Response Time: The New Yorker

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happywritermom

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Has anyone submitted fiction to The New Yorker? If so, what was your response time? I just submitted a short story (Aim high, right?) and I'm wondering, realistically, how long I should wait.

Thanks.
 

happywritermom

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Ugh. Guess I might as well keep on querying elsewhere. Thanks you two!
 

Izz

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You've got to be prepared to wait a while for most of the pro markets. At the moment (according to Duotrope) the pending responses are averaging 117-odd days.

Does New Yorker accept sim subs? If not, you'll need to withdraw your sub from them before sending it elsewhere.
 

dgiharris

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A wierd rule of thumb I follow is that the bigger the publisher + the bigger the payrate = Longer wait.

Looking at my stats for Pro Rates (i.e. 15 cents per word or better)

I average about 120 days for rejection and about 1/3 no response.

My acceptances (5) have been within 60 days or less for whatever that is worth.

The New Yorker is a very tough nut to crack.

The best way to approach the big boys is to fire and forget. Polish a story as best you can, send off, work on the next piece. Eventually, you will get to the point where you have a bunch of stuff in the pipeline and you will be getting a weekly rejection and bi-weekly acceptance :)

I track everything via a spreadsheet. If you like, give me your email address and I'll mail you a template you can use.

p.s. I should also mention that the bigger the publisher, the more important it is to familiarize yourself with the types of stories they published. Its a big mistake to think that just becuase you have a good story that they will publish it.

Mel...
 
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happywritermom

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Thanks Mel and thanks for all the great advice everyone. It's been at least a decade since I've worked on short stories, but I sent one out in November and it got accepted in Aethlon, a literary sports journal for the spring of 2010. That got my short-fiction blood boiling again. Mel, my email is [email protected]. I would greatly appreciate your template.
 
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