Middling It

[Tienci]

Originally Posted by Tienci

'Middling it' since mid-late April with 2 pro markets: one, I'm prepared for a long wait and not getting my hopes up (as it seems almost everyone and their pets have made it to the 2nd round . Plus I've made 2nd round there before but ultimately got an R at the final round). The other market was a surprise and a long shot, but I'm still crossing my fingers. I'm just happy to have gotten to this point with this market honestly--it enforces my belief the story can be sold.

And I'm down to middling it with one market (form R from Apex--the surprise market).

Good luck Project Deadlight!

[Project Deadlight]

Subbed yesterday to the specterspectacular anth and had a reply today that said: "we've received your submission and are considering it for publication. We'll be making rolling decisions in order to get back to everyone as soon as possible, but please be aware that final decisions may take until August 1".

Does this mean my story is under consideration, or that they just received it safe and they will read it later? The 1 day form R on DT makes me hope it's the former.

[alexshvartsman]

Their wording is rather ambiguous. It does sound like it passed their initial "this isn't written in crayon on the back of a cereal box" check, and will be read.

[kd1984]

Crickets have crawled inside my brain. Out at 32 days at Ideomancer, and there have been earlier responses reported on DT, so I'm hoping I've at least made it past slush. 32 days at Buzzy, but that's pretty normal. And finally 19 days at Shimmer without a peep. Again, I'm really keeping my fingers crossed on that one. Surely it's made it up to a second round?

[O'Dandelo]

Originally Posted by kd1984

Crickets have crawled inside my brain. Out at 32 days at Ideomancer, and there have been earlier responses reported on DT, so I'm hoping I've at least made it past slush. 32 days at Buzzy, but that's pretty normal. And finally 19 days at Shimmer without a peep. Again, I'm really keeping my fingers crossed on that one. Surely it's made it up to a second round?

Shimmer notifies you when a story is sent up to the second round. However, since they raised their rates to 3 c/word, their response times have been sporadic, so that may not be the case anymore.

[mhaynes]

Originally Posted by kd1984

Crickets have crawled inside my brain.

Oh, I so hear that!

39 pieces out and I've received exactly TWO replies in the last seven days. I don't know why, but I start feeling antsy when the flow of replies dries up like this.

I expect a flood of replies over the next few days. Hoping at least one of them is good news.

[alexshvartsman]

My rejections have been coming in steadily. Not too many, but not too far apart so I can avoid the crickets. Just how I like it.

On the positive middling side, I seem to have survived the great slush purge at Buzzy Magazine today. Duotrope is showing at least two dozen R's today ranging between 40'ish and 15 days. I'm at 33 days. Cautiously optimistic!

[mhaynes]

Originally Posted by alexshvartsman

On the positive middling side, I seem to have survived the great slush purge at Buzzy Magazine today. Duotrope is showing at least two dozen R's today ranging between 40'ish and 15 days. I'm at 33 days. Cautiously optimistic!

Right there with you. Almost literally -- at 32 days.

[kd1984]

STILL out at Buzzy. Buzzy's is 34 days. I queried Ideomancer yesterday regarding my 34 day sub and got an email back this morning asking when I'd sent it because they cannot find it in the database. I have the email verification they sent, so if anything, I can re-forward it, but it is TERRIBLY disappointing to have been thinking that they were considering it only to find that it is lost somewhere in the ether.

Hopes feeling rather dashed today.

[alexshvartsman]

Very sorry to hear about this... Happened to me a couple of times already (at different markets). This is why I'm a fan of querying aggressively, once guidelines allow.

[zanzjan]

Originally Posted by kd1984

it is TERRIBLY disappointing to have been thinking that they were considering it only to find that it is lost somewhere in the ether.

Oooh, I *hate* that. And it seems to happen more often than it should, esp. when there's an "automated" system in place.

