bryanhowie
from FW, ID is reading East of Eden. Steinbeck is FUCKING AMAZING.January 5, 2013 - 12:15pm
If I had not had the free trial, I wouldn't have known how great it is and probably wouldn't have dropped money on it.
drea
from Rural Alberta, Canada is reading between the linesJanuary 5, 2013 - 12:39pm
I just subscribed this morning and am very glad I did.
jyh
from VA is reading whatever he feels likeJanuary 7, 2013 - 9:08pm
I made sure to export a spreadsheet of all my stuff before it shut me out. If I get a couple new handfuls of stuff to send out, I might ante up.
J. Ramsey Golden
from Alaska is reading The Dain Curse. The Artful Edit. January 7, 2013 - 10:53pm
I haven't used Duotrope in years, though I used to know all my submission tracker stats by heart. I stopped submitting and started busting ass putting words on the page. When I came up for air again, I saw they were charging. I might pay once I'm committed to a serious submission schedule again. But not to just fart around and feel writerly. Also, I donated to them a few time when they were still free, if that counts for anything. Definitely a worthwhile service.
Nick Wilczynski
from Greensboro, NC is reading A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. MartinJanuary 8, 2013 - 7:45pm
Maybe if I had ever figured out how duotrope worked when it was free I would have paid. I didn't. I've never gotten rid of even a single story using that infernal website.
I mean, it could be because I suck, whatever, but there were markets I found elsewhere that were willing to make me feel like I was making progress, and so I never figured out how duotrope works.
Too late now, better keep guerilla.
Richard
from St. Louis is reading various anthologiesJanuary 8, 2013 - 8:22pm
I've been touting the abilites of Duotrope for years. $50 a year is nothing. What do you spend on beer? On McDonald's? If you have better system and it works for you, by all means, run with it. NO WAY could I keep track of the 300+ submissions I send out every year. INVALUABLE. And, I donated about that much in the past, per year, so no big deal.
Average cost of one movie with a date/spouse (included popcorn/drink): $30+
A night out drinking: $30+
That new video game you had to have: $40-50+
Monthly iPhone bill: $65-100+
So just put it in perspective. For those that still don't understand Duotrope, read my column. If nothing else, try it for $5/month and work your ass off for ONE MONTH. See what happens:
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryJanuary 9, 2013 - 7:11am
I SPEND NOTHING ON BEER! OR ON BEETS!
Just, you know, keeping it real.
On the other hand, I spend $40/week at Starbucks for breakfast (I only just did the math on that and now I hate myself and it's your fault, Richard!).
As invaluable as Duotrope has been for me, it's definitely worth brewing at home for a couple weeks. Plus, my wife won't gripe so much about how much I spend at Starbucks.
Richard
from St. Louis is reading various anthologiesJanuary 9, 2013 - 8:15am
^what he said. just saying. if it works for you, it's worth the cost, i think. if you really don't utilize all of its features, then no, it's not worth $1. yeah, i cut back on my Starbucks habit too. luckily for Xmas i got a $50 gift card from my MIL, sweet, sweet coffee.
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryJanuary 9, 2013 - 8:46am
Starbucks: What reformed boozehounds do to look like we're still cool. I actually go to Starbucks and stare at people until they stare back so I can go, "What the fuck are you looking at!" so I can feel like I changed my habits and venues, but not my personality.
avery of the dead
from Kentucky is reading Cipher SistersJanuary 9, 2013 - 8:55am
I actually go to Starbucks and stare at people until they stare back so I can go, "What the fuck are you looking at!"
And now I know how I will be spending my weekend!
Jack Campbell Jr.
from Lawrence, KS is reading American Rust by Phillipp MeyerJanuary 9, 2013 - 9:18am
Sounds like the greatest game ever, and there are so many places in Lawrence to play it!
avery of the dead
from Kentucky is reading Cipher SistersJanuary 9, 2013 - 9:22am
I want to drive an hour to Evansville, go to the mall, and do this in every store!!
JEFFREY GRANT BARR
from Central OR is reading Nothing but fucking Shakespeare, for the rest of my lifeJanuary 9, 2013 - 12:12pm
Utah, that was a funny bit.
