Firstly - for brownie points, when you submit to Dark Pages Volume 1, can you please use 12pnt font, preferably Arial and double space. I also like an extra return between paragraphs - white space is a readers friend.
I currently have 42 stories still to read. This is bolstered by over a dozen new stories every week and I expect this to be doubled, if not tripled as we approach the end of November.
The vast majority of stories are very well told with unique settings, plots and premises. Many also have excellent characters. If I chose all the stories I liked, we'd be releasing Dark Pages volumes 1 through 5 early next year! Unfortunately my mandate is to only edit for volume 1 and I've been given parameters with which to work within to achieve that.
As I work through your submissions, I pass on the story names to Blade Red Press who kindly send out the bad news for me about once a week. I try and keep on top of the reading so the notices go out in fairly big batches to give everyone a chance to submit something else if they so chose (and quite a few of you have). I don't keep track of who has sent anything in so I don't pre-judge anything if you've had one unfortunate email so far.
I am currently sitting on a quite a number of stories I want to look at again before making any final choices for a second round of reading. I'm hoping to let everyone know how they have fared, and/or if I'd like to hang onto the piece for a while longer as soon as possible after the close of submissions.
Trust me, I'm a writer, I know how frustrating it can be waiting on a response. I promise not to keep you in suspense for too long.
Keep the subs coming.
The Time Machine Australia Bound
2 weeks ago
I have become a remarkably patient writer. I don't know where it came from, but I have several stories that have been out for several hundred days and I am not too worried about them, yet.
ReplyDeleteAll we ask is that you put together a book worth reading, not necessarily a book we are in (although they can be one in the same if we are good enough).
Reading subs is a completely different experience than I thought it would be. It's helped me as a writer because now I honestly get the "this is a subjective business" thing. So yay for reading! Yay for your 52 Stitches acceptance! And kind of yay for your appropriate-yet-disturbing pic of a male cheerleader. I bet he sleeps with those pom poms.
ReplyDelete-Mercedes
I'm with Jamie on both of those. I never realized how patient I could be until I had a manuscript out for a year and hardly thought about it any more. It's more about how it's done than when, and you have no worries there.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with continued reading, and I'm glad it's making the choices hard. This will surely be one of the finest of the year!
I think I would go blind if I edited an anthology. Luckily my grammar sucks far too hard for anyone to ask me : )
ReplyDeleteYou're all spot on and therefore obviously been in this game long enough to act professionally in all aspects - well done - there are plenty who aren't. Thankfully not too many submitting to me.
ReplyDeleteNat - I have a secret/not so secret weapon. I have my guru of all things English on board with this project and the resources of the publisher. Between Pharo, me and Blade Red - we should be able to knock anything into shape - if it needs it, which most that make the short list probably won't!
The reading and selecting will definitely be the hardest part of this I think.