Is it a good sign if responses take longer than expected?

jbpark · Jul 17, 2010

I have some stories out right now, and some of them have long passed rejection/acceptance averages on duotrope.com. Is that a good sign? I've been looking up just who have gotten their responses every week or so, and today, I noticed that responses have been received for stories submitted long after mine was submitted.

I shouldn't be too hopeful, I know, and I've certainly been writing since submitting them--but I'm worried that they might just have lost my stories, haha. I'll be sure to query them (their automatic e-mail responses have assured me to do so once a certain amount of time has passed) once 30/70 days have passed. I'm just wondering if this is a good sign for my stories.

Gray Rose · Jul 17, 2010

It usually is, but rejectomancy is a cruel game. I know it's hard, but try to distract yourself with something else. Good luck!

Izz · Jul 17, 2010

jbpark said:
I have some stories out right now, and some of them have long passed rejection/acceptance averages on duotrope.com. Is that a good sign?

Sometimes yes, often no. It may mean they've been kept for a second round of reading. That's a good thing, even if the story comes back rejected.

It could mean that a certain editor/slushreader is a wee bit behind on their reading (i know with Strange Horizons--as a random example--that one of the editors usually has a much quicker turnaround than the other two).

Just the other week i queried the status of a story that'd been out for much, much longer than the average response time of the mag it was at and found that they'd never received it.

It pays not to fret too much (which is a very easy thing to say, but an exceptionally hard thing to do). Just keep cranking out more stories, like you're doing, and send them out. Saturate the market, man. Saturate!

Polenth · Jul 17, 2010

Izz said:
Sometimes yes, often no. It may mean they've been kept for a second round of reading. That's a good thing, even if the story comes back rejected.

Unless you get a comment saying your writing is infantile and the story read like it was written by a small child. I think that slusher disagreed with the decision to move my story on a round.

Either that, or someone told them about my My Little Pony collection.

*guards the ponies*

Izz · Jul 17, 2010

Polenth said:
Unless you get a comment saying your writing is infantile and the story read like it was written by a small child. I think that slusher disagreed with the decision to move my story on a round.

awww

*virtual hugz* Some people just have no taste.

I wonder if that's from the same market that sent me a reject saying that the storyline was a 'bit been there, done that, wrote on the t-shirt'?

Heh--now i'm randomly reminded of another rejection where the reader told me: 'I like the way that science was used when capturing and talking to the leprechaun.' Then they went on to discuss why the story was different from most three wishes stories. Thing was, there was no leprechaun in the story and no wishes...

So i queried them, which is something i'd never normally do--bad form and all that--because i always find their readers' comments interesting. They quickly figured out the issue (they number their stories, and got my number mixed up with another) and got back to me with the actual comments. Still a rejection, but more smile-inducing than most.

Either that, or someone told them about my My Little Pony collection.

*guards the ponies*

*Always* guard the ponies. Who else is going to catch all those rainbows for you?

Polenth · Jul 17, 2010

Izz said:
awww *virtual hugz* Some people just have no taste.

I wonder if that's from the same market that sent me a reject saying that the storyline was a 'bit been there, done that, wrote on the t-shirt'?

Everyone needs a rejection to copy/paste when they're famous.

Heh--now i'm randomly reminded of another rejection where the reader told me: 'I like the way that science was used when capturing and talking to the leprechaun.' Then they went on to discuss why the story was different from most three wishes stories. Thing was, there was no leprechaun in the story and no wishes...

Remarkably, I haven't been sent the wrong rejection yet. That's almost as bad as having to query for missing rejections.

*Always* guard the ponies. Who else is going to catch all those rainbows for you?

Yep. I need rainbows for my infantile scrawling!

Izz · Jul 17, 2010

Polenth said:
Everyone needs a rejection to copy/paste when they're famous.

Exactly!

Remarkably, I haven't been sent the wrong rejection yet. That's almost as bad as having to query for missing rejections.

It was a very strange feeling.

Yep. I need rainbows for my infantile scrawling!

Everybody needs rainbows. Obviously the person who wrote those notes against your story had a rainbow deficiency.

Lost World · Jul 18, 2010

I sure as hell hope so. I'm waiting on a couple myself and the re-query times are approaching fast.

jbpark · Jul 18, 2010

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

Anyways, one came back over the night--basically read, close but no cigar. It was a very nice personal rejection though, and they'd like me to send more stuff, so I'm happy.

Jamesaritchie · Jul 18, 2010

No news is always better than bad news, but only good news means an acceptance.

Izz · Jul 18, 2010

jbpark said:
Thanks for the replies, everyone.

Anyways, one came back over the night--basically read, close but no cigar. It was a very nice personal rejection though, and they'd like me to send more stuff, so I'm happy.

