Rejectomancy

Tienci

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There we go!
R from Apex just came in.
It was my 4th sub to them, but the first to get passed on to the Editor-in-Chief.
Story's going back out right now...
 

Sai

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Well, they didn't like my space-set sci-fi. Got the r today.

Commisses my friend. Today is a bad day for us.

I've been saving this for a special occasion: 'Another suitcase' from Evita. I like to pretend that instead of Madonna, it's my story that's being rejected repeatedly. I find that after listening to it things don't seem so bad. And it's fun to play the air saxophone during the wailing sax solo at the 1:50 mark.
 

O'Dandelo

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What do Buzzy seem to prefer then? Anyone got a handle?

My feel for Buzzy is that they prefer things on the lighter side. Not always bad stories, you'll understand. (I genuinely liked Alex's story.) But typically "fluff" that is pure entertainment. Along the lines of the Jim Butcher novels, for which they do the audiobook versions.

They've published one true horror story, and it was, as defcon already pointed out, um, not good, to be nice about it.

Personally, considering that what I write is virtually never on the light side, I'm removing them from my submission list.
 

Marzioli

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Got an R (for the Egrets story) from fledgling $.03 semi-pro Fantastic Frontier Magazine. Possible form looks like this:

"Thank you for your recent submission to Fantastic Frontiers Magazine. While we appreciate your submission, at this time we are unable to find a place for it in our magazine.

We think that you have much potential, and we hope that you submit to our magazine in the future."

I might be their first rejection!
 

defcon6000

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My feel for Buzzy is that they prefer things on the lighter side. Not always bad stories, you'll understand. (I genuinely liked Alex's story.) But typically "fluff" that is pure entertainment. Along the lines of the Jim Butcher novels, for which they do the audiobook versions.

They've published one true horror story, and it was, as defcon already pointed out, um, not good, to be nice about it.

Personally, considering that what I write is virtually never on the light side, I'm removing them from my submission list.
Echoing this. They even say it on their site that the material has to be suitable for a younger audience--yet, they have a story about genetically engineered sex puppets. :Shrug:

So yeah, no deep dark stuff for them.

ETA: Oh, if you notice, they seemed to be more into UF; the bulk of their stories published is in UF. No fantasy, one horror, a few light SF (though I'd debate the sex puppet one).
 

mhaynes

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Got an R (for the Egrets story) from fledgling $.03 semi-pro Fantastic Frontier Magazine. Possible form looks like this:

"Thank you for your recent submission to Fantastic Frontiers Magazine. While we appreciate your submission, at this time we are unable to find a place for it in our magazine.

We think that you have much potential, and we hope that you submit to our magazine in the future."

I might be their first rejection!

Sorry about the R, but nice to hear they're on the move!
 

defcon6000

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Got an R (for the Egrets story) from fledgling $.03 semi-pro Fantastic Frontier Magazine. Possible form looks like this:

"Thank you for your recent submission to Fantastic Frontiers Magazine. While we appreciate your submission, at this time we are unable to find a place for it in our magazine.

We think that you have much potential, and we hope that you submit to our magazine in the future."

I might be their first rejection!
Cheers? :D Was the turnaround time fairly quick? I'm getting kind of tired of these fledgling markets taking months and months.
 

Marzioli

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Cheers? :D Was the turnaround time fairly quick? I'm getting kind of tired of these fledgling markets taking months and months.
Looks like 2 responses, both from 19-22 days. That's not a time frame to write home to mom about, but it's not too shabby either!
 

mhaynes

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Sigh...

A break in the crickets. 74-day form R from Ninth Letter.

Now to figure out what to do with this piece. It's the one that EQMM almost bought last fall. I hate leaving things just sitting on my hard drive, but it might just have to do that until I get a reply from my September submission to AHMM. I'll give it a quick look, though, on Duotrope before consigning it to cold storage. :(
 

O'Dandelo

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Echoing this. They even say it on their site that the material has to be suitable for a younger audience--yet, they have a story about genetically engineered sex puppets. :Shrug:

So yeah, no deep dark stuff for them.

ETA: Oh, if you notice, they seemed to be more into UF; the bulk of their stories published is in UF. No fantasy, one horror, a few light SF (though I'd debate the sex puppet one).

Isn't the sex puppets story by Ken Liu? I think they'd publish a Liu story even if it were pure splatter-porn written in collaboration with the Antichrist himself.

And that's a good point about the "suitable for a 15-year-old" bit in their submission guidelines. Don't know what I was thinking sending them a story with a decent bit of profanity and some dark subject matter. I can only blame myself there.

But yeah, that story about the roaches...oof.
 

WordCount

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Chirp chirp.

Nothing today. 93-days to Writers of the Future; 55 to On the Premises; 17 to Daily Science Fiction; and last--but not least!--7 days to EQMM.

I'm expecting the EQMM cricket to quit chirping soon enough.
 

Sai

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Rejection from Shock Totem. It's a flash piece, so I'll see what Flash Fiction Online thinks of it.

Chirp chirp.

Nothing today. 93-days to Writers of the Future; 55 to On the Premises; 17 to Daily Science Fiction; and last--but not least!--7 days to EQMM.

I'm expecting the EQMM cricket to quit chirping soon enough.

I think we've got the same crickets: I'm also 7 days at EQMM and 89 days at Writers of the Future.
 

defcon6000

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Isn't the sex puppets story by Ken Liu? I think they'd publish a Liu story even if it were pure splatter-porn written in collaboration with the Antichrist himself.
Heh, they probably would. It seems he sells where ever he submits to... What kind of deal with the devil gets you that sort of fame? :D

Or, you know, write the classic "weep-woe" sympathetic character. Everyone is buying those up these days.
And that's a good point about the "suitable for a 15-year-old" bit in their submission guidelines. Don't know what I was thinking sending them a story with a decent bit of profanity and some dark subject matter. I can only blame myself there.

But yeah, that story about the roaches...oof.
I was glancing through their stories, because most of them aren't worth reading, and "C@lling Home" has a bit of profanity. But the story is sugary-sweet, which covers it up, I guess. That story wasn't even SF; it's spec fic, communicating from the great beyond, but doesn't fall neatly into the genres. Magical realism or slipstream, maybe? But definately not SF--which makes you wonder: what does Buzzy think SF is?

Hmm, I think I'll dig up an old thread about markets' stories just for Buzzy. ;)
 

WordCount

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I think we've got the same crickets: I'm also 7 days at EQMM and 89 days at Writers of the Future.

I'm quite excited considering the EQMM piece is flash. None of the flash I've sent there has lasted longer than a few days, sadly. And this piece has so far beaten my most recent piece--which I love!

I've got high hopes on it, but...well, I've submitted to them 4 times before; I know how this'll go.


So you submitted to WOTF for the second quarter, too? Hey, who knows? We may share a table of contents!
 

Sai

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Cool, my story is flash too :). It's a strange little story (it's sci-fi), but I'm hoping it's weirdness sets it apart in a good way.

So you submitted to WOTF for the second quarter, too? Hey, who knows? We may share a table of contents!

Maybe, but I'm not expecting to hear any results for maybe another month. It seems like the results for Q1 are still being decided, and there's been a lot of upheaval with the contest (mainly the fact that K.D. Wentworth, the contest's previous first reader, recently passed away).