Heh -- I've never paid enough attention to my F&SF rejection notes to catch these differences. I guess I'll have to keep an eye out in the future!
Rejectomancy
- Thread starter Aggy B.
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Heh -- I've never paid enough attention to my F&SF rejection notes to catch these differences. I guess I'll have to keep an eye out in the future!
I didn't know "the code" early on either, and threw away the slips from my early submissions. Now I wish I kept them, to see how far each story got.
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From Marzioli's post said:
This is interesting. I wonder if John Joseph Adams uses the same system. I've always gotten the 'didn't work for me' rejection from him.
BTW, the other day I realized that I've been rejected by John Joseph Adams fours different times through three different markets (I think I made the poor guy reject the same story twice
)
I kind of doubt it. In my early days of utter short-story cluelessness, I sent some stinkers his way that "didn't quite work for him," a response I still get now. Of course I may still be utterly clueless, but either way would indicated it's a low tiered response.
As for Fantasy & Science Fiction Mag, I just realized Stephen Mazure hand initials all his responses. That's pretty classy, if you ask me. ... Unless he has an assistant do it, which is possible, still nice, but probably less classy.
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He still uses it, presumably for his anthologies but at Lightspeed for sure. I may be wrong, but it believe JJA that started that tiered system when he was at F&SF and they kept using it when he left.
Stephen IS the assistant. He's the one who reads most of the slush (and Lisa Rogers occasionally reads some). What you *really* want is an R slip signed by GVG (well, what you really want is an acceptance. But, barring that...)
After nine days of straight rejections I broke the streak! Nothing but crickets for me on Valentines Day.
I have two brand-new stories almost ready to go out and hit the top markets which reject quickly (Lightspeed, Clarkesworld) so the crickets won't reign for long.
I have two brand-new stories almost ready to go out and hit the top markets which reject quickly (Lightspeed, Clarkesworld) so the crickets won't reign for long.
Yay for breaking the streak!
Anyway, my first post in this thread. I currently have one short out with One Buck Horror. It's been slightly over thirty days, but I'm not hoping for anything (yeah, right).
Anyway, my first post in this thread
. I currently have one short out with One Buck Horror. It's been slightly over thirty days, but I'm not hoping for anything (yeah, right).
Woo-hoo!
I had a streak of my own going the last three days -- a cricket streak. With about 40 pieces out, getting no answers of any kind for even two days in a row is an oddity...
A rejection from Kazka Press's new short story contest came in this morning, ending that streak and, quite possibly, starting a new streak.
40 submissions out??? Wow, I have 4! I really need to get into the flow of cranking stuff out!
*bows before W1/S1ers humbly*
*bows before W1/S1ers humbly*
I have 15 stories out, with 2 more ready to join in the fun this week. I've been trying to build up the inventory, but the darn things have been selling which, come to think of it, I *really* can't complain about
So, I have a question about the Lightspeed Rs. I got one a month or so ago that I thought was a higher tier form. But comparing it to the higher tier R at Rejection Wiki there's an extra line in mine.
MINE:
Rejection Wiki:
Does this push it into "personal" rejection territory or do you think he's just modifying his higher tier response?
Aggy, back to crickets
MINE:
Rejection Wiki:
Does this push it into "personal" rejection territory or do you think he's just modifying his higher tier response?
Aggy, back to crickets
Aggy: Its higher tier form, but still very nice given how tough a market LS is
ETA: Personally I don't consider anything to be a personal R unless it specifically references some aspect of the submitted story
ETA: Personally I don't consider anything to be a personal R unless it specifically references some aspect of the submitted story
That's what I figured (and that's usually my criteria too), but the previous higher tier R I got from them didn't have that last line "I hope you'll try me again with something else". So I was trying to figure out if that was a personal note or just the evolution of the response. (I've only tried four stories at Fantasy/Lightspeed. The first two got lower tier Rs, the last two got higher tier.)
It's just the crickets driving me nutty that's made me curious, I expect.
Aggy, a little nutty anyway
Alternatively just submit the same stories to multiple markets that accept sim subs.
Form R's from Shock Totem and Threepenny Review this week.
defcon6000
Banned
On the bright side, Shock Totem has been much speedier with responses the last couple of weeks, according to Duotrope.
defcon6000
Banned
Indeed. Always prefer the speedy 'no' verse the months of waiting (and hoping) for the inevitable.
Got my Shock Totem R late last night, too. AND, surprisingly, an email R from Electric Literature for a story they submishmash-rejected MONTHS ago. (New note: Actually, I just discovered they don't use submishmash, and that I had withdrawn the submission two months ago).
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defcon6000
Banned
So sent the story that was rejected by ST off to Shadows & Tall Trees -- also rejected, haha. But cool thing was that the editor remembered I had subbed to him before.
Going to tryOne Buck Horror then EDF (collecting my bundle of stories for submission) Bards and Sages.
Going to try
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