I Hate Duotrope

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MattJ

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I know a lot of us here use Duotrope. Heck, I even donated money to them. But let me tell you why I hate Duotrope:

1. Wasted time. One day, I spent a few hours writing, editing, and rewriting a small flash piece. Then I spent two days straight on Duotrope looking for the perfect market. Oh, what's this editor's preference? Click here to find out? Certainly.

2. A new way to obsess. Before Duotrope, I could only obsess about my stories and how long they were out. Now, I can easily obsess over whether my stories are in the average acceptance range or average rejection range. I can obsess whether I'll get a rejection, a personalized rejection, or fall into that 2% non responsive category.

3. Under-reporting. I thought a 0.00003% acceptance rate was disheartening. Then I discovered that was considered "high for the market."

4. Weekly fiction digest. God forbid I go a day without checking Duotrope. Now they're invading my emails?

Oh, Duotrope.
 

Damian_Rucci

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yeah, duotrope is quite a calamity for free-time occasionally. I find myself doing what you said just reading over the markets for hours and hours on end.
 

Izz

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And don't forget: you can subscribe to an RSS feed that'll send reports of each response for the markets you currently have stories out to directly to your feed reader...

(i love duotrope so much--probably because i'm a stats man)
 
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Nathaniel Katz

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I started submitted using duotrope. I honestly cannot imagine doing this without it, and I've donated twice.

Before I came here, I wasn't aware of the stats about how recent responses went out and stuff. Before that, I only checked every three or four days. Now I'm every day.
 

MJNL

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Guns don't kill people, people kill people.

Websites don't make people obsess, people make themselves obsess.

:)
 

Nathaniel Katz

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Guns don't kill people, people kill people.

Websites don't make people obsess, people make themselves obsess.

:)

So true.

*refreshes the Strange Horizons duotrope page*

*refreshes it again*
 

entropic island

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The only time work of mine has been published, it's been because of Duotrope. But yeah, it's kind of incredibly addicting.
 

Gray Rose

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So true.

*refreshes the Strange Horizons duotrope page*

*refreshes it again*

I'm doing that too right now. They are very much behind. I've never had such a long wait with them before, including on shortlisted "we almost bought this" and sold material.

Good luck to you!

Re: guns, etc. I love Duotrope but I would recommend against subscribing to the RSS and the digest. I don't get the digest. The refreshing is enough of a time sink imho. Your mileage may vary, obviously!
 

Gray Rose

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Strange Horizons was supposed to be down until 27 Mar. You know why they're back online? That's right. Duotrope said they were open, now they're open. :evil

Just saw this. They said "we'll reopen on or before March 27th." This is the before.

I don't understand this, considering the backlog.
 

russetpomme

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One of the main fiction editors at SH has been doing a lot of traveling recently, and I think they may be short-staffed on first readers (not entirely sure) but I know those guys work hard. I was a first reader for SH for two months last year and I just could NOT keep up and work at the same time. I loved it though, and the staff is just amazing.

I also have a Duotrope obsession and their RSS feed of responses to markets I'm currently submitted to is now one of my hourly web stops. It's kind of sick.
 

Gray Rose

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One of the main fiction editors at SH has been doing a lot of traveling recently, and I think they may be short-staffed on first readers (not entirely sure) but I know those guys work hard.

Oh, I'm not saying they're not working hard! They do an amazing job! I am just a bit perplexed as to why they reopened to submissions when they are still so much behind; I thought it would make sense to use these days to clear up the slush as much as possible. But that is, of course, their call.

The first reader situation does not really apply to me; I don't think I've been rejected by a first reader in the last two years (or gotten a form from SH, for that matter).

And yes, reading slush is intense. I could never read prose slush. Now, poetry slush is another matter :D
 

NicoleMD

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I totally hear you. When I get to obsessed with Doutrope, I change my password to something like N0wi3j20soi523, write it down and leave it in my desk at work. So it's safe, but I can't check it at home. If there's an emergency you can click the forgot my password option, so not a total fix, but it does make it a lot less easy to get distracted by response times.

Hmmm...speaking of which, I think it might be time for me to change my password again...

Nicole
 

Nathaniel Katz

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I've actually been meaning to apply to be a Strange Horizons slush reader, I've just been delaying because they might frown on doing so while under consideration.
 

Nathaniel Katz

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20 stories a week? Wow, that's a lot.

It does sound like a lot of reading, but I think it'd be worth it for the experience. Besides, I read fast (about one to two hundred pages a day without stressing myself).
 

Gray Rose

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I totally hear you. When I get to obsessed with Doutrope, I change my password to something like N0wi3j20soi523, write it down and leave it in my desk at work. So it's safe, but I can't check it at home. If there's an emergency you can click the forgot my password option, so not a total fix, but it does make it a lot less easy to get distracted by response times.

Hmmm...speaking of which, I think it might be time for me to change my password again...

Nicole

but, but... you don't need to be logged in, in order to check the latest responses page... *shifty eyes*
 

alexshvartsman

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Rose,

I don't think they are that far behind, except maybe on the short-listed material. I just had a 30-day rejection from them (which did not get past the slush reader, sadly).
 

Izz

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I used to get past SH's slush readers. Not anymore, it seems. Won't stop me from trying, though.
 

Gray Rose

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Rose,
I don't think they are that far behind, except maybe on the short-listed material. I just had a 30-day rejection from them (which did not get past the slush reader, sadly).

Thank you. And better luck next time!

BTW, Alex, did you ever hear back from Apex? Cat was clearing her slush recently...

I am checking the SH submission status page and I note that their oldest story was submitted 79 days ago (http://www.strangehorizons.com/guidelines/fiction-status.shtml). I submitted later than that, although not by much. Which is to say, crickets.

I really like this story of mine, and if SH doesn't want it, I have other places in mind. It's a new one!

I used to get past SH's slush readers. Not anymore, it seems. Won't stop me from trying, though.

Heh. I wonder what happened.

See, in my case I just don't think it's merit; simply I am a contributor, and I suspect contributors bypass the slush at SH? No idea.
 

NicoleMD

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but, but... you don't need to be logged in, in order to check the latest responses page... *shifty eyes*

You're right. I'd better go check if SH posted any more responses since four hours ago!

Nicole
 

Regan Leigh

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And don't forget: you can subscribe to an RSS feed that'll send reports of each response for the markets you currently have stories out to directly to your feed reader...

(i love duotrope so much--probably because i'm a stats man)

1) I love this thread.
2) *jawdrops* RSS feed?

I better run away now before you guys make my addiction worse. ;)
 

scottVee

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Funny thread. I'll second the "Websites don't make people obsess" note. I've used duotrope (and ralan) to find markets for years. I couldn't care less where I stack up against anyone, or how the numbers fall out, though I do care slightly about reported response times and don't bother with notoriously slow responders. I certainly wouldn't waste time entering all of my 1,000+ stories and poems in their database. I just check for markets when I have a specific piece that doesn't fit my usual targets. Done.
 
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