Comments on: [process] Fiction submissions starting at the top

By: Jay

Jay — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:40:55 +0000

@ J. R. Tomlin

I’m so sure it’s that the necessarily take longer. And some midrange markets are notoriously long. But, yes, high pay/high prestige markets tend to have more in the submission pile, which unless you’re GVG and JJA at FSF, means time.

By: J. R. Tomlin

J. R. Tomlin — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:36:35 +0000

I have to quibble with the argument that the higher markets necessarily take longer. I know some minor markets that take months while F&SF which is about as high as you can get has a slush reader who is SCARILY fast. How he bounces my stories back to me so soon is still a mystery.

So don’t assume that the prestigious markets will tie your work up longer. Duotrope is always good to check if that’s a concern, although for me it isn’t. If it takes a few months to be in RoF I’m going to complain? NOT! LOL

By: Faffing about . . . « A Mingled Yarn

Faffing about . . . « A Mingled Yarn — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:48:43 +0000

[...] night, I read Jay Lake’s post on fiction submissions and what he says made so much sense, and particularly tracking back through some of the earlier [...]

By: [process] More on fiction submissions, time issues | jlake.com

[process] More on fiction submissions, time issues | jlake.com — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 22:13:41 +0000

[...] few days ago, I posted about starting at the top with one’s fiction submissions. [ jlake.com | LiveJournal ] As a followup, I was asked both in comments and by email what my view was on the [...]

By: Jonathan Wood

Jonathan Wood — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:51:03 +0000

The one thing that I would mention about this theory is that time may be a factor. The higher you aim the less likely (usually) you are to succeed. It’s awesome to succeed, but, basically, the chances are smaller. And when it can take some of the magazine several months to get back to you then that’s essentially increasing the length of time before that story is likely to ever appear.

Now if you write fast enough, and have a high enough volume of stuff out and about then that doesn’t matter so much, but when it takes you a month or two to crank out a short, (I’m getting quicker, but not much) then that becomes a serious concern, and aiming a little more modestly can have its payoffs.

By: Felicity Shoulders

Felicity Shoulders — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:36:49 +0000

I do _not_ have a different take, but I am glad that someone is giving this advice.

I came up with the ‘start at the top’ approach myself, for the reasons you gave – it didn’t hurt, and I had no way of knowing who would accept the story. Most of my writing pals are mainstreamers who have a more earn-your-way ethos, though, so I felt like I was guilty of amazing hubris.

However, my first published story was in _Asimov’s_. So I offer myself as a datapoint: it can happen, and you are giving great advice.

By: Eric James Stone » Blog Archive » Start at the Top

Eric James Stone » Blog Archive » Start at the Top — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:13:03 +0000

[...] Jay Lake has some excellent advice for my writing friends. OK, it’s also applicable to my writing enemies, in addition to [...]