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryJanuary 9, 2013 - 12:23pm
Thanks, JGB, I'll be here all week!
Renfield
from Hell is reading 20th Century GhostsJanuary 10, 2013 - 4:08pm
I'll probably try a month subscription sometime in the next couple weeks and see how that goes. $20 a year sounds more reasonable and follows my own submitting flurries better. This would mean though that all their tracking services wouldn't work out too well just a month at a time, it would just kind of sabotage the stats I reported until a couple months later when I pay as per use.
Still, it's a great service. I haven't run out of places to submit the couple stories I've got out right now, but when I have a backlog of 20 or so stories I don't think I'd be able to keep track of all that without all the little tricks I'm used to with the site. We'll see. Probably end up getting the year subscription and feeling like a heel.
Courtney
from the Midwest is reading Monkey: A Journey to the West and a thousand college textbooksJanuary 10, 2013 - 10:53pm
I might not pay for the year since I won't be workshopping this semester, but I think paying for three or four months when I have stories ready to be sent out is completely fair. Everyone has different priorities and ways of doing their submissions; personally, I like to have a small stack of stories ready to send out en masse to good markets. Just my style.
Alex Kane
from west-central Illinois is reading Dark OrbitJanuary 12, 2013 - 9:02am
For those interested in a free, open-source alternative to Duotrope, a writer friend of mine is one of two guys working to get The (Submission) Grinder off the ground. Check it out: thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com
Looks like it's still in the beta stages, but the sooner people start signing up and inputting submissions data, the sooner it becomes a useful, reliable resource. So far, there's already a ton of information--partly due to the convenience of being able to export your Duotrope database and then import it into The Grinder.
I'm going to give it a shot, see how I like it.
JEFFREY GRANT BARR
from Central OR is reading Nothing but fucking Shakespeare, for the rest of my lifeJanuary 12, 2013 - 3:41pm
Alex, where is the information about the open source nature of Submission Grinder? Just because something is free doesn't mean it is open source. Furthermore, what would the benefit of Submission Grinder be other than being free as in beer? I'm curious as to how a service that (ostensibly) relies on people importing their duotrope info is going to be useful in the long term. Not to mention the lack of any kind of privacy policies et al to indicate what they can or can't do with the information you submit.
Also, when I see .aspx extensions I have some doubts about how open source it can possibly be. Oy vey.
Admin
Kirk
from Pingree Grove, IL is reading The Book Of The New SunJanuary 13, 2013 - 10:51am
.aspx can easily be open source software it just happens that the platform it's on isn't open source so you don't usually equate the two.
But I do agree with you. There isn't really a statement of the project being open source, so much as it is "free". This isn't necessarily a bad thing but the two are unique and should be differentiated.
Americantypo
from Philadelphia is reading The Bone ClocksJanuary 13, 2013 - 7:58pm
Yeah, seriously, 50 bucks a year is peanuts. I've had bar tabs twice that amount.
JEFFREY GRANT BARR
from Central OR is reading Nothing but fucking Shakespeare, for the rest of my lifeJanuary 13, 2013 - 8:08pm
What? 50 bucks isn't peanuts, it's money! Maaan, you can't pay with peanuts!
If I had not had the free trial, I wouldn't have known how great it is and probably wouldn't have dropped money on it.
I just subscribed this morning and am very glad I did.
I made sure to export a spreadsheet of all my stuff before it shut me out. If I get a couple new handfuls of stuff to send out, I might ante up.
I haven't used Duotrope in years, though I used to know all my submission tracker stats by heart. I stopped submitting and started busting ass putting words on the page. When I came up for air again, I saw they were charging. I might pay once I'm committed to a serious submission schedule again. But not to just fart around and feel writerly. Also, I donated to them a few time when they were still free, if that counts for anything. Definitely a worthwhile service.
Maybe if I had ever figured out how duotrope worked when it was free I would have paid. I didn't. I've never gotten rid of even a single story using that infernal website.
I mean, it could be because I suck, whatever, but there were markets I found elsewhere that were willing to make me feel like I was making progress, and so I never figured out how duotrope works.
