Pro-Rate & Semi-Pro Rate

Outlaw · Jul 8, 2008

It's been a bit since I've been around here, but I wanted to know if anyone who ventures here has yet to land a pro-rate or even a good named semi-pro rate (like Weird Tales) sale.

Last year I sold three shorts, two for low....very low....pay and one for free, the other was a three place winner in a contest. I just can't break that barrier. If anyone could help me, I'd like to know what I'm doing wrong.

Thanks

Kerry

SpookyWriter · Jul 8, 2008

Just don't mention a sale to Weird Tales because certain members got bad news this year and are not happy campers.

Haggis · Jul 8, 2008

SpookyWriter said:
Just don't mention a sale to Weird Tales because certain members got bad news this year and are not happy campers.

Not so, Spookers. I get bad news from them every year.

But that doesn't stop me.

Only semi-pro here, Outlaw. So far.

But we've got a few folk who are doing just fine. Welcome back, by the way.

Outlaw · Jul 8, 2008

SpookyWriter said:
Just don't mention a sale to Weird Tales because certain members got bad news this year and are not happy campers.

I saw that lol.

Outlaw · Jul 8, 2008

Haggis said:
Not so, Spookers. I get bad news from them every year. But that doesn't stop me.

Only semi-pro here, Outlaw. So far. But we've got a few folk who are doing just fine. Welcome back, by the way.

Well, then you are doing better than me. I've been rejected by Weird Tales for three different stories, Cemetery Dance with two, Dark Recesses a few times, The Shroad Mag, and so and so forth. I just don't get it. I must be missing something.

Someday though...I will never give up.

BTW thanks for the welcome. I check in from time to time, but writing the novel (which I finished and its going into the third - and hopefully final - draft), working (plus raising a 14 year old daughter who is off the charts out of control) has had a major toll on me and our housefold. I'm getting back into it though. Which is the reason for the question. I mean, if someone that's been taken on by them reads my stuff and can help, I'd be happy.

Thanks again.

CACTUSWENDY · Jul 8, 2008

Hi and welcome back to the fold.

BASOS rule! (BASOS = Brotherhood and Sisterhood of Sickos)

We just did a 100 word flash challenge and a bunch of us sent off subs. I sent out like 9 of them. Nothing good yet to report, but will keep on trying.

I am pretty new at this horror stuff. (love it.) You might use the SYW on some of your smaller stuff and see what the gang thinks. There is some real great input going on there.

Wish you much success.

Outlaw · Jul 8, 2008

CACTUSWENDY said:
Hi and welcome back to the fold.

BASOS rule! (BASOS = Brotherhood and Sisterhood of Sickos)

We just did a 100 word flash challenge and a bunch of us sent off subs. I sent out like 9 of them. Nothing good yet to report, but will keep on trying.

I am pretty new at this horror stuff. (love it.) You might use the SYW on some of your smaller stuff and see what the gang thinks. There is some real great input going on there.

Wish you much success.

Smaller stuff....lol. Most of my shorts are now over 5000 words, and so far the writers I hang with (some who have been published in larger venues [one of which just got his first book signed to a contract and it looks to be set to be made into a movie] all say I have thge skills and my stories are good enough. Yet, I was rejected 38 times last year and only three sold out of the ten I subbed. I suppose thats not bad numbers, but it kills me, because the clout for agents and book publishers comes from the pro-rate sales...not giving them away.

Thanks for the thoughts though. I post most of my stuff on the BBS, and that because they are so long....me write a flash....heheheheheheheheheheheheh on my lmao. I'm like King, I am a wordy sob.

Kerry

Kerr · Jul 8, 2008

Hey Kerry! Love the name. Hehe. I think I'm here going on a year. What the heck is BBS?
And those shorts Wendy mentioned have been a real learning experience trying to stick anything into 100 words. It makes you consider every one of them and what's really important. Talk about tightening up your writing. I'll bet even SK could learn something there. I love that guy to pieces, but I put Needful Things down right in the middle because I just couldn't wait another page for him to quit introducing characters and get to the story. LOL Know what I mean?

