FROM THE MAIL #2

On Spec cover by Chuck Bazaar

A SHORT TIME AGO, A WRITER LEFT A NOTE ON SUZENYMS asking, among other things, to consider walking readers through the On Spec submissions process. I asked Diane Walton, our Managing Editor, if she would tackle those questions, as she's the best person to field them. This is what she wrote: HI, ALL. DIANE, HERE. Susan has asked me to respond to this reader’s questions, and I am glad to do it. 

Are there more submissions now? The short answer is, yes. There are more submissions now—many more. In the olden days, when we’d go to the post office and empty our box every week, there would be anywhere from five to twenty large brown envelopes (or horribly stuffed business-sized white envelopes) shoved in the box, or (when we were using an arbitrary quarterly deadline) piled in the overflow bin on the floor behind it. 

When we finally joined the 21^st century and announced we’d be accepting e-mailed submissions, our gmail account was flooded overnight. It’s as if writers around the world were waiting with their index fingers poised over their keyboards, ready to hit SEND as soon as those doors opened. In that first rush, there were so many manuscripts that we were forced to close the floodgates for a few months until we could sort through them all. Lesson learned. 

Since then, we have controlled the submissions process even more, by announcing from time to time, that we’d be accepting submissions during a six to eight week period. And only during that period—with the exception of poetry, which we accept on an ongoing basis. In our recent window for submissions, we received over five hundred stories, many of which were in the 5,000 to 6,000 word category.  

How are the stories divided up for review? This process is purely arbitrary. The slush is divided as evenly as possible among the editors who are available to read at any given time. The editor becomes the First Reader for that batch of stories and is also responsible to write the rejection notes for those stories not deemed publishable. For a mild-mannered control freak like me who used to read EVERY STORY in the On Spec slush, this was a leap of faith. On Spec has excellent editors. I trust their judgement. 

We currently use a process for submissions that allows us to select and use an automated form rejection letter, a real time saver. There is a space for comments, where the editor can write a brief critique or some helpful constructive hints for improving the story if they so choose. It’s not a guarantee, although we try our best to find something useful to tell writers who don’t make the cut. 

How many make it through the first pass, the second, then to Fight Night and so-on? There are no hard and fast rules, here. A batch could hold a dozen pretty decent stories, or it could have less than a handful. Each story is evaluated on its own merit. Some stories get to the second pass, simply because they aren’t to a particular editor’s taste but—to be fair to the writer—he or she wants the others to have a look. Getting to Fight Night isn’t a guarantee of a good story—sometimes we do it because the story is so obscure that there must be some deep literary significance that one editor simply isn’t “getting”. 

Once each editor finishes a batch and sends on their short-listed stories, all the editors dive in and give those stories a fresh look. Fight Night will occur on a designated date, once we have made our choices about the stories we will champion, and the ones we’ll argue against.  

Of the stories On Spec receives, how many are finally published? In general, no more than four or five stories from every one hundred received will ultimately reach the stage where we are prepared to offer a contract. This hasn’t changed radically over time.  

How have the submissions fared over time in terms of quality? This can go both ways, actually. The good stories that we end up buying have been improving in quality, and it isn’t even related to the publication history of the writer. We do, of course, enjoy buying new stories from writers we have published before, but we are also thrilled when we make a new discovery. 

The not-so-good stories, on the other hand, have not improved. People used to actually proofread their own work, and it was a real commitment to use the paper, envelopes, and postage to send out a mailed manuscript. If a writer had been to at least one lecture or workshop on the techniques of writing, more care was usually taken to check spelling, punctuation, and so forth. Now, it is just too easy to hit Spell Check and expect it will actually catch every error (it won’t). 

Another error made by inexperienced writers is trying to write to suit a trope and ignoring the characters in the story. They’ll send “a vampire story”, or a “space battle story”, or “a ghost story” and it shows in the telling. After we read it, we may be able to tell you where the vampire came from, but we won’t remember what the protagonist’s main character trait (or flaw) was, or why he/she was caught up in the situation in the first place. 

All in all, the discussion of what we don’t want in an On Spec story is a never ending one. The fact remains we know what we like and that translates to what our readers like. What we do want are engaging stories about vibrant people. Even green, multi-tentacled creatures can be vibrant characters if you do it right.  And remember: if you open your story in a bar or a tavern, you probably do so at your peril. The editor reading it will mentally leap ahead to the scene where the vampire appears to seduce the hapless protagonist, or where the thief is offered gold to steal something magical, and so forth. 

