A delightful innovation from Hey Publisher lets you know. Hey Publisher is submission service that various magazines subscribe to.
First off, I I got an e-mail informing me that my story is being read. Then a minute later I got a form rejection.
A minute! I might not even have got the full 60 seconds. Feeling discouraged.
Ouch! I've wondered sometimes, when I got a same day rejection notice. Maybe as cruel is getting an email saying a story's been short-listed, then the rejection.
ReplyDelete*laughs* I've been short-listed and then rejected in the same day.
ReplyDeleteEverything's getting faster.
Eek! I had something similar happen. A notice from them saying 'Your story is being read and you should hear soon.' And then silence.
ReplyDeleteOh, and how can you feel discouraged. You who seems to have added another sale to Duotrope everytime I check the list. You're rockin' it.
ReplyDeleteCate! That's the opposite of what happened to me, if you hear nothing then it's been passed up to the next level.
ReplyDeleteAnd yeh, I am slightly rocking it. But did I mention that I'm very, very greedy.
Lol.
ReplyDeleteThe best I ever had was a story that got rejected in 21 minutes.
I sent it off, and 21 minutes later it came back.
Poor unwanted story. :(
It seems the publisher could have skipped a step, or at least re-read the piece!
ReplyDeleteStill impressed you sub 4 stories a week - do you write 4 stories a week too? I've decided to Write1Sub1 this year.
Good luck with your story.
A rejection only means you're one step closer to a yes! So the faster you're rejected, the faster you'll get published ... right? :)
ReplyDeleteI feel sorry for all these homeless stories! But at least they have a boarding room in our hearts :)
ReplyDeleteThat's one reason why I'm not a big fan of Hey Publisher. Another reason? They keep all of my submissions unless I email them to delete them. But I guess that's even better than Submishmash -- no way to delete old subs.
ReplyDeleteBut I guess your point is the speedreading slushies. I don't know how they do it either. First sentences only?
You are so right, Nick. Fast is good.
ReplyDelete@Trisha, poor stories. Won't someone give 'em a home.
@Milo, I didn't know that about Submishmash, that's a bit strange. And you're right, I gotta work on my hooks.
Erin, hi. I sub 4 pro stories a week, but luckily they don't all get accepted so I only have to write 1-2 stories a week.
ReplyDelete@Lydia, poor story. I got a 20 minuter from Rose and Thorn once.
A minute? That's really fast.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the rejection!
Oh Wow!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteNow that would discourage me too. I try to remember that all the successful authors got loads of rejections including JKRowling and Enid Blyton.
I got a rejection letter last week via email, it was a positive rejection though. I've written a poem about it scheduled for Friday's post.
Sounds like it was rejected before it was even given a chance - someone was having a bad day! No worries - as another commenter said, you're rockin' it!
ReplyDeleteIt does seem harsh, but I imagine an editor can very quickly spot if a story is right for them. At least they let you know and you can try elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteThat sucks. Mind you, would it have been better to be rejected after a long, expectant wait? Sorry to hear about the rejection anyway. They still sting, don't they?
ReplyDeleteI love fast rejections. And slushers get really good at knowing what's going to work for them. They have to get good to read the volume they do. I tip my bonnet to them.
ReplyDeleteYet, I can't help feel that HeyPublisher offers a little too much information.
I'm not that discouraged. In this game you have to learn not to take the hint.
Ask them if they've taken the same speed-reading class I have. Chances are they haven't, and chances are I read faster than they do.
ReplyDeleteIn Noah Lukeman's "The First Five Pages" he talks about... well, the first five pages of your manuscript (any manuscript). If it doesn't hook the literary agent, it's rejected. Sometimes they'll read five pages in the middle, then the last five pages. But overall, it's the first five pages.
So, based on that book and your blog post, Debs, I'd say that many editors are rejecting work based on the first five sentences, which is why I always preach about the importance of the narrative hook, going as far as trying to hook the reader (editor) with the title itself.
I've still yet to figure out that formula,lol!
JAM
Yep, I've got to work on the hooks, JAm. I'm aiming for a two minute rejection next time.
ReplyDeleteWell, I submitted a query and first 10 pages of my ms months ago and haven't heard a word. I'd rather know sooner rather than later.
ReplyDelete60 seconds though. Wow. Might want to re read your first sentence. Maybe there is a typo or something.
Thanks, Rusty. Fast is good, most certainly. I better check for that typo.
ReplyDelete