Outlaw · Jul 8, 2008

Kerr said:
Hey Kerry! Love the name. Hehe. I think I'm here going on a year. What the heck is BBS?
And those shorts Wendy mentioned have been a real learning experience trying to stick anything into 100 words. It makes you consider every one of them and what's really important. Talk about tightening up your writing. I'll bet even SK could learn something there. I love that guy to pieces, but I put Needful Things down right in the middle because I just couldn't wait another page for him to quit introducing characters and get to the story. LOL Know what I mean?

LoL, I thought your handle looked familiar. The BBS is actually the WBBS, which is a board for writers. I've met quite a few very good writers there, two of which have books published and quite a few have had pro-rate short sales. We tend to have open ended monthly challanges, but most try to stay under the 5K mark. I have as well, but its not my wordiness that gets me in trouble, its my details. Everyone loves my characters and exceptional characters take words to bring to life...lots of them. Heck, two of my three latest ones I was told I need to make longer (novella length) and those were 7600 words +.

As for King, some stories are like that, I know....Lindsey's Story comes to mind...God that book kills me. Yet, I'm the same guy who read the unabridged version of The Stand 7 times. Talk about a long story. And there are some - Duma Key - which are excellent, but parts feel stiffling to read. Yeah, I get what you are saying, but I'm not wordy like King, I'm just detail orientied and I have a tendency to really like developing my characters to the max, which again takes time....even in shorts.

I'd post a story around here, but I might get slammed for the length.

Kerry

PS - If you - or anyone else - would like to check out the BBS, please feel free to PM me.

Outlaw · Jul 8, 2008

BTW Kerr, the one thing about the challanges in the BBS is that when you post a story, to vote on the stories at the end, you must critique every other story posted in that month to vote, which ,eans you get lots of time working on editing....which helps a great deal with editing your own work. Its how I've learned a lot.

Kerry

Kerr · Jul 8, 2008

I hear ya. I think it's almost more important to edit others than to write your own. We're never very good at finding our mistakes, but those same mistakes will seem to glare out of other people's work.

I wouldn't worry too much about the length thing as far as posting in SYW. I did see somewhere that someone broke their story into two parts, one after the other. That way, it can be read straight through but critiqued separately. Me, I like wordy. Once I'm drawn into a character you could hand me a tomb. My problem has always been the opposite. I run out of things to say. One good thing, a lot of mags seem to prefer 2,000 and under. I guess they've got their sections mapped for certain lengths. It's hell though, when you long to write novels.

Outlaw · Jul 10, 2008

Wow...not a single pro rate sale here? Thats amazing. Sad and amazing.

Kerry

David McAfee · Jul 10, 2008

what's REALLY sad is that I don't even know what the difference is. Pro rate? Semi Pro? Huh? Whazzat mean?

Outlaw · Jul 10, 2008

David McAfee said:
what's REALLY sad is that I don't even know what the difference is. Pro rate? Semi Pro? Huh? Whazzat mean?

Okay, here it is in a nutshell. Pro Rate is 5 cents a word or better, Semi-Pro is 2-5 cents a word. and anything under that is basic.

GhostAuthor · Jul 10, 2008

Kerry,
Well, I've had semi-pro sales. Aberrant Dreams mag to be exact. The story is in their anthology.

Keep in mind too, that there are very few pro paying markets and it is shrinking.

As far as the rejection - every writer wants a pro sale so they are usually slammed with submissions. Think of it this way - hundreds of submissions a month - only a handful of slots available. You've got about the same odds of winning a lottery.

Haggis · Jul 10, 2008

Outlaw said:
Wow...not a single pro rate sale here? Thats amazing. Sad and amazing.

Kerry

Not true, Kerry. Not true. At least one of our folks has had several pro sales, just this year. (Where are you, Willie?). There well may well be others. I do know of several novel sales too. But most of us are trying. Competition's damn tough and the available pubs are few. What with most pro acceptance rates at less than 3% it ain't easy, that's for sure.

Jcomp · Jul 10, 2008

That first pro sale is indeed very elusive. I was knocking at the door once with a story being strongly considered that was ultimately passed. Still hunting.

Outlaw · Jul 10, 2008

GhostAuthor said:
Kerry,
Well, I've had semi-pro sales. Aberrant Dreams mag to be exact. The story is in their anthology.