Then it’s time to go to the kitchen and make a cheese sandwich. 

- Diane. 

(Thank you, Diane. - S.)

FROM THE MAIL #1

I RECEIVED THIS NOTE IN THE MAIL A FEW DAYS AGO. I don't usually post mail that links to other sites, unless those sites feature blogs about writing, editing, or publishing. That said, I thought I'd respond to the note below, as the writer seems sincere in his/her wanting an answer to their question. This is what they wrote:

"...I had a quick question that I'd like to ask if you do not mind. I was curious to know how you center yourself and clear your thoughts prior to writing. I've had trouble clearing my thoughts in getting my thoughts out. I do enjoy writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are wasted simply just trying to figure out how to begin. Any ideas or tips? Thanks!"

Simple answer about centering myself, I don't. I wish I were more disciplined, but I'm not. I usually waste my first half hour of writing time checking and responding to e-mail (which I tell myself I should leave until after the writing is done). E-mail often leads to Facebook (again, another time waster, but I still think it's important to stay connected through social media), and then I might get down to the writing. It's easier if I'm revising. (If I'm working on a first draft, I procrastinate even more.) But even with that, what gets me into the headspace is to go back to what I did the day before and tweak it - then to go on to the new work. Once I'm there, I'll stay there for several hours, usually until it's time to walk the dog.

Everybody has their own way of getting into their work. There isn't a right or a wrong way, just one that works best for you. If you're having a hard time coming up with ideas, try writing long-hand. For some reason, this seems to stimulate the creative process for me. It isn't writing, really, but making notes about what I might write. I do this when I'm developing plot. If you're working on short fiction, try coming up with a premise and then an opening hook. If your opening is provocative, unusual in some way, quirky, or unexpected, that's a good place to start.

The best advice I can give you? Don't be too hard on yourself. Silence your inner critic, and tell her it's all part of the process - even the 10 to 15 minutes you think you're wasting. The writing doesn't have to be good (although you hope it will be eventually - that's what revision is for), but it does have to get done.

I hope this helps - Susan.

P.S. What also often helps me with short fiction, is not writing. That is, thinking about the plot while I'm doing something else, like dog-walking, or exercising, or whatever. If you've planned things out in your head beforehand, the writing is so much easier. - S.

CAN SELF-PUBLISHED WORK BE RE-SUBMITTED TO MAGAZINES AND ANTHOLOGIES?

I RECEIVED THIS LETTER FROM A WRITER the other day:

“I was wondering whether I could ask you an editorial/publishing-related question. (Of course!) As I get more organized in submitting my work to the speculative fiction markets, I realize I may have shot myself in the foot. A number of years ago, I self-published a short story (along with other people in my writing group) in a chapbook anthology. I want to submit it to anthologies and magazines, but I’m unsure whether I should be selling it as a reprint. The chapbook sold pretty well locally—about one or two hundred copies. In your opinion, does this count as being published for the purposes of selling first print rights? I’m assuming I can’t send it to anthologies unless they take reprints. But it wouldn’t affect first serial publishing rights for magazines, would it? I’d hate to think I made a bad decision by self-publishing my work before trying it in enough markets to get it published elsewhere first, but I’m afraid that's what I’ve done. Thanks for your time!”

First of all, I don't think self-publishing is necessarily a waste of your time. If you’re writing, you’re working on your technique, polishing and refining it. Self-publishing means you’re also learning how to promote your work—a requirement, no matter whether you’re self-publishing or working with an established publisher. The life of a writer is often frustrating. It can be good to create and celebrate your own successes.

According to Diane Walton, Managing Editor at On Spec, common wisdom says that if a writer makes his chapbook available privately online, say to his own critique group, it can still be a First North American Serial Rights story. The fact that it was published in a chapbook anthology and made available to the public means the story should only be sold for reprint rights. Unfortunately, First NA Serial Rights are affected. We won’t consider it at On Spec.

That said, we can’t speak for everyone. Your best bet is to query a specific publisher. Another option is to check out Douglas Smith’s website for his list of non-English markets around the world that take work published in English and translate it. Check it out here: http://www.smithwriter.com/foreign_market_list.htm.

Good luck!

Next Post: Me, Myself and I - I answer my own questions about what grabs me, and what doesn't, from the On Spec slush pile.