It's just not my thing. The fiction tends to be restrained, with unremarkable prose. Which is fine if that's your thing; it's not that they don't publish high quality fiction. But it's typically not what I enjoy. I mostly don't feel compelled to read past the first couple paragraphs of New Yorker stories, either, if that gives you a gauge.
I guess I'm mostly just baffled that ZYZZYVA's "closed to submissions" note hasn't changed (I think??) for months, yet people are still sending stuff in. Are these inconsiderate folks who think it's cool to just mail stuff to their office anyway? The mystery's like a splinter under my nail!
I don't know why anyone would submit to publications they don't enjoy and admire. I also don't think it's a good idea to bash a publication like you've done here, especially after you've sent them work and they've rejected you.
I've seen a lot of journal websites that have not been updated in ages. They are like school websites, where the homepage might still have information from the 2020 school year. Zoetrope is another bad one. Not sure if it's still like this, but for a long time, they said they would reopen for submissions in the fall of a year that passed a long time ago
I don't know why anyone would submit to publications they don't enjoy and admire. I also don't think it's a good idea to bash a publication like you've done here, especially after you've sent them work and they've rejected you. Yes, I'm sure Ploughshares is shaking in their boots due to my devastating commentary about their high-quality fiction. When I say "unremarkable," it's like when a radiologist tells you the scan was unremarkable, you know? It means everything is functioning well. I just tend to place value on other aspects of literature. Or, if plainer prose is like opening a window on the world, I prefer seeing what stained glass does to a church floor. That doesn't mean there's something wrong with the window. Frankly, much of what appears in litmags isn't to my taste. But sometimes it is! I'm not going to self-reject on the assumption that because Ploughshares doesn't often publish my "thing," that means they never do (because yes, sometimes they do!).
Zoetrope is a weird one...Submission Grinder has them listed as permanently closed due to inactivity. Which is obviously incorrect, but speaks to their issues with keeping submission info up to date. Clearly the moral of the story is that publications that start with the letter "Z" are either mere rumors, or insular cults, and do not actually take submissions.
This thread has existed for a number of years without us writers talking shit about publications and I hope it can stay that way. What you're saying is very disrespectful to the writers who have been published there and the writers who want to submit to these places because they feel their work is a good fit for them. These people are not writing unremarkable stories. I just feel like your attitude is in poor taste toward some major players in the industry. That's not going to do you or anyone else here any favors. If you want to bash publications, please do it someplace else. This thread is about writers really putting themselves and their work out there and trying really hard to publish our works. Rejection is a big part of it. We have formed a mini community here that has been very supportive and understanding. I'm really not sure what you're trying yo do here. If you don't like what a place publishes, don't submit there,. But there's no reason to discourage other writers from subscribing or submitting there which you are doing by talking shit about the writing they publish. Ploughshares is a very respectable journal. The New Yorker publishes great fiction. If you can't recognize this, well, I don't really know what to say. Just let's not blame the publication for rejecting us. These editors know good writing when they see it, and if our stories are not at that level, they will be rejected. So, we write more stories and try again. Seriously, please don't bash publications and the writers they publish. It's just really not cool.
Just got a rejection letter from White Cresset. They let you submit 300 lines of poems, and mine are short, so I sent in 16 of them. Letters that included rejections: 25 Poems rejected: 111 And with that, I’ve passed 100 poems. I’d like to get 25 more rejection letters by the end of the year.
I don't think saying you think a publication's fiction is overrated yet you'd like them to publish you is talking shit. Lots of authors think the fiction in the New Yorker is overrated. Not many of them would turn down an invitation to be published there because of its reach and prestige.
Pax, y'all. Some folks appreciate the type of fiction published by The New Yorker. Some people don't. Insinuating that a writer is déclassé for not appreciating TNY's style is no more constructive than stating the stories therein are overrated. How about we regard negative statements as having cancelled each other out and reject further acrimony on the subject?
100% - this thread is about US and our rejections. We get to support each other for our bad luck and failings, not have a pop in a personal way at the industry we all want o progress in
Anyway I’m not being rejected, I’m just nothing! Total radio silence on my subs. I found a new indie press to submit to so I’ve done that and they at least promise a response!
Not wading into anything here, but commentary on publications, negative or positive, doesn't particularly bother me. I'm interested to hear more of why @quince reaches these assessments, but maybe a different thread. And sometimes it's a good thing for cause for pause on this headlong propulsion to submit, wait, rejection, go again. Speaking of which, 39 day form rejection from Vast Chasm magazine. No. 43.
I just submitted a story to Diabolical Plots, and I really appreciate the transparency of their process. They've been open for submissions since 7/1, and the front page of their submission manager shows the stats for the reading period. Yikes! My story is just one of 1220 they've received so far. So, I'm crossing my fingers, but don't be surprised if I have a rejection to report in a few weeks.
From where I'm sitting, this conversation has taken a bizarre turn. I don't even think Ploughshares is so much as overrated (not jumping on you, NativeInk)...it is merely not to my taste. People like different things! Like. I very much dislike Graham Greene's writing. This says nothing about the value of Greene's work. On the other hand, Nabokov makes me ecstatic. And this too says nothing about the value of his work! (And from an academic standpoint, we could also analyze the artistic effects or flaws or virtues in the work of either author, none of which amounts to disrespect.) I'm not trying to extend this derail. This is just to clarify that I was making casual conversation, not trying to lob a grenade. I can't even think of a literary magazine that I actively "disrespect," at least other than the ones that abuse contracts/copyright, or withhold pay from contributors. So color me confused.
Good luck, @AntPoems! I will always have a special fondness for Diabolical Plots because of Submission Grinder. Whenever I've corresponded with them (to update SG's info on publications or point out similar things), David has been so kind and concerned about user experience. It doesn't surprise me that he's set up such a friendly submission process.
When I logged in to check my Duotrope today this message was in red on my control panel page. Time to Tidy Up! 6 of your pending reports are overdue for response. You can use that link (or filter your Submission Tracker to show only Pending: "Time to Give Up") to report them as "Never Responded" in bulk. I haven't seen this before so I'm guessing it's a new feature of sorts and an effort to get users to keep up to date when it comes to logging responses. However, I don't think it's time to give up on any of these submissions marked as such. Has anyone else seen this on their Duotrope?
It tells me there's 9 that could be discarded. One of those I know to be a rejection that wasn't posted but, in my little power struggle, I decided to leave it there so the publication, whose website rather pompously says you'll know if you're accepted, might just get a little bad press from duotrope ratings. That'll show 'em. Several of the others are on Submittable, where there's usually a response. Some are only a few weeks beyond the projected response timeframe. I fully expect a response from each of them so won't close them off until the position is clear. I don't think it's clear enough right now.
I vaguely remember getting some messages asking about submissions that had passed the 6-month (I think) mark, asking if they were still active, do I want to update them, etc. I don't remember the "Time to Tidy Up!" thing, but that might just be because I didn't have the volume of submissions that you do. Or it could be new — it's been a while since I had a submission out that long.
