I’m not just going to say what was subbed where & what was rejected by who on which day, I’ll also give running daily stats & talk about what else happened as the month went on.
Today’s market was Fantasy & Science Fiction. I started the year with a story publication too! Aether & Ichor published A Tooth fairy Dreams… in their final issue.
01-Fluid State to F&SF,
Previous Iterations to Kanstellation,
I Hide Behind Cardboard Cliffs And Polystyrene Rocks to Cossmass Infinities.
No=0, Yes=0, Sub=3.
Today’s market was Clarkesworld. I had to bump Space & Time up the list too as they brought their closing date forward. This would prove to be annoying later in the month. We discovered 87 Bedford was closed today as well. You’ll see what problems that causes shortly too.
02-Scenario Twelve to Space & Time.
The Witch In The Fog to Clarkesworld Magazine.
No from Space and Time on The Sex Lives Of Robots.
No=1, Yes=0, Sub=5.
Today’s market was Daily Science Fiction. No issues submitting there, thankfully.
03-No from F&SF on Fluid State.
Monster to Daily Science Fiction,
Nightwing Fucks Shit Up to F&SF.
No=2, Yes=0, Sub=7.
Today’s market was Sirius Science Fiction. Totally fine submitting here. A good solid market.
04-No from James Gunn’s Ad Astra on House, Or Home.
No from F&SF on Nightwing Fucks Shit Up.
Nightwing Fucks Shit Up to Interzone.
One Of Us Is Lying to Sirius Science Fiction,
One Night Stand to Mythic.
No=4, Yes=0, Sub=10.
Today’s market was 87 Bedford, which was