This year the challenge is going bi-annual. January and June.
Jan 1st – Todays markets :- Cosmic Roots & Eldritch Shores or Pelagic Zone (JayHenge). I sent The Insider Skinny On Your Best Dragon Restaurant Experience to Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores & The Dive to The Pelagic Zone.
2 stories subbed. 0 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 2nd – Todays markets :- Flash Fiction Online or Nightmares Before Bed. I sent The Hanging Gardens Of Babylon to Flash Fiction Online and eventually after a bit of looking for something long enough Tuesday Is Chicken-Flavoured Meat Day to Nightmares Before Bed.
4 stories subbed. 0 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 3rd – Todays markets :- Hexagon Magazine or Flickers Of Fear. I didn’t have anything which fitted the theme for Flickers of Fear. Fortunately we had some spare markets listed in the Facebook group. I sent A Controlled Situation to Hexagon & Forever, Or Never to Dark Moments Monthly Challenge.
LATER:-Got a rejection back from Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores on The Insider Skinny On Your Best Dragon Restaurant Experience. Not the type of thing they take, apparently. Useful data for next time.
6 stories subbed. 1 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 4th – Todays Markets:- Waystation or The Fantastic Other [flash fiction contest]. I sent Benchmark to Waystation & The Quest For Lansa Rita to Fantastic Other Flash Fiction Competition.
8 stories subbed. 1 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 5th – Todays Markets:- Clarkesworld. I sent A Pale Imitation to Clarkesworld.
9 stories subbed. 1 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 6th – Todays Markets:- Cosmic Horror Monthly or Flash Fiction Podcast. I sent Feeding The Ghosts Of The Abandoned Asylum to Cosmic Horror Monthly & Mr Handy to Manawaker Studio Flash Fiction Podcast. 2nd rejection arrived today. No on A Pale Imitation from Clarkesworld.
11 stories subbed. 2 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 7th – Todays Markets:-Beneath Ceaseless Skies or Gwyllion.
I sent Egg Witch to Beneath Ceaseless Skies & The Trouble With Being A Sword Of Truth…to Gwyllion.
13 stories subbed. 2 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 8th – Todays Markets:- Imagiatopia or Augur. I sent Exactly The Wrong Shade Of Green to Imagitopia & The Insider Skinny On Your Best Dragon Restaurant Experience to Factor Four Magazine. I chose not to use Augur today as they are open all month, this gives me a spare market in case of any dropouts, which normally happens.
15 stories subbed. 2 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 9th – Todays Markets:- Bourbon Penn or Bards & Sages Quarterly. I realised that Bards & Sages really shouldn’t be a secondary market, so I bumped them further down as a primary. More on that when we get there. I sent Do Bears… to Bourbon Penn & Odd Jobs to Augur.
17 stories subbed. 2 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 10th – Todays Markets:- Dusty Attic or Heathen. Nothing went out today because Submission Grinder was down. This was entirely my decision. Frankly, it was nice to have a rest day.
17 stories subbed. 2 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 11th – Todays Markets:- Penumbric or Metaphorosis.
I broke today down into 2 sets of subs. 1st round, done at about 7pm, I sent Feeding The Ghosts Of The Abandoned Asylum to DUSTY ATTIC & When Does The Screaming Stop to Heathen.
I later sent Top Field Tanks to Penumbric. Metaphorosis were not open.
20 stories subbed. 2 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 12th – Todays Markets:- The Cellar Door (After Tomorrow/Marshland Horrors themes) or 34 Orchard,
I didn’t have anything suitable for Cellar Door, so I bumped Bards & Sages down here as the primary market. I sent A Selection Of Fools Grails to Bards & Sages & The Ghost Of A Chance to 34 Orchard. I did receive a rejection, but it wasn’t challenge related. And Submission Grinder is still down.
22 stories subbed. 2 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 13th – Todays Markets:- Asimov’s or JOURN-E. Sadly, Journ-e weren’t open for subs at all, no reason listed. After a couple of false starts, I decided to sub to The Cosmic Background.
Dealing with rejections first. No on Egg Witch from Beneath Ceaseless Skies. I sent Simon Says to Asimov’s & I Am Guarding The Tower Now to The Cosmic Background.