Too late now, better keep guerilla.
I've been touting the abilites of Duotrope for years. $50 a year is nothing. What do you spend on beer? On McDonald's? If you have better system and it works for you, by all means, run with it. NO WAY could I keep track of the 300+ submissions I send out every year. INVALUABLE. And, I donated about that much in the past, per year, so no big deal.
Average cost of one movie with a date/spouse (included popcorn/drink): $30+
A night out drinking: $30+
That new video game you had to have: $40-50+
Monthly iPhone bill: $65-100+
So just put it in perspective. For those that still don't understand Duotrope, read my column. If nothing else, try it for $5/month and work your ass off for ONE MONTH. See what happens:
http://litreactor.com/columns/storyville-research-and-duotrope
I SPEND NOTHING ON BEER! OR ON BEETS!
Just, you know, keeping it real.
On the other hand, I spend $40/week at Starbucks for breakfast (I only just did the math on that and now I hate myself and it's your fault, Richard!).
As invaluable as Duotrope has been for me, it's definitely worth brewing at home for a couple weeks. Plus, my wife won't gripe so much about how much I spend at Starbucks.
^what he said. just saying. if it works for you, it's worth the cost, i think. if you really don't utilize all of its features, then no, it's not worth $1. yeah, i cut back on my Starbucks habit too. luckily for Xmas i got a $50 gift card from my MIL, sweet, sweet coffee.
Starbucks: What reformed boozehounds do to look like we're still cool. I actually go to Starbucks and stare at people until they stare back so I can go, "What the fuck are you looking at!" so I can feel like I changed my habits and venues, but not my personality.
And now I know how I will be spending my weekend!
Sounds like the greatest game ever, and there are so many places in Lawrence to play it!
I want to drive an hour to Evansville, go to the mall, and do this in every store!!
Utah, that was a funny bit.
Thanks, JGB, I'll be here all week!
I'll probably try a month subscription sometime in the next couple weeks and see how that goes. $20 a year sounds more reasonable and follows my own submitting flurries better. This would mean though that all their tracking services wouldn't work out too well just a month at a time, it would just kind of sabotage the stats I reported until a couple months later when I pay as per use.
Still, it's a great service. I haven't run out of places to submit the couple stories I've got out right now, but when I have a backlog of 20 or so stories I don't think I'd be able to keep track of all that without all the little tricks I'm used to with the site. We'll see. Probably end up getting the year subscription and feeling like a heel.
I might not pay for the year since I won't be workshopping this semester, but I think paying for three or four months when I have stories ready to be sent out is completely fair. Everyone has different priorities and ways of doing their submissions; personally, I like to have a small stack of stories ready to send out en masse to good markets. Just my style.
For those interested in a free, open-source alternative to Duotrope, a writer friend of mine is one of two guys working to get The (Submission) Grinder off the ground. Check it out: thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com
Looks like it's still in the beta stages, but the sooner people start signing up and inputting submissions data, the sooner it becomes a useful, reliable resource. So far, there's already a ton of information--partly due to the convenience of being able to export your Duotrope database and then import it into The Grinder.
I'm going to give it a shot, see how I like it.
Alex, where is the information about the open source nature of Submission Grinder? Just because something is free doesn't mean it is open source. Furthermore, what would the benefit of Submission Grinder be other than being free as in beer? I'm curious as to how a service that (ostensibly) relies on people importing their duotrope info is going to be useful in the long term. Not to mention the lack of any kind of privacy policies et al to indicate what they can or can't do with the information you submit.
Also, when I see .aspx extensions I have some doubts about how open source it can possibly be. Oy vey.
.aspx can easily be open source software it just happens that the platform it's on isn't open source so you don't usually equate the two.
But I do agree with you. There isn't really a statement of the project being open source, so much as it is "free". This isn't necessarily a bad thing but the two are unique and should be differentiated.
Yeah, seriously, 50 bucks a year is peanuts. I've had bar tabs twice that amount.
What? 50 bucks isn't peanuts, it's money! Maaan, you can't pay with peanuts!
I THREW IT ON THE GROUND!