Cool! Those are always nice to get.

Solivagant · Jul 19, 2010

jbpark said:
I shouldn't be too hopeful, I know, and I've certainly been writing since submitting them--but I'm worried that they might just have lost my stories, haha. I'll be sure to query them (their automatic e-mail responses have assured me to do so once a certain amount of time has passed) once 30/70 days have passed. I'm just wondering if this is a good sign for my stories.

I know your pain, I've got a submission to flash fiction online that is at the 69 day mark right now.

At this point I'm not sure if I'm supposed to re-query when 70 days hits or not. I know thats the standard for several markets, and that is what duotrope states, but I've searched their website and I can't find a mention of any re-query guidelines. In their forums it only says their average response is 2 - 3 months.

I figure I'll wait until the 3 month mark, 84 days or so, before I do anything else.

Dungeon Geek · Jul 19, 2010

Solivagant said:
I know your pain, I've got a submission to flash fiction online that is at the 69 day mark right now.

At this point I'm not sure if I'm supposed to re-query when 70 days hits or not. I know thats the standard for several markets, and that is what duotrope states, but I've searched their website and I can't find a mention of any re-query guidelines. In their forums it only says their average response is 2 - 3 months.

I figure I'll wait until the 3 month mark, 84 days or so, before I do anything else.

If the average response is 2 - 3 months with no info given on when to query, I'd give at least 5 months before querying. Editors can get irritated if queried too early. (Of course, it depends on the editor, but better to be safe than sorry.) Personally, I would give them double the max response time--or 6 months in this case--and then send a brief, polite query. Each market has their own way of doing things, so querying based on other markets' statistics is probably not the best way to go.

Chris P · Jul 19, 2010

Check the magazine's Duotrope stats to see what their actual response times are. One mag's website said "Feel free to query after 60 days" when their entry says they usually respond in about 100.

In another case the delay was caused by internal problems at the magazine.

So short answer, you never know.

Polenth · Jul 19, 2010

Solivagant said:
I know your pain, I've got a submission to flash fiction online that is at the 69 day mark right now.

FFO rejects most people quickly, but acceptances/close rejections are much longer. My accepted submission to them took 65 days, and I know it's been longer for others. It sounds like you're on track at the moment. Good luck.

(I usually give markets at least six months, unless it's obvious they always reply quickly and I didn't get one)

Solivagant · Jul 19, 2010

Polenth said:
FFO rejects most people quickly, but acceptances/close rejections are much longer. My accepted submission to them took 65 days, and I know it's been longer for others. It sounds like you're on track at the moment. Good luck.

(I usually give markets at least six months, unless it's obvious they always reply quickly and I didn't get one)

You have my utmost gratitude for the glorious hope you have given me!

If this is a good sign then they can take all the time they want. It's not like I don't have a dozen other projects to keep me busy.

Calypso · Jul 20, 2010

Jamesaritchie said:
No news is always better than bad news, but only good news means an acceptance.

Exactly.

Sadly, I have gotten my hopes up way too often over duotrope response times. No matter how many times I am burned and my rejection comes three months after the norm (during a time that usually reports acceptances) I still can't stop hoping. I've got several things out right now that are long past the average response time, and I can't help but hope even though rejections are likely coming.

There are so many reasons why the response could be taking longer. It could mean it went on to a second reading (which doesn't mean at all that it will end up accepted). Or it could have been farmed out to one particular reader who is slow in responding while the journal's other readers are fast.

Duotrope is wonderful and has been a fabulous source of obsession for me, but unfortunately, the response times aren't too meaningful in the long run. I tend to be happiest when I'm able to mostly forget about my response times and then am surprised by good news. It's hard to do, though. I need to take more tropical vacations.

Lost World · Jul 21, 2010

Solivagant said:
I've got a submission to flash fiction online that is at the 69 day mark right now.

Flash fiction, hmm...Maybe they don't have time to read it!
:roll:

Sorry...I just couldn't resist that one.

Is it a good sign if responses take longer than expected?

jbpark

Gray Rose

Beware of the Thorns!

Izz

Doing the Space Operatic

Polenth

Mushroom

Izz

Doing the Space Operatic

Polenth

Mushroom

Izz

Doing the Space Operatic

Lost World

He'll NEVER fit in!

jbpark

Jamesaritchie

Izz

Doing the Space Operatic

Solivagant

procrastinatus

Dungeon Geek

Science, for the sake of...science!

Chris P

Likes metaphors mixed, not stirred

Polenth

Mushroom

Solivagant

procrastinatus

Calypso

New kid, be gentle!

Lost World

He'll NEVER fit in!