The Random Thread

[ozmosis7]

I hope you enjoy it, Terry.

[TerryE]

Hi Terry, how've you been? What's going on in your life lately my friend? Happy Labor Day to one and all by the by!

The new job, that I started in May, is keeping me very busy. And tried to spend as much time as I could with the little guy over the summer. He just started 1st grade, so that's a lot of fun. I haven't been making nearly enough time for writing.

[Randy D. Rubin]

It's good to hear from you Terry. I just finished a vampire short story told three different ways. I'm gonna take some time to submit a bunch of tales and recharge my brain for a day or two.

[TerryE]

Hey remember, if you need a test reader, the offer is there.

[Randy D. Rubin]

Thanks my friend. I'm going to take you up on that offer.

[Randy D. Rubin]

Hello my friends! I have a serious question to those of you who have the experience to guide me. I have submitted stories to several places that are sitting on my stories for an ungodly amount of "down time". My first acceptance has been promised to be published last Sept and the entire operation is on hold for however long the editor of the anthologies wants to postpone all press operations. Do I pull it? It's been out there for close to a year doing nothing, paying nothing.
Being as its my first ever acceptance I'm being what I feel is very very very friggin' patient. I have another novella that won't be published until May of next year and that's a lot of down time that I'm not getting paid. Am I being a Dick?Which leads me to my next question. I know I'm just getting my foot in the door so-to-speak with these story acceptances but is it bad form to not want to give them away? I'm seeing a lot of ' for the love" and 'exposure only' and contributor's copy of the E-book and it kind of pisses me off that these fledgling presses and publishers want my work but want it donated or act like they are in fact doing me a favor by putting my work in their never-before-heard-of-magazine. I'm referring to most of what's on The Horror Tree and several Duotrope markets. Again, I know I'm new to this but what is the proper ettiquette for this "wanting to get some scratch" for my hard work and effort. Do I keep giving them out "for the love"? or for a holy copy of their finished holy grail? Final thought: I have five story acceptances out and still haven't qualified monetarily to join HWA. That sucks, right? If I'm being a dick please tell me I need to calm down and stay patient. Help me out here, fellow yarn spinners.

[RichardThomas]

As far as money, that's your call. Some authors will only publish for pro pay, other for some pay, and some work their way from highest to lowest and take what they can get. It's really up to you. There is a benefit to exposure, for sure, so it's not always about getting paid, but that's a personal choice.

As for your story sitting there for a year, what have they said to you? Are they going to fold, did this have a release date, did you sign a contract? So many questions. I had a story accepted for an anthology for pay (split of royalties) and it stalled, lost the publisher, contract expired, then it was going to be self-published and i said screw that, I'm pulling that story. I'm submitting it now to various markets. I've also had stories get accepted and it take 1.5 years to finally publish. If you can afford to be more patient, after getting satisfactory answers to my previous questions, then wait. But I'd see what they have to say.

[C.W. LaSart]

There's nothing wrong with wanting to get paid. Writers should get paid, but I would never begrudge someone the boost of confidence thay can get by having any acceptance at all.

[ozmosis7]

I agree with everything that has been said thus far. Personally, I've been focusing on pro markets with the occasional semi-pro market/exposure markets. But this is more because of my desire to become an active member of the HWA. But it is good to set goals and never give up on them. That is a big part of success. Pro markets can take longer because they have more subs, or perhaps read them more times. Anyway, I have 2 stories that ave now been out over a year and 3 others trailing those in the high 200's. Think of it as an investment, as not all investments pay off.

As to the length of time it takes to go to print, it can vary. I've done some of this myself, so I have a pretty good feel for the formatting and such, the process involved. It depends on how hard you work. But then again, my collection has several stories in it that had been accepted for a long time before the anthologies went under. It happens.

As for my experience with the FTL markets, it hasn't been great. I submitted to 2 because I had faith in them. One left me out of the book by mistake (I will note they were quite apologetic about it). The other took a year to get the contracts out and I am still waiting for the anthology to be published. If it expires I'll take it back.

I'm hesitant when one of these markets claims "exposure" as they have to do something for it to be worth anything. If they never attend cons or take out ads or any promotional materials, then how is that exposure? And I'm not arguing Richard's point, just bringing up what to look for. A good market that claims exposure will work hard to drive people to read these stories. Be careful of those who sit back and collect the royalties for themselves while expecting the authors families/friends to be the only exposure.