I've only got one story out, nowhere near ART, but I've had a story out to my betas for like a month now w/o them getting back to me, and it's making me seriously antsy. Much darker than my usual stuff, so I'm enough unsure about it to not be willing to skip my betas.

[kd1984]

I'm still out at Buzzy at 39 days. I'm starting to get paranoid--since IM lost my submission--that this sub was lost as well since I sent it on the same day as the IM one.

And their DT responses for the past few days have been in the teens and twenties. I'd like to say that I can query, but they say to wait until 60 days have passed. BUT if they never received it, I REALLY don't want to wait until 60 days out since they don't take sim subs.

Cricket Central over here.

[J.W. Alden]

I'm up to 113 days with my second rounder at Penumbra. Fingers still crossed.

[O'Dandelo]

Originally Posted by kd1984

I'm still out at Buzzy at 39 days. I'm starting to get paranoid--since IM lost my submission--that this sub was lost as well since I sent it on the same day as the IM one.

And their DT responses for the past few days have been in the teens and twenties. I'd like to say that I can query, but they say to wait until 60 days have passed. BUT if they never received it, I REALLY don't want to wait until 60 days out since they don't take sim subs.

Cricket Central over here.

The odds are on your side. What are the chances that TWO submissions didn't reach their destinations? Plus you mentioned that the story Buzzy has is "hard horror," and I get the impression you have a great shot with it there.

[Project Deadlight]

Originally Posted by J.W. Alden

I'm up to 113 days with my second rounder at Penumbra. Fingers still crossed.

Hey J.W., just to let you know that Penumbra always do their second round acceptances/rejections in one big batch. When those around your mark start coming in, start the sweating!

[J.W. Alden]

Thanks, Deadlight! I knew I'd have a long wait on my hands since my submission was for the July issue, but it's still tough to keep from holding my breath.

[alexshvartsman]

I'm back from a 3-day business trip and the editors were very kind not to pester me with any rejections while I was gone. I'm sure the fact that it was Nebula weekend and they were all busy had nothing to do with that at all.

This week should be a busy one in terms of responses though. I should be hearing back re: Penumbra Politics issue (survived day 1 of the Rs today apparently), 40 days at Grand Science Fiction (editor blogged that he'd get back to everyone by tomorrow), 18 days DSF, 13 days Apex, 9 days F&SF, 6 days A&A, SH and Buzzy... and nearly a dozen more.

Yeah, I better get my rejection umbrella ready.

[gettingby]

I just sent out submission number 31. Things have been really quiet for me. It is making me anxious. I feel like they are all going to come in at once. Wouldn't that be something?

[alexshvartsman]

According to Duotrope, 10 of my 17 submissions are beyond the average response times at their markets. Those rejections are going to begin showing up any second now.

[Aggy B.]

I've got one at Goldfish Grimm's at 49 days. One with Apex at 10. One at BCS at 15. And one at Lightspeed at 2.

(There are others, but still in the wash before they start to get close to a slush watershed.)

I guess it's just as well I'm focusing on selling what I have written while I wait for my RL to settle down enough to allow further writing.

[Kweei]

I haven't posted much, but have 5 out right now which is the most I've ever had at one time before.

Waiting for responses on all 5, with 3 being pro markets. Some have been out longer than the average, but with no response either way, I'll just keep waiting.

My goal is to have something published in a pro market this year, but ack. So hard!

[pangalactic]

All of my subs are out past the average, which is a good sign. I've started to get some Rs back now though - 2 in the last few days, after weeks of silence - but fingers crossed that some acceptances come in with them!

Has anybody here who subbed to the Borderlands anthology heard anything yet?

[mhaynes]

Nothing but crickets for a solid week.

[sammyjwebb]

Got my self in gear over the holiday weekend and kicked a bunch of flash pieces out the door with orders to earn back their cost in hard drive space. So 6 outstanding right now - largest number ever.

[W.L. Marks]

Crickets from A&A, Flash Fiction Online, and Apex...but they're not very loud ones yet.