Editor Response (Or Lack Thereof)

This should probably be moved to a more appropriate section. In the meantime, my thoughts...

My last short story submission followed a similar pattern. I sent it in and quickly got a note back saying that the magazine editor loved it but wanted it to be longer. Also, the magazine had an upcoming theme, and the editor wanted to know if I could slant the writing to that.

I made the revisions immediately and sent it back, expecting to get a response in a week or two, especially seeing as my first response had been so timely.

Time passed. And passed. I wondered if the editor hadn't loved the new slant and ending. After a while, I just figured it was a reject. It was a big disappointment because I'd written the story specifically for this magazine and wasn't sure it was marketable elsewhere.

Then I got a letter back saying the editor loved it and asking if she could hold it for a few months before publication. I agreed.

Who knows why it took so long?

My advice is that the length of time you're willing to wait should be directly proportional to how bad you want to get published in that particular magazine (or whatever). Add extra time if you wrote the story specifically for that venue.

And two weeks is pretty darn short, in my experience (which isn't a hell of a lot, magazine-wise, but still).

Good luck, and I hope this one is a yes.

Does this publication insist on exclusive submission?

If not, there is no reason not to submit it somewhere else. If the editor that is currently reading let's you know they want it, just withdraw the submission elsewhere.

I would say things are moving along just fine. "Shortly" could mean anywhere from one day to three months.

Patience is a virtue in this business.

"Shortly" is the editor's good intentions. Competing priorities have probably intruded. I wouldn't take it as a "no" so much as a sign of a delayed response.

Always follow your heart. But life does happen. Editors are just people. 6 weeks is a long time for reading...IMHO

You might want to check duotrope.com out. They have the average response times for short story markets. Unfortunately there isn't an industry standard. I've had responses in 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months and 6 months. But Duotrope should give you a good average waiting time.