That's my 3 cents (that's one higher). Hope it helped.

[Randy D. Rubin]

Thanks guys and gals. I appreciate all the sage advice. I think my not knowing the reputable from the fly-by night presses and publishers out there has me wondering if they really appreciate the time and effort we put into these tales. The first acceptance pays 1.00 per thousand words equals 3.50 check for a story that has been in limbo for a year. I don't NEED the money, but on the other hand I don't want to feel like I'm giving most everything I've ever written away for a pittance. It cheapens what we do, to some degree, is how I feel about it. I have no idea what happened to the lady who runs this press. I joined her forum and was told from a third party that she has stated as of the 12th of last month that a total revamp of the press is forthcoming. Again, I am tickled beyond belief just to be accepted for publication in most instances. I have literally hundreds of stories to put out from a thirty year writing cache and as they get gobbled up by FTL's and contributor's copy presses or start up magazines that claim they can't pay now but maybe later after the rag gets off the ground, I can't help but feel like I'm short changing myself and my stories. But then again I'm so new to this publishing process I'm guessing I really don't have a legit bitch until I get more solidly established. Thanks again everyone for the lesson in humility and I'll keep putting out stories until I set the hook and can reel in some serious writer's clout.

[C.W. LaSart]

What is the press?

[RichardThomas]

if i had hundreds of stories to shop i would rank them (A=best work, B=good work, C=solid work) and totally submit wide and far. Since you haven't had much exposure yet, anything will help right now. I have stories, for example, that I spent years on for my MFA program, and I'm slowly sending them to the BEST literary journals in the land, but since these are all <3% acceptance markets (most actually more like <1%) it is SLOW and painful. i'm about 8 months in, nothing accepted yet.

as for straight horror, there are ONLY so many pro paying markets, magazines, anthologies and websites. maybe 30? so, those will disappear fast. after that, hit the semi-pro, and then the "cool" places and/or consider shopping a collection, if you have so much work. just do what feels right. you can always ask here about places, if you aren't sure how "good" a place is. we all know the markets pretty well, i'd think. sometimes it's putting your trust in an editor you know well, other times it's taking a risk because it LOOKS good. with so many stories, i'm sure you can afford to take a few risks.

i'm also 44 years old, coming to this later in life, so i don't mess around. right now i have seven stories out to 64 publications.

[Randy D. Rubin]

What I feel may be best work has for the most part been rejected. I have pieces that I know jump the horror tracks and wander aimlessly in the bizarro fields. I have stories written completely in rhyme and the quatrains fill enough pages to constitute short fiction in verse format... and several publishers tell me there is no such thing as a short horror story told in complete rhyme. I have dark stories laced with sardonic humor and I have comedic stories of a dark hue. All of my stories are told from a fictional place all over the world called "Dreadmere"'; that's MY Yahknapatahpha County-- Faulkner's fictional place. Most all of my tales are written in dialects from people I have heard in my travels around the world as a result of twenty years service in the U.S.Navy. They add a spice to my tales, an authenticity that I like. My point is what I feel is 'solid' or 'good' or 'the best thing I've written in a while' may be mediocre shit in the eyes of an anthology publisher or magazine editor. I will definitely ask you all if you think certain markets are legit or beneficial to my writing career both short term and long term. I have 14 tales out to fourteen markets because they say no simultaneous subs and what they're looking for thematically aren't quite what I have in my story stash. The new Duotrope just came out so I'm going to shop out some more. Take a look at The Horror Tree and see what I mean about all these 'Exposure Only' markets.

[TerryE]

I have stories written completely in rhyme and the quatrains fill enough pages to constitute short fiction in verse format... and several publishers tell me there is no such thing as a short horror story told in complete rhyme..

I can't see why you can't tell a story in rhyme. One of my favorite Neil Gaiman stories, and one of the most disturbing stories I've ever read, (Eaten: Scenes from a Moving Picture) was written in iambic pentameter verse form. And it works very well, even the parts that are written like a screenplay. Don't despair, but maybe save those for your first collection.

[Randy D. Rubin]

That, my friend, is an excellent idea. How are you these days?