Rejectomancy

Looking for my next rejection, mwahaha...I noticed Lightspeed has a totally new system for checking the subs.

SmallThing said:

Onwards, yes!

I'm about to start posting names and days out soon, if for no other reason than to bring the silence to an end. If I say it, they will reject, right?

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Sometimes it totally feels like that, yes.

I've developed a new paranoia where I start to wonder if I even sent the story to the market I'm waiting on. I mean, sure I logged it on Duotrope, but what if I only thought really hard about subbing it and in reality didn't? Then I search my e-mail for the confirmation and finally see that, yes, I did send it. It hasn't even been out long, I'm just getting antsy since other stories have been getting rejected while I just get crickets.

Sai said:

I've developed a new paranoia where I start to wonder if I even sent the story to the market I'm waiting on. I mean, sure I logged it on Duotrope, but what if I only thought really hard about subbing it and in reality didn't? Then I search my e-mail for the confirmation and finally see that, yes, I did send it. It hasn't even been out long, I'm just getting antsy since other stories have been getting rejected while I just get crickets.

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I know exactly what you mean. The whole submission process can really mess with your mind.

I sometimes get the terrible fear that I sent the wrong story.

Or that I sent the right story to the wrong place.

I had to create triple-checked spreadsheets to save myself from freaking out. And still I once sent the same story to the same pub *shudder*

Lillie said:

I sometimes get the terrible fear that I sent the wrong story.

Or that I sent the right story to the wrong place.

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I've done that before.

Thankfully, it was accepted.

Lol.

It turned out to be the right story at the right place!!!

Sai said:

I've developed a new paranoia where I start to wonder if I even sent the story to the market I'm waiting on. I mean, sure I logged it on Duotrope, but what if I only thought really hard about subbing it and in reality didn't? Then I search my e-mail for the confirmation and finally see that, yes, I did send it. It hasn't even been out long, I'm just getting antsy since other stories have been getting rejected while I just get crickets.

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I had that happen. I was so happy to be out so long at a market, then thought maybe I had only thought I sent it. Lo and behold - no confirmation e-mails anywhere, so I logged into the system - nope, never uploaded it.

Sai said:

I've developed a new paranoia where I start to wonder if I even sent the story to the market I'm waiting on.

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That's nothing! I've developed a new paranoia where I start to wonder if I even wrote the story at all.

Got a form R from FFO on a flash piece that I think is going to be a tough sell. I don't want to trunk it though, I feel like someone will see what I see in it.

J.W. Alden said:

Got a form R from FFO on a flash piece that I think is going to be a tough sell. I don't want to trunk it though, I feel like someone will see what I see in it.

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And someone will! But you need to keep submitting it to other market until you find that certain editor who "gets it" like you do.

defcon6000 said:

And someone will! But you need to keep submitting it to other market until you find that certain editor who "gets it" like you do.

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I will! But those doubts definitely find a way to creep in with every rejection.

Must. Keep. Pushing.

If you believe in yourself, then screw the others. If you like it, someone else will too.

Just keep pushing, and i'm sure your piece will find a home.

I hope you're right! Thanks for the encouragement, yous guys.

R from Strange Horizons, with a request not to resubmit for two weeks. How's that for unwanted!?

Marzioli said:

R from Strange Horizons, with a request not to resubmit for two weeks. How's that for unwanted!?

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Ouch. Sorry to hear about your R. I'm still waiting from a response from them. It's a kind of out there story, both content and style-wise, but they've had it for 16 days now, so I'm starting to get antsy.

Sai said:

Ouch. Sorry to hear about your R. I'm still waiting from a response from them. It's a kind of out there story, both content and style-wise, but they've had it for 16 days now, so I'm starting to get antsy.

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Good luck! 16 days is a pretty decent length there. I only made it 10, thereby sticking it to those 8 and 9 day'ers.

Aggy B. said:

Yeah. My R the other day had the specific date for "two weeks" in it. I guess they're trying to keep the slush pile under control by any means necessary.

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Yeah, I tried not to take it personally. I think it's a pretty good idea, considering how quick their responses are. I just thought it was amusing because we had been talking about how markets usually put, "please try us again," whether or not they liked a story. So, I mused, how much would they have to hate a story to put, "please wait a long time before resubmitting."

Marzioli said:

R from Strange Horizons, with a request not to resubmit for two weeks. How's that for unwanted!?

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They started that when they reopened and had the really short windows of time each day before the cap was hit. Here's a link to their blog post about it.

Totally not a response to your story.

SmallThing said:

They started that when they reopened and had the really short windows of time each day before the cap was hit....Totally not a response to your story.

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Good to know for a fact! Thanks!

Marzioli said:

So, I mused, how much would they have to hate a story to put, "please wait a long time before resubmitting."

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I would totally enjoy a market which told you not to submit for X days based on how much they liked/disliked the story:

'Thank you for sending us "It Was a Dark and Story Night." We did not select it for publication. Based on our editorial team's review, please do not submit another story prior to 12/10/2015'

alexshvartsman said:

I would totally enjoy a market which told you not to submit for X days based on how much they liked/disliked the story:

'Thank you for sending us "It Was a Dark and Story Night." We did not select it for publication. Based on our editorial team's review, please do not submit another story prior to 12/10/2015'

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