Did I send my work to a scam?

poeticjustice_2001 · Apr 28, 2012

So I found a call for submission for an anthology (erotic) for an e-publisher, Sizzler Editions. Anyone ever heard of them?

Anyway, the submission call was not posted on the publishers website but on an independent blog.It's here: http://www.mariannelacroix.com/518/

I am still pretty inexperienced with submissions to e-pubs; I didn't double check to see if the info was on the official website. But the wording of the blog is like they are representing for the publisher.

So just before the deadline on March 30th, I emailed the editor at Sizzler to ask if they required any additional stuff with the story, like a synopsis.
She responded : We don't think this was ever announced at our site. Could you have seen it somewhere else. We are negotiating for this project but do not have a contract yet.

So when I responded to her email asked if the blog had posted incorrect information, she sent this message :
It is not wrong, it is correct in principle. But you should be contacting the person whose website you saw it on. She would have the most information.

Ok, what the heck does that mean? If the e-publisher is making this anthology, then why refer submissions to a place outside of their official website? And if they aren't making it, or at least not yet, then the blog isn't correct. Right?
This is all very confusing to me.
I already had the short story written, so I sent it to the email provided on the blog. A week later, I sent another email asking for a confirmation they had received the story. I still haven't received a response.

I'd like to hear others opinions on this; if anyone has some more experience with e-pub submissions or even a situation similar to this one. And also if anyone has heard of Sizzler Editions.

Thanks, you guys are the best!

sailor · Apr 28, 2012

Sizzler Editions has a new call for submissions on the Erotic Reader's-Writer's Association site. The page says the publisher is Renaissance E-Books/Sizzler Editions. However, on the Sizzler site, it doesn't list that particular call. A while ago there was a thread for Renaissance E-Books (here) under the Bewares, Recommendations and Background forum. The last entry was in 2009 but some of the people mentioned in the thread are still involved with Sizzler Editions. And whether the issues brought up in thread are still happening I don't know.

Who knows whether someone is playing games or not. A good idea is check out the publisher before submitting, something I have been guilty of not doing myself. This is a good place to start.

Not sure if this helps with your situation now just something to keep in mind for the future.

c.m.n. · Apr 28, 2012

I noticed the author of that independent blog claims she's a guest editor and author for Sizzler. Have you looked at the official Sizzler site in search of her books?

It's hard to tell whether it's a scam or not. But if the e-pub itself said they haven't decided on that anthology yet, it might have been an idea that just didn't get the approval. Unfortunately, the editor in question could have posted that on her blog without getting the official okay, and now she might not only have your submission but other's too.

I'd think, keep e-mailing. And if you haven't heard back within a month or two (I know it's hard to wait that long), figure it might have been a scam or something else, and go back to subbing.

Make sure to look at official websites for anthology calls, or research the editor's who are listing at their blogs.

poeticjustice_2001 · Apr 28, 2012

Thanks for the info and suggestions, I really appreciate it!
I'll be more careful in the future.

thothguard51 · Apr 28, 2012

I have seen this with other small presses where an editor or author they have worked with in the past pitches the anthology and then becomes responsible for gathering the submissions, editing, formatting etc and only then does the publisher pick up the story if it meets their needs.

Most of the time, the publisher will only deal with the editor or author pitching the anthology because of contractual obligations.

If you feel uncomfortable about this, I would send a second email to the same address you sent the submission and inform them you are withdrawing your submission from consideration. If this is a scam, if might not stop them from using your work anyway, but it might put a bug in their bonnet...

gingerwoman · Apr 28, 2012

Question for the above person....are you the Nick Anthony who used to work at Ruthie's Club?

veinglory · Apr 29, 2012

Yes, Sizzler is a know epublisher.

And they have anthologies put together by guest editors. When this is done the anthology will not typically appear on the site until after the contributors are finalized. This is true for small and for large presses.

I see nothing suspicious in what you describe.

poeticjustice_2001 · Apr 29, 2012

That's a relief Veinglory, thanks.
If this is their normal process, how long should I wait to hear from them about acceptance, before assuming it was rejected and re-subbing somewhere else?
Especially since my email requesting confirmation of receipt was never answered?

gingerwoman · Apr 29, 2012

Did you send your request to the person collecting the submissions for the anthology? Because as the person at Sizzler said ...all your communications should be with her.
There is no telling when you'll hear back. You just have to wait. Really you need to forget about it and start writing your next story.

Aggy B. · Apr 30, 2012

poeticjustice_2001 said:
That's a relief Veinglory, thanks.
If this is their normal process, how long should I wait to hear from them about acceptance, before assuming it was rejected and re-subbing somewhere else?
Especially since my email requesting confirmation of receipt was never answered?

Also remember that it is okay to let them know that if you don't receive a response by a certain date you will assume the story is rejected and will be moving on to other markets. The trick is not to sound like you're trying to leverage for a fast response.

But, for me, lack of response to queries about a submissions status (especially after a considerable length of time has passed between submission, query and no response) means I send a second email stating the story has been withdrawn. I don't deal with editors who ignore queries.

WildScribe · Apr 30, 2012

Just another note agreeing with Veinglory. This is normal.

What is not normal is not hearing back from the editor at all. I would personally send her one more note letting her know that I am withdrawing the story if I have not heard back after a certain amount of time. I'd probably wait 6-8 weeks, but that's just me, and I generally have a lot of balls in the air, so one doesn't matter so much. When I edited, all of my authors had an answer in less than 3 months, but it can take a lot longer depending on how busy the editor is and how many submissions they get. But again, a response confirming receipt should not be that hard...

poeticjustice_2001 · Apr 30, 2012

Ok so the general consensus seems to be: wait a certain amount of time and then send an email saying if I don't hear back by X date, I will be submitting it somewhere else. OR I can also send an email saying that I am withdrawing the piece from consideration.

Thanks, I feel like I am on a big learning curve right now.

On a side note, I don't think it's probable that the editor is being flooded with too many entries and this is causing a long response time... because when I checked the blog again after the submission date it had an added note "Deadline extended until filled."

c.m.n. · Apr 30, 2012

poeticjustice_2001 said:
On a side note, I don't think it's probable that the editor is being flooded with too many entries and this is causing a long response time... because when I checked the blog again after the submission date it had an added note "Deadline extended until filled."

Considering the added note, it might take awhile to hear back.

It is all up to you at this point. You can keep your short there and start working on something else. Or you can withdraw.

Of course, I'm new and I wasn't sure how some epubs do their anthologies since I go through publisher sites.
But maybe this would be a great chance to work on something new while your short story waits for approval.

Did I send my work to a scam?

poeticjustice_2001

sailor

still new

c.m.n.

Beary cute ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

poeticjustice_2001

thothguard51

A Gentleman of a refined age...

gingerwoman

veinglory

volitare nequeo

poeticjustice_2001

gingerwoman

Aggy B.

Not as sweet as you think

WildScribe

Slave to the Wordcount

poeticjustice_2001

c.m.n.

Beary cute ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)