24 stories subbed. 3 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 14th – Todays Markets:- Electric Spec or Tales And Feathers. I subbed Scenario Twelve to Electric Spec & Don’t Forget Your Potato! to Tales & Feathers.
26 stories subbed. 3 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 15th – Todays Markets:- Radon Journal or Puzzling Anthology. I didn’t have anything long enough for Puzzling. I had looked at 2 stories, neither came close enough. So I decided to sub to Clarkesworld, making the most of their 7 day cool down policy. Dealing with rejections first. No on Simon Says from Asimov’s & on A Controlled Situation from Hexagon.
… Made For Two to Radon Journal & Mission 334; Mannequin World to Clarkesworld.
28 stories subbed. 5 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 16th – Todays Markets:- Sci Phi Journal or Nightmare Magazine. I subbed Making The Grade to Sci Phi Journal & Running With Scissors to Nightmare.
About 20 mins later I subbed It’s Not Over Until the Echo Sings to Nightmare FLASH.
Also got a rejection later, No on Mission 334: Mannequin World from Clarkesworld.
31 stories subbed. 6 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 17th – Todays Markets:- The Lorelei Signal or Newmyths. I subbed Imogen Bleeds In A Paisley Beret to The Lorelei Signal & The Assistance Centre to NewMyths.
Had a call pop up late that evening, one of those “sub here NOW or regret it it!”. Return From The Suicide Mission to Lightspeed FLASH.
And a rejection, also very late in the day. No on The Assistance Centre from NewMyths.
34 stories subbed. 7 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 18th – Todays Markets:- The Devil You Know Best or Anotherealm or Apex Flash [Old Death]. I listed 3 markets today because I knew I didn’t have anything for Devil You Know Best.
Dealing with rejections first, a very quick one. No on Return From The Suicide Mission from Lightspeed FLASH. Thanks to Cat Rambo for that link, it was worth a try.
I tried to sub to Anotherealm twice from 2 different email addresses. Both returned the same error very quickly, so it appears they are full, broken or closed. I’m removing them as a market from future challenges from this point. I ended up replacing them. I sent Today We Kill Kelsey to Apex Magazine FLASH & Once, A Humble Bard to Epic Echoes Magazine.
36 stories subbed. 7 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 19th – Todays Markets:- Pyre Mag or Planet Scumm or Every Day Fiction. Planet Scumm wasn’t open, I replaced it with The Ghastling.
So I subbed We Grow The Legs Last to Every Day Fiction, Terrance Thinks It’s A Good Idea to The Ghastling & A Trip To The Mall to Pyre Magazine.
39 stories subbed. 7 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 20th – Todays Markets:- Interzone or Spellbinder Mag.
Fusion Fragment isn’t open until Jan 29th so I’ve bumped it down to there, swapping with Spellbinder.
I sent Volunteers Needed! to Interzone, Lesser Known Gods, And Their Worshippers to Spellbinder Mag & The Safety Of Checkpoints to Inner Worlds.
42 stories subbed. 7 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 21st – Todays Markets:- Astral, Alien Fiction or James Gunn’s Ad Astra.
Dealing with rejections first, No on The Safety Of Checkpoints from Inner Worlds. It was quick and polite.
I subbed Wedded Bliss to Astral, Alien Fiction & The Conversion Process to James Gunn’s Ad Astra.
44 stories subbed. 8 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 22nd – Todays Markets:- The Fairy Tale Magazine or Apex Magazine.
I had to remove Fairy Tale Mag, after seeing the terrible rights grab they were trying to commit with a fucking ATROCIOUSLY low amount of renumeration for same. They are now shitlisted from all further Submission Challenges. FOREVER. Fortunately I had spares and replaced them with The Lost Poetry Club.
I subbed Even Stevens to The Lost Poetry Club & How I Missed Class Picture Day to Apex Magazine.
Adding a very late rejection, No on The Hanging Gardens Of Babylon from Flash Fiction Online.
46 stories subbed. 9 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 23rd – Todays Markets:- Silver Blade or Mythaxis.
Didn’t have a great mental health day today, so I decided not to send any subs out. I can catch up tomorrow, if I need to. (Which if I don’t, I was already over double plus 2 ahead any way)
I will log the one challenge related rejection though, No on Volunteers Needed! from Interzone
46 stories subbed. 10 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 24th – Todays Markets:- Analog or The Farthest Star [Leadership Gone Right] or Clarkesworld.
