I'm not saying it's a bad idea to read up on a publication before submitting a story, but I read way too much into what's published. (I'm currently satisfied that the technical aspects of my writing are in the semi- to pro- range. Even though there's always room for improvement.)
However, the story that's short-listed I subbed without reading in the mag. Then a friend who was also thinking about subbing there commented that they didn't seem to publish anything with swearing. My response? "F*ck." The story I'd sent them was pretty heavy with 'adult' language. I was sure they'd bounce it back as soon as they saw it. That hasn't been the case. (Yet.) If I'd been reading as thoroughly as my friend I would have missed a possible sale.
But this is just me. The really large markets (like Tor.com) I try and at least glance through their content to see what they seem to like. And one I subbed to last week I read through a few stories because they're new, online and pay pro-rates and it made me suspicious. I wanted to see what they were putting out.
If another year goes past with no pubs I'll probably reconsider and cut out a chunk of writing time to use a reading time instead.
However, the story that's short-listed I subbed without reading in the mag. Then a friend who was also thinking about subbing there commented that they didn't seem to publish anything with swearing. My response? "F*ck." The story I'd sent them was pretty heavy with 'adult' language. I was sure they'd bounce it back as soon as they saw it. That hasn't been the case. (Yet.) If I'd been reading as thoroughly as my friend I would have missed a possible sale.
But this is just me. The really large markets (like Tor.com) I try and at least glance through their content to see what they seem to like. And one I subbed to last week I read through a few stories because they're new, online and pay pro-rates and it made me suspicious. I wanted to see what they were putting out.
If another year goes past with no pubs I'll probably reconsider and cut out a chunk of writing time to use a reading time instead.