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Do You Submit Your Contest Stories To Publications

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jdadams1 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jdadams1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jul 2020 at 6:03pm
Originally posted by nod1v1ng nod1v1ng wrote:

Originally posted by velocisarah velocisarah wrote:

My writing group has a "race to rejections" challenge every 6 months and I'm trying to get my hat in the ring this time!

This sounds fun! One of my writing groups definitely has a running joke on who is “winning” with the fastest turnaround on a rejection. I think my record is 67 minutes, but I’m not the record holder!

We also do a goal tracking event every month. A couple folks set a “X number of rejections” as their goal. It sounds backwards, but it means they are continually putting stuff out there & meeting the goal at least feels like an accomplishment, easing the sting of rejection. And the more you submit, the more likely something will sell!

Absolutely. The more you are sending out*, the better your chances are. I have only been submitting for maybe nine-ish months, and I've got around 300 or so rejections, LOL

* within reason. You still need to read the publisher's needs/requirements and not submit Romance to a Sci-Fi pub or a 100-word story to a place looking for 500- to 2,000-word stories. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jdadams1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jul 2020 at 6:07pm
Originally posted by KarenB KarenB wrote:

Originally posted by jennifer.quail jennifer.quail wrote:

I sold two of the worst-performing ones on the first try (in both cases by just doubling down on everything about them nobody liked.) I've got a few others out, but I've found the better they score/more positive the forum feedback, the harder they are for a real market (and some, like "Iconoclast" and "Cellared", aren't meant to stand alone anyway so I've never tried, and another, "Intruder Alert," a suspense story from the POV of dog, has no particular market.) Most places, though, I tend to see a submission call and either pull something out of the files or write something for that. Some of the NYCM genres and prompts just don't fit many markets (and I only submit to paying, semi-pro or pro. I've done ONE "royalty share" and don't recommend it. The odds of most ever reaching the pay threshold are remote.)

I use the Grinder, Submittable (which is less for searching than a LOT of places use it for submissions), Duotrope, Angela Benedetti's anthology list, and Authors Publish to look for markets.
 
I was wondering about the correlation between how well stories are received on the forum / judges, and how well they place in the real market!  I think I will try Duotrope, and I will check out the other suggestions.  Thanks, too, for the tip regarding paying, semi-pro, or pro.  I'm excited to begin submitting!  Smile Thank you for the insight and information!
 

My experiences have been very similar to Jennifer's at least when it comes to judges' feedback correlating to publication acceptances. I tend to have at least slightly better luck placing the stories that did not do as well with the judges and worse luck submitting the ones that do well with the judges; I have three first-place NYCM wins that are still looking for homes! 

I'm not sure there has been a correlation for me between forum feedback and placing a story, though I often find that my forum feedback differs from my judge feedback/ranking, so that is to be expected. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ChristiLB Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jul 2020 at 10:46pm
Originally posted by nod1v1ng nod1v1ng wrote:

I submit quite a bit and on average I sell enough shorts in a year to take myself on a little vacation. Obviously, that's not enough to quit the day job, because my doggo has lifestyle expectations that need living up to. Still, it's some extra pocket money and it fulfills my need for external validation to see my name in print. (How's that for honesty? Embarrassed)

LOLLOLLOL Too funny about your motivations for publishing - I think everyone desires that kind of validation so no worries there, Smile. Your life sounds like a combo of what my life is, and what I hope it could be. I also have a dog that is quite accustomed to a certain lifestyle (not that it's all that fancy of course) but I do aspire to make money as a writer. Earning a living as a writer is of course the ultimate dream.


Originally posted by nod1v1ng nod1v1ng wrote:

Coincidentally, it so happens that I have a contest piece (YeahWrite SuperChallenge) that came out today in Curiosities #7 Quarantine 2020 titled "Inked." 
TL;DR? Give it a try. All they can say is no.

Congratulations on getting one of your pieces published in the Curiosities book - Looks like an interesting collection of quick reads. I'll have to check it out. Your mention of hiking in the Green Mountains of VT caught my attention, in your bio, as I am on the other side of Lake Champlain, in the Adirondack Mountains. Smile
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote ChristiLB Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jul 2020 at 11:03pm
Originally posted by jdadams1 jdadams1 wrote:

Yes, I definitely try to get my NYC Midnight stories published.

I usually revise the stories before submitting them to publishers -- sometimes heavily, sometimes just a word or two. In most cases, I try to keep them the same length -- if it's written as a 1,000-word flash story, I try to keep it a 1,000-word flash story -- but there have been a few exceptions where I make the piece longer. 

Of the Short Story, Flash Fiction and Microfiction stories I've written for NYC Midnight comps:
- 4 have been published
- 4 have been accepted by publishers and are awaiting publication for later this year
- 3 are still getting sent out to publishers but haven't found homes yet
- 2 are under revision before getting sent out to publishers 
- 1 is potentially being retired, or at least I'm intentionally not sending it to publishers for a bit
- 1 is still with the NYC Midnight judges (Flash Fiction Round 1)

Good luck! I'm happy to talk the 'ins and outs' of short-story publishing and share what very limited expertise I have with anyone who is interested! 