I decided to try and catch up with yesterdays markets 1st, breaking subs into 2 blocks. Silver Blade, their website appears to be down or offline, couldn’t sub there. I sent A Head Of Steam to Mythaxis.
I had a break for a bit, just to gather my thoughts. Then into block 2 of subs. I sent 11 Walls In The World to Analog, Hot Dust to Leadership Gone Right & Veteran’s Day to Clarkesworld.
Adding a late rejection, just before the day ended. No on Scenario Twelve from Electric Spec.
50 stories subbed. 11 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 25th – Todays Markets:- Flash Point SF or The Fabulist. Sadly, the Fabulist had not opened, which I was hoping it would do.
I sent Binary States to Flash Point SF.
51 stories subbed. 11 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 26th – Todays Markets:- Brilliant Flash Fiction or Amazing Stories.
I sent Hell, Or Hemel Hempstead to Brilliant Flash Fiction & Black City to Amazing Stories.
Also got a very late rejection, just before the end of the day. No on The Ghost Of A Chance from 34 Orchard.
53 stories subbed. 12 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 27th – Todays Markets:- Seize The Press or Three-Lobed Burning Eye.
I subbed Meat Is Murder to Seize The Press & Not A Matter Of Belief to Three-Lobed Burning Eye.
Also 2 rejections I’d forgotten to log earlier, No on Hot Dust from Leadership Gone Right & Veterans Day from Clarkesworld.
55 stories subbed. 14 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 28th – Todays Markets:- The Dragon’s Hoard 2 (Anthology) or The Colored Lens.
I checked the story I wanted to sub to Dragon’s Hoard, which was nowhere near long enough. Fortunately a few other markets have popped up in the last few days.
I subbed The Safety Of Checkpoints to Baubles From Bones & Ernest Borgnine’s Breakfast Bar & Grill to The Colored Lens. I’ve scored at Colored Lens a few times before, hoping to repeat that success.
Adding a late rejection. I guess my expectations were too high, No on Ernest Borgnine’s Breakfast Bar & Grill from The Colored Lens.
57 stories subbed. 15 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 29th – Todays Markets:- The Dark Door or Fusion Fragment.
Dealing with rejections first. No on … Made For Two from Radon Journal.
I subbed Diversion To Fahla Bha’la to The Dark Door [that’s a reprint] & Thirty-Eight Days In An Electric Tyrannosaur to Fusion Fragment.
Adding a rejection received late in the evening, No on It’s Not Over Until the Echo Sings from Nightmare [FLASH].
59 stories subbed. 15 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 30th – Todays Markets:- The Future Fire or Old Moon.
I actually added another market to today, as the Jim Baen award was open until the end of January. I subbed Volunteer To Be A Martyr to The Future Fire, Illegal Operator to Old Moon & Star-liner Down to Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award.
62 stories subbed. 15 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
Jan 31st – Todays Markets:- Escape Pod or Chrome Baby. I removed Chrome Baby from the market list as they no longer pay through Paypal.
I ended up finding an entirely different market to sub to. But I’ll deal with other news first. Pyre Magazine are on hiatus until Spring 2025, so their story is classed as withdrawn. A Trip To The Mall was withdrawn from Pyre Magazine. I subbed The Bounty to Escape Pod & The Death Of Tony Fashion to Rock and a Hard Place.
64 stories subbed. 15 rejections. 0 acceptances. 0 holds.
I’m happy with 64 stories subbed. And that less than half of them have been rejected during the course of the month too. It’s not unheard of to have the first month pass with no acceptances happen at all. This is the 1st time since 2022. I’ve got more stories out and a lot less rejections back in the 31 days of January which seemed to last at least 156 years.
The next official event is in June. I haven’t made a solid decision on if I’ll do anything for myself during April yet. It’s possible I may do Camp NaNoWriMo.
January was incredibly difficult, in terms of being able to focus and stay positive. Your mental health is extremely important, so look after yourselves and check in on other writers if you aren’t sure how they are coping. I’m hopeful that a few acceptances will come during February.
Tags: Submission Challenge
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