Cemetery Dance magazine to re-open to submissions later this year

[Lauren Dixon]

Check your email. Rejection received. Good luck to the rest of you waiting.

Got my form rejection when I woke up.

[Brian James Freeman]

I can't imagine the sheer volume of submissions you all must have received. I see some of the stats on various anthologies and have read interviews with popular editors, and those numbers are staggering.

The biggest problem with getting thousands of submissions for what amounts to 20 open slots is that we're going to pass on a lot of very solid, very well written stories that are just missing that tiny little spark that makes the difference. We don't give notes on rejections because it would double the time required for what has already been too long of a process, but we've had to pass on some very fine work that we know we'll be reading in other anthologies and magazines very soon.

If folks are interested, I'll look at some of the internal discussions we've had about stories and put together a posting about why submissions are rejected (in general).

By the way, as I think someone pointed out in this thread, our goal when we open to submissions isn't to make authors wait around to hear back. We want to find new stories from new voices that really rock our world. That's an exciting moment. We certainly don't need to open to submissions to fill 20 slots in the magazine. We do it because we love finding new writers who are pushing the genre into new places.

We are sorry about the wait. Hopefully, next time it'll go much quicker!

Brian

[Brian James Freeman]

By the way, if you haven't heard back by this afternoon, please do email me at [email protected] with Submission Update in your subject line. I can tell you on Monday exactly what we're thinking in terms of your story. We might be on the fence and just need time for one more read.

Brian

[ozmosis7]

If we open to submissions again, one of the changes we'll make it is closing the submission window when we hit 500 stories in the queue. That would have been in less than a week this last time.

Brian

I can't imagine the sheer volume of submissions you all must have received. I see some of the stats on various anthologies and have read interviews with popular editors, and those numbers are staggering.

[Brian James Freeman]

If we open to submissions again, one of the changes we'll make it is closing the submission window when we hit 500 stories in the queue. That would have been in less than a week this last time.

Brian

[ozmosis7]

Holy...! I didn't make the first cut on this go around, but I've waited more than a year and a half to hear back at times. Some markets just take that long. It depends on how bad you want to be in them.

Anyway, as some cuts are being handed down, I'lll offer another GOOD LUCK to all those still in the race.

[truantoranje]

Check your email. Rejection received. Good luck to the rest of you waiting.

[Brian James Freeman]

So, we've been waiting hundreds of day for this dude to finish his frikkin book? He doesn't have the decency to put his book down for five minutes to let a bunch of aspiring writers that he's NOT going to buy their stories (cause let's face it, he's going to reject +90% of us)? I mean, seriously, he's made me wait this long and he can't even take the time to let me down professionally. Thanks, dude.

Email me at [email protected] and I'll let you know where your story stands. Thanks!

Brian

[Michael Wehunt]

So, we've been waiting hundreds of day for this dude to finish his frikkin book? He doesn't have the decency to put his book down for five minutes to let a bunch of aspiring writers that he's NOT going to buy their stories (cause let's face it, he's going to reject +90% of us)? I mean, seriously, he's made me wait this long and he can't even take the time to let me down professionally. Thanks, dude.

Hey, we're all eager, but Mr. Chizmar has been publishing this magazine for over 20 years. It didn't get to be revered through unprofessionalism. I trust that he knows what he's doing.

[Microwave Grandmaster]

Through the voyeurism of Facebook, I know that a few days ago a certain heralded publisher intended to finish the book he was reading then move on to "30 or so submissions." Hold onto your laptops, boys and girls.

So, we've been waiting hundreds of day for this dude to finish his frikkin book? He doesn't have the decency to put his book down for five minutes to let a bunch of aspiring writers that he's NOT going to buy their stories (cause let's face it, he's going to reject +90% of us)? I mean, seriously, he's made me wait this long and he can't even take the time to let me down professionally. Thanks, dude.

[Lauren Dixon]

The after photo is if it's a rejection, I suppose.

Ha, totally right, Michael and Victorya! It's interesting; "Carrie" was one of the few horror movies I was allowed to watch growing up. I was allowed to read anything I wanted, but not watch anything I wanted. But, basically, Stephen King was hero supreme around our house. So, the one exception to the "no horror movie" rule was if it was a movie based on one of his books, I was allowed. He once praised Beavis and Butthead, and because of that, my mom actually let me watch that show. Maybe that explains everything.

[Victorya]

The after photo is if it's a rejection, I suppose.

[Michael Wehunt]

Lauren, good thing you chose the BEFORE picture rather than the AFTER.

[Lauren Dixon]

This is me if I receive a CD acceptance on Halloween: [ATTACH=CONFIG]13452[/ATTACH]

Is it Halloween yet? This would be me if that happens on Halloween.

[Victorya]

And with that information, there go a few more nails. I was doing so good about playing it cool and not chewing out my waittime, too.