Submissions, Paper and Not
Jun. 4th, 2009 12:24 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
keyan_bowesMy friends are laughing at me.
It all started when I admitted, at dinner with an awesome Wiscon crowd, that I'm reluctant to mail in paper submissions. (That report is here.)
When I told my Clarion friends, they were even more amused.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
redcrowkater had gotten some nice picture postcards and was showing them to us. Mid-sentence, she paused, held one up for me, and turned it over. "See, you can stick a stamp here, and mail it. One less step. You don't even need to look for an envelope..." (Kater likes paper. She write in fountain pen, and it looks elegant.)
So, time to defend myself. A little bit, anyway.
My theory is that to some extent, submissions are a numbers game.
The recommended submission process is to start at the top (i.e. the magazines that pay the most) and work down as the story is rejected. After all, if you don't submit, how do you know that, say, Asimov's wouldn't have taken your story?
I don't do this.
The pro magazines, most of which require paper subs, are extremely selective. Let's say I have about a 5% chance of acceptance at any venue. (It might be less. Some places are taking 1-2% of the stories they see.) Let's say that with the printing/ mailing/ waiting etc, it takes about two months to get a response. I think that errs on the favorable side, though of course it depends on the magazine. That means that for any one magazine, I can submit six stories a year (assuming I have six stories that are appropriate for them). It would take over three years to break into that market.
Instead, I try to match the story to a magazine - most often semi-pro - where I think the editor is going to like it. Each publication has a distinctive style, and I try for a match. Also, I have a slight preference for web-based publications. If I want someone in a different city or country to see it, I don't have to tell them to hunt the magazine down in a bookstore. I send them the link.
Sometimes it works; other times, not. .
With e-subs, it's relatively painless. I send them out. They come back. I review the thing, see if there's another magazine it would be good for. If yes, out it goes again, probably at midnight or later. No envelopes, no stamps, no trip to mailbox. And from time to time, what's in my in-box is ... they want my story.
Today, Big Pulp accepted my 1000-word story, The Scent Assassin.
And my Clarion classmate informed me yesterday that the short film he made, based on my story The Rumpelstiltskin Retellings, will be screened in San Francisco this weekend.
It all started when I admitted, at dinner with an awesome Wiscon crowd, that I'm reluctant to mail in paper submissions. (That report is here.)
When I told my Clarion friends, they were even more amused.
redcrowkater had gotten some nice picture postcards and was showing them to us. Mid-sentence, she paused, held one up for me, and turned it over. "See, you can stick a stamp here, and mail it. One less step. You don't even need to look for an envelope..." (Kater likes paper. She write in fountain pen, and it looks elegant.)So, time to defend myself. A little bit, anyway.
My theory is that to some extent, submissions are a numbers game.
The recommended submission process is to start at the top (i.e. the magazines that pay the most) and work down as the story is rejected. After all, if you don't submit, how do you know that, say, Asimov's wouldn't have taken your story?
I don't do this.
The pro magazines, most of which require paper subs, are extremely selective. Let's say I have about a 5% chance of acceptance at any venue. (It might be less. Some places are taking 1-2% of the stories they see.) Let's say that with the printing/ mailing/ waiting etc, it takes about two months to get a response. I think that errs on the favorable side, though of course it depends on the magazine. That means that for any one magazine, I can submit six stories a year (assuming I have six stories that are appropriate for them). It would take over three years to break into that market.
Instead, I try to match the story to a magazine - most often semi-pro - where I think the editor is going to like it. Each publication has a distinctive style, and I try for a match. Also, I have a slight preference for web-based publications. If I want someone in a different city or country to see it, I don't have to tell them to hunt the magazine down in a bookstore. I send them the link.
Sometimes it works; other times, not. .
With e-subs, it's relatively painless. I send them out. They come back. I review the thing, see if there's another magazine it would be good for. If yes, out it goes again, probably at midnight or later. No envelopes, no stamps, no trip to mailbox. And from time to time, what's in my in-box is ... they want my story.
Today, Big Pulp accepted my 1000-word story, The Scent Assassin.
And my Clarion classmate informed me yesterday that the short film he made, based on my story The Rumpelstiltskin Retellings, will be screened in San Francisco this weekend.
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no subject
Date: 2009-06-04 11:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-04 12:06 pm (UTC)I'll look into other templates/ colors.
- Keyan
no subject
Date: 2009-06-04 12:33 pm (UTC)1) I may think I know what type of story suits what type of market... (though not as well as you and others do), but there's always a chance that I don't. Maybe my story has something in it that I can't see that makes it suitable to that market. Maybe the reader/editor has interests not reflected in other stories, but is all ready to squee when they see it in yours. So to some extent, I think you have to let them decide if the story is for them, and not make that call on your own.
2) Turnaround time is important to me. I'd rather send it somewhere with a high rejection rate and a quick turnaround than a low rejection rate and a slow turnaround. So even with snail mail, F&SF is much faster than a lot of e-sub markets.
3) I still think it's nice to be able to buy a copy of your story in print form when it comes out. And have something you can sign for people.
4) Even a low-paying market can be worth it if they're one that gets noticed for awards or is widely read. Just not worth it all the time. :)
no subject
Date: 2009-06-04 02:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-04 08:47 pm (UTC)- Keyan