Turnaround

[dr_pretentious]

"Atlantis Cranks Need Not Apply" has already garnered its first rejection letter, just a week after I sent it out. Can't fault F&SF for slow slush processing. Inspired by their speed, I've just fixed the irksome paragraph breaks on page 2 and sent the document out to an e-zine that looks like a good match. I'd have preferred print, on general principle, but it's hard to find markets for a 25,000 word novella.

Turnaround time between opening rejection letter and submitting elsewhere: 35 minutes.

Comments

[sabrinamari.livejournal.com]

Man, I loooved this novella. There was much spontaneous skreeching and some "I can't believe she did that!" charging its way spontaneously out of my mouth.

I am poking and poking Michael to read it so that we can laugh and gape over the same paragraphs.

[calene.livejournal.com]

My condolences on the reject. Congrats on getting it right back out there!

[dragonlaire.livejournal.com]

If possible, could you share any detailed comments with those who read the ms? I'd be curious to see the reasons for rejection if they dealt directly with story, stylistic elements as opposed to general remarks that it wasn't a good fit with their publication profiles. And please discard my request immediately if it compromises confidentiality.

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

The ms was returned unblemished, with a very brief note from an assistant editor. There were three sentences of the usual pleasantries (good luck elsewhere, etc.), surrounding a sentence along the lines of "This story didn't catch my interest." Fair enough. F&SF was a long shot. I have some wild speculations about why the piece didn't appeal to the assistant editor who read it, but they're wild speculations. Rejectomancy is a tempting divinatory art, but I need more signs and portents to make for a good reading.

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

This is why I'm not worried about whether the piece will eventually be published. It's not for every audience, but it has a natural constituency that isn't reducible to my social circle. Somewhere, there is an editor who is part of the natural constituency, and sooner or later, the ms will end up in front of that person.

[vgnwtch.livejournal.com]

Rejectomancy is a tempting divinatory art, but I need more signs and portents to make for a good reading.

Sounds like a plot for a new short story: Psychic uses authors' rejection slips to divine their futures...

[vgnwtch.livejournal.com]

And they will shriek with delight and be just as thrilled with it as all of us.

[elphaba-of-oz.livejournal.com]

I am in awe of your tenacity and your organization skills.

Sorry...

[jaime-sama.livejournal.com]

...but definitely a good idea to fire it off to someone else right away.

35 minutes, wow.

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

Thank you. My tenacity is pretty awesome. My organizational skills... If you could see the heaps of undifferentiated paper in my study, you'd be a lot less awestruck.

Re: Sorry...

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

It's the beauty of online submissions forms. If I'd had to snailmail it out, I'd have had to wait until morning for a post office run, and then there would have been the temptation to take the story apart and put it back together in some other way. Weeks might have passed. It's happened before.

[rednikki.livejournal.com]

Good for you!

[rednikki.livejournal.com]

Say, can I get a copy of this novella?

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

Yes. Is your favored email address still you at you dot org? It's kind of a chunky attachment.

[writersweekend.livejournal.com]

May it find its happy place...