I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Also sprach the Slush God

One, having met John Joseph Adams in person, let me say he is one hoopy frood. Two, having submitted to both Fantasy & Science Fiction and some of the special issues of magazines he's edited, he's always treated me well. When he sent back my reply postcard for Daddy's Little Girl and marked it that he passed it up to Gordon, I think I was on a natural high for a week.

Now he's letting the cat out of the bag with his post Beyond the Guidelines, 25 Ways You Might Be Annoying Editors Without Even Knowing It. If you submit through the regular mail, you should read, also good tips for e-subs.

I still use reply cards, but I've been thinking of dropping them, for the very reason John says. Sometimes I have received the rejection letter before the reply card. Sometimes I never get the reply card at all. One of the reasons I like e-submissions (of which F&SF doesn't accept, yet) is when the editors couple them with automatic response emails, and in some markets, trackers. Takes a lot of the anxiousness out of the process, not to mention less cost and not waiting in the PO Line (average wait for me is about 15-20 minutes).

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