Wednesday 5 September 2012

1 in 333: The Odds of Being Published in a Professional Magazine

Thanks to Shimmer, who have just published an interesting insight and some hard stattage concerning their submission process:

How Shimmer Falls in Love With Fiction

Shimmer have recently moved to paying pro rates. I'm actually surprised that their subs have doubled, as Shimmer has an excellent reputation and is consistently rated very highly amongst my writing friends. 

30 acceptances in an estimated 10,000 subs, or 1 in 333. 

Wow. 

Is that discouraging? Maybe. But what encourages me is that two of my writing buddies have had recent acceptances for Shimmer. Congratulations again, Cate and Milo. 

And if they can do it, then maybe just maybe ... the odds be damned.

22 comments:

  1. Never tell me the odds... ;)

    Best of luck!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I know some places are pretty tough. But I like to think that something well written tips the odds in your favor just a bit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep. Write a wonderful story that the editors fall in love with and your odds improve considerably.

      Delete
    2. Speaking of which, I was at Barnes and Noble today and saw your circus story in the Circus anthology that came out recently. I started to read but my kid texted me and was all upset about needing food so I had to run. Still, congrats!

      Delete
  3. Interesting stats, for sure. They've resisted me so far, so those numbers make me feel a little better, actually. And, yes, I shall persevere. The odds be damned for both of us ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, they make me feel better, Simon. Takes the pressure off.

      Delete
  4. I had a story held there for a couple of weeks, with a positive, personal rejection, so now I feel pretty good about that.
    Best of luck, Deborah!

    ReplyDelete
  5. You can doo eet! I keep submitting to them for the feedback; I hope they're still able to offer brief critiques now that they've hit the big time.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good luck! You can beat those odds. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good luck into getting into Shimmer. It's joining the big time with a move to raise royalties in order to become an SFWA recognized venue (similar to Clarkesworld and Analog). So, it's actually going to get even harder to be published in. That doesn't mean you can't make it. And Milo's writing is excellent. You can beat the odds, Deborah!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow That is a high perecentage. Congratulations.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I think I submitted 333 times before they finally accepted me ;). Shimmer is one of my favourite short story magazines and I expect to see you within its pages one day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Cate. One of these days maybe. You never know until you try.

      Delete
  10. Well done on all your recent successes and more than reaching your Write1Sub1 target

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, L. I hope you're enjoying the challenge.

      Delete