

Willie

I agree with this. Lately, my horror stuff has been straddling with other genres, mainly literary stuff. Perhaps I could call myself a dark fiction writer more so at the moment.

I've always wanted to submit to CD but besides probably not having something worth submitting to a market that good, the snail mail submission process makes it a bit of a confusing hassle.

Haggis · Mar 1, 2009

williemeikle said:
You've got to think outside the genre boxes.

Yes, I write horror, and I have pro-sales inside the genre. But several of my pro sales and many semi-pro ones, have come from selling horror to non-genre, generalist markets and anthologies. You've just got to seek them out.

Willie

That's a good point, Willie. Lately I've been looking into anthologies myself, and a couple of places outside the genre if I thought the story fit. No bites yet, but I'm still new to it. No way I'm giving it up.

ETA: And remember, we still have our semi-pros out there, anxious for good stories. No, our credits won't get the same love with a semi-pro sale as they will with a pro sale, but it beats the heck out of giving it away or sticking it in a box.

Aschenbach · Mar 1, 2009

williemeikle said:
You've got to think outside the genre boxes.

several of my pro sales and many semi-pro ones, have come from selling horror to non-genre, generalist markets and anthologies.

I have subbed my subtler horror shorts to mainstream/lit mags. I agree, there is a big crossover between subtle horror and dark mainstream/literary fiction.

But I also like writing stories that are pure pulp shockers. If they ever get published, it would have to be in the (diminishing) horror market.

FOTSGreg · Mar 22, 2009

bsolah, I was not, by any means, serious about that statement. Of course I would encourage anyone who wants to to write. Unfortunately, the sad truth as I've come to know it is that not everyone who thi nks they can actually can.

They can learn though, or at least the largest majority of them can - if they bother to try (but too darned many simply don't bother to try).

Feidb · Apr 2, 2009

I've submitted multiple times to them and got every one of them back unread, with the generic rejection letter in them. They could at least put a smudge, or wrinkle the paper a bit to at least make me feel like they looked at my submissions. Unless... they read every submission wearing cotton gloves, and treat the pages like postage stamp collectors.

I finally gave up. Not worth the postage.

Planning on subbing to Cemetery Dance?

Haggis

Evil, undead Chihuahua

Maryn

I Tried

Haggis

Evil, undead Chihuahua

Maryn

I Tried

Haggis

Evil, undead Chihuahua

Aschenbach

Moral Marjorie

FOTSGreg

Today is your last day.

williemeikle

The force is strong in this one.

bsolah

AW's Resident Commie

Haggis

Evil, undead Chihuahua

Aschenbach

Moral Marjorie

FOTSGreg

Today is your last day.

Feidb

Been Here A While