I've sent one particular story out into the world quite a few times to no avail, and was wondering how many times you guys try before sending to the story graveyard?
Graveyard might be harsh.
Maybe sit on it a while, then send it out to a few fresh places down the line. Editors change, new sites pop up, opportunities present themselves.
Consider - are you sending it to the right places? Is it a genre story? Are you reseaching your markets well enough?
On the other hand, is the story truly ready? Has it been workshopped for feedback? Do you think the story is as good as it can be?
You have to try not to let these things get you. It can be a slow game.
A minimum of 10, then I rewrite it (well, I plan to, anyway). If I don't want to work on it anymore, then I just keep sending it out until I die.
What they said. Never let a story die; just give it a break. Come back to it later and try again. Good luck.
Yeah, the story I'm talkinb about has been workshopped, and I thought it was ready. I got one personal response, which was cool. It made me consider changing it substantially, but I'm still iffy about it. I'll send it a few more times and see how it goes, then consider rewriting.
after about 10: do a rewrite
after another 10: do a slight rewrite again
after 23,456,213: give up
don't give up. there's actually a publication out there that only accepts submissions with proof of at least (i think) ten rejections. it's a good gimmick to find awesomeness AND be able to say they found gems that others missed. don't give up. if you get to ten and feel shitty about it, hand it over again to someone you trust (as a writer and reader) to tell you it is good after all, just so the negative weight doesn't get to you, then get back at it. shit, ten doesn't even phase me at this point. i'm finally getting to the place where i really believe in the stuff i send out and make sure it's the best i can make it, so i just keep submitting it, fuck the Nos.
I just send flurries out, first places that pay and seem like a good fit/have people I like in there, then ones that pay that I've never sent to before, then ones that maybe don't pay but have a lot of people I like, then just whatever decent place. After the first or second wave I'll do a rewrite and try to be less cool in the prose and just have it be a good story. I do kill stories though, more than I like, when I stop believing in them. Not that they're bad stories, but when I have a lot better ones to send to the same places and the old stories just feel like someone else now. I wish I could not worry about it like that and just have a big cool and diverse list of pubs like Richard Thomas or the other heavy hitters around here, but I get moody, to be honest.
@Sound: Not to sound redundant, but what everyone else has said. I would ask though, are these for print publications or online? I find it that much harder to get the same material into print than online.
@Manda: What is that publication? I've got a few contenders:)
damnit, now i don't remember. i did when i typed the other post... let me google and ask a couple people...
i just messaged like 8 people. hopefully someone hits me back soon :)
This is encouraging. It actually is nice to hear that people will go up to 10 times before reevaluating.
But I'm a total slackass regarding submissions; I've never sent any one piece out more than two or three times.
I'd say it depends on your out put, and how much repeated rejections bothers you. If you don't put out many stories and don't give a chainsaw who rejects you, can send it out to a bunch of places every month (that allow it to be sent to more then one place or whatever) and just revise it as you get advice that agrees with each other. If you put out a big honking pile of work each week and rejection gets you down then after a few just let is sit for a few years and send it back out. Most of us are some place in the middle, but follow your gut.
I think Lester Del Ray said this, 'Writing for the trunk is masturbation.'
Revise, Re-envision, Rewrite, Repeat,
Submit, Submit, Submit
I never stop sending it out. Getting rejected doesn't hurt anything but by ego. Having a story taking up hard drive space that is never going to be submitted again doesn't do anything to help my ego. It might as well be out there.
I think this dude says it best.
I try to send it out to at least 10 places at a time on the first round, so with my new "plan" I guess it would go to between 10-12 paying markets first, 10-12 awesome but non paying markets and then 10-12 places I think I would fit, but aren't on my hot-list before I've even considered that a story isn't "wanted" out there in the world.
I have one that's only gone to a few places because its length limits it...I'm thinking of just letting that one sit around.
@Utah...I LOVE Pantera!
sparrow's got the right idea - if you make a tiered plan, it keeps that feeling of systematically keeping momentum with submissions...
hatebreed whuuuuuutttttt
nice post utah!
Any time I ever feel like changing course, this kind of shit always gives me the encouragement to regroup and press on.
depends on the story and the markets. if you send your work to 100 markets and they are all <1% acceptance rates, you should expect to get into one.
see my column on "Rudy Jenkins Buries His Fears" to see what I mean. keep at it until all of the markets are exhausted. unless you don't believe in it.
I feel like I should mention that ^^Richard^^ was a big influence in my decision to have a tiered plan.
@Richard: I just read the article and it made me feel much better. Great article. I'll submit to more places. Post it here to get more feedback for revisions if it still doesn't get placed.
cool, glad it helped, guys. it's rough out there sometimes. i just got five rejections in ONE DAY. unlike my idol Stephen Graham Jones who got five stories ACCEPTED in one day. asshole. :-)