Keep in mind too, that there are very few pro paying markets and it is shrinking.

As far as the rejection - every writer wants a pro sale so they are usually slammed with submissions. Think of it this way - hundreds of submissions a month - only a handful of slots available. You've got about the same odds of winning a lottery.

Yeah, I know what you mean, but I've yet to even crack the semi-pro yet. I got close with Dark Recesses and Abberant Dreams, but still not anything higher than $8 by the now dead Nocturnal Ooze.

I want Cemetery Dance. I will not rest until I have a salw to them....PERIOD

Outlaw · Jul 10, 2008

Haggis said:
Not true, Kerry. Not true. At least one of our folks has had several pro sales, just this year. (Where are you, Willie?). There well may well be others. I do know of several novel sales too. But most of us are trying. Competition's damn tough and the available pubs are few. What with most pro acceptance rates at less than 3% it ain't easy, that's for sure.

Oh, I'm sure there are or have been. I mean I know Liam has his second book out now -or its coming out - from here, and I know of two guys over at the WBBS who have book contracts, and some of them had semi and pro rates, but even they claim my stuff should make the grade. Which is why I posed the question here. I mean, maybe with more eyes on it by those who've hit semi and pro, the better I'll get at finind a way in.

Speaking of Liam, anyone talk to him? I eamiled him the other day, but I'm not sure if he remembers me or is just too busy to reply. I hope things are going great for him.

Also, if any of you folks who've hit the semi pro sales would have time, I'd love to get your feedback on one or two of my stories, maybe see where I need to work on things.

Thanks

Kerry

Outlaw · Jul 10, 2008

Jcomp said:
That first pro sale is indeed very elusive. I was knocking at the door once with a story being strongly considered that was ultimately passed. Still hunting.

Yeah, I'm right there with you. Cmetery Dance is my goal, that or a book contract for my latest MS.

Thanks

Kerry

Haggis · Jul 10, 2008

From what I can tell, Liam is doing great. He still stops by from time to time, and we're always delighted to see him. You've reminded me to check for his next one, because I loved Offspring. Something tells me it's due in August, but I'll have to check. Our friend Neurofizz (Richard Satterlie) has a couple out now, and a new one almost out (which I've had the pleasure of reading early). Badducky (J.M. McDermott) and Jcomp both have sweet stories available through Pseudopod. The Duck also has an awesome fantasy/literary novel that came out a couple of months ago that's gotten great reviews. Williemeikle (William Meikle) keeps racking up pro sale after pro sale. Several of our folks have agents now and are just waiting for that sale. So, I'd say things are looking good.

Anyone in our genre would be nuts if they didn't want to get pubbed by CD. ChiZine is another. Good pay, great credit. But there are others, like Weird Tales, that don't qualify as "pro" based on pay, but are equally, and even sometimes better as credits.

So, I guess my point is, keep writing. Submit from the top, down. Work the pros, then the semi's then on down. The more you write, the better you get, and the better your chances.

Someone asked Willie the secret of his recent success. He said, and I'm paraphrasing him here, "I write a story a week and submit one a week." I'm working harder than ever, and not even writing/subbing at 25% of his level. So, I guess, that says it all.

Tburger · Jul 11, 2008

I'm glad you guys posted this - it gives me some perspective on the difficulties EVERYONE has.

Outlaw · Jul 11, 2008

That's cool Haggis, and thanks. I didn't want to sound like a whiner, really I didn't. It just gets frustrating some times.

Glad to see there a few who still roam the boards that have some success.

Kerry

Pro-Rate & Semi-Pro Rate

Outlaw

SpookyWriter

Haggis

Evil, undead Chihuahua

Outlaw

Outlaw

CACTUSWENDY

An old, sappy, and happy one.

Outlaw

Kerr

I vant to bite you

Outlaw

Outlaw

Kerr

I vant to bite you

Outlaw

David McAfee

God of Squirrels

Outlaw

GhostAuthor

She who should be writing

Haggis

Evil, undead Chihuahua

Jcomp

Outlaw

Outlaw

Outlaw

Haggis

Evil, undead Chihuahua

Tburger

Wahoowa

Outlaw