Tag: Submissions

Rejectomancy Rabbit Hole: Acceptance Rates

Recently, I was discussing the chances of getting published at some of the big genre markets with my author pals, and a few numbers were thrown around, some by yours truly. These numbers were mostly guess-work. None of us really know the exact percentage chance… Continue Reading “Rejectomancy Rabbit Hole: Acceptance Rates”

The Monsters the Guidelines Forgot: Zombies

In this series of posts, I’m going to talk about writing and selling stories featuring classic monsters. You know, the ones you often find in publisher guidelines after the words “absolutely no”. It’s usually the big three—vampires, werewolves, and zombies—that make the do not… Continue Reading “The Monsters the Guidelines Forgot: Zombies”

Query Quest: Postmortem

Last month, I marked the last outstanding query for my novel SECOND DAWN as closed, no response (CNR), ending my first trek through the deep, dark jungle of query land. It was a rough trip, but I learned a lot, and I will absolutely… Continue Reading “Query Quest: Postmortem”

2023: A Writing Rearview Review

Well, 2023 is in the books, and as writing years go, it wasn’t all I hoped it would be. Though not a complete failure by any means, 2023 was nowhere near as productive as years past. This is largely due to a focus on… Continue Reading “2023: A Writing Rearview Review”

Leaving the Nest: Where To Send My New Story

I recently finished a new story, and it’s time to send my poor little word baby out into the dark, feral wastes of submission land. In this post, I thought it might be fun to talk about how I go about deciding which markets… Continue Reading “Leaving the Nest: Where To Send My New Story”

Query/Submission Statement: November 2023

I was fairly active in November, but, overall, it was a disappointing month for both short story submissions and agent queries. It was a month of cleansing, and I cleared out a lot of stale agent queries with the goal of heading into 2024… Continue Reading “Query/Submission Statement: November 2023”

Writing Challenges: The Four Brain Weasels of the Apocalypse

It goes without saying that writing and publishing is a tough gig. To make matters worse, the writerly brain is beset by a myriad of doubts, insecurities, and plain old fears that make it even tougher. Speaking from my own experience, there are four… Continue Reading “Writing Challenges: The Four Brain Weasels of the Apocalypse”

The Regularly Rejected Story: Give Up or Keep Submitting?

Although most of my recent submission efforts have been focused on querying my novel, I have sent out the occasional short story submission. Admittedly, I haven’t written much new material over 1,000 words in a while, so I’ve been grinding away at the stories… Continue Reading “The Regularly Rejected Story: Give Up or Keep Submitting?”

Query/Submission Statement: October 2023

October was another busy month, and I sent a fair number of queries and submissions. That said, queries are winding down as I wait for replies to those still outstanding. Anyway, here’s how I did in the tenth month of the year of our… Continue Reading “Query/Submission Statement: October 2023”

Query Quest: Who Should I Query? (Redux)

Recently, someone asked me what my process is for vetting agents before I query them. Since the question was asked on a social media platform (Bluesky), I could only answer briefly, but I think a longer, more in-depth explanation could be educational. I’ve previously… Continue Reading “Query Quest: Who Should I Query? (Redux)”