Wow, that's so cool, and must be such a great feeling to have so many stories in different phases of the publishing process. I've definitely got to step up my game with sending stories out. I tend to discourage myself by feeling like nothing is good enough or finished editing enough to send out. I've just got to do it Smile Your post is quite inspiring. I might take you up on your offer to discuss publishing as I dip my toe in, Wink
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote jdadams1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jul 2020 at 11:05pm
Originally posted by ChristiLB ChristiLB wrote:

Originally posted by jdadams1 jdadams1 wrote:

Yes, I definitely try to get my NYC Midnight stories published.

I usually revise the stories before submitting them to publishers -- sometimes heavily, sometimes just a word or two. In most cases, I try to keep them the same length -- if it's written as a 1,000-word flash story, I try to keep it a 1,000-word flash story -- but there have been a few exceptions where I make the piece longer. 

Of the Short Story, Flash Fiction and Microfiction stories I've written for NYC Midnight comps:
- 4 have been published
- 4 have been accepted by publishers and are awaiting publication for later this year
- 3 are still getting sent out to publishers but haven't found homes yet
- 2 are under revision before getting sent out to publishers 
- 1 is potentially being retired, or at least I'm intentionally not sending it to publishers for a bit
- 1 is still with the NYC Midnight judges (Flash Fiction Round 1)

Good luck! I'm happy to talk the 'ins and outs' of short-story publishing and share what very limited expertise I have with anyone who is interested! 

Wow, that's so cool, and must be such a great feeling to have so many stories in different phases of the publishing process. I've definitely got to step up my game with sending stories out. I tend to discourage myself by feeling like nothing is good enough or finished editing enough to send out. I've just got to do it Smile Your post is quite inspiring. I might take you up on your offer to discuss publishing as I dip my toe in, Wink

Submit, submit, submit!!! Get in a habit, keep a tracker, find a system that works for you. I could not have submitted as many without a good system for myself. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ChristiLB Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jul 2020 at 11:15pm
Originally posted by jdadams1 jdadams1 wrote:

Submit, submit, submit!!! Get in a habit, keep a tracker, find a system that works for you. I could not have submitted as many without a good system for myself. 

Yes, I definitely need to get into a routine but I also need to get into a routine of writing more as well. I have a running list on my phone of story ideas that pop into my head but I need to get more disciplined about sitting down and writing them out.

What's your system, if you don't mind me asking? Is there a program you use to keep track of everything? Thanks again for the motivation, Smile
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote jdadams1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jul 2020 at 11:22pm
Originally posted by ChristiLB ChristiLB wrote:

Originally posted by jdadams1 jdadams1 wrote:

Submit, submit, submit!!! Get in a habit, keep a tracker, find a system that works for you. I could not have submitted as many without a good system for myself. 

Yes, I definitely need to get into a routine but I also need to get into a routine of writing more as well. I have a running list on my phone of story ideas that pop into my head but I need to get more disciplined about sitting down and writing them out.

What's your system, if you don't mind me asking? Is there a program you use to keep track of everything? Thanks again for the motivation, Smile

I have a massive Excel file that would probably make sense to no one but me, LOL, but it's easiest for me to manage. I know there are some paid services like Duotrope that others use and have success with. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote KarenB Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jul 2020 at 3:42pm
Originally posted by jdadams1 jdadams1 wrote:


Of the Short Story, Flash Fiction and Microfiction stories I've written for NYC Midnight comps:
- 4 have been published
- 4 have been accepted by publishers and are awaiting publication for later this year
- 3 are still getting sent out to publishers but haven't found homes yet
- 2 are under revision before getting sent out to publishers 
- 1 is potentially being retired, or at least I'm intentionally not sending it to publishers for a bit
- 1 is still with the NYC Midnight judges (Flash Fiction Round 1)
 
 
I envy your track record!  Having stories at different publication stages seems most productive!  I just subscribed to Duotrope based on earlier posters' generous recommendations, but lost most of the day exploring publications!  It was quite overwhelming! And I still didn't settle on a market. I may need to return to my Writer's Market hard copy...CryCryCry
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jdadams1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jul 2020 at 3:49pm
If you are on Facebook, one of the best things for me has been joining various “submission opportunity” groups. I bet I’m on a half dozen or so. Facebook has a ‘save’ option, so if a post comes up in my feed, I can quickly save it and review it at a more convenient time (versus having to investigate it the moment I see it, which is rarely the ideal time). You can even create a collection for your saves, so you could save it right to a Submission Opps collection. 

But many of these submission opportunities are only open for a limited time, and I’ve definitely had situations (as recently as last night!) where I waited too long to review a saved submission opportunity, and the deadline had passed. :)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote ChristiLB Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Jul 2020 at 2:11pm
Originally posted by jdadams1 jdadams1 wrote:

I have a massive Excel file that would probably make sense to no one but me, LOL, but it's easiest for me to manage. I know there are some paid services like Duotrope that others use and have success with. 

Ah, ok, thanks for the info. I'll probably try to keep track with a spreadsheet of my own as well. I'm excited to check out Duotrope and other sites listed for finding places to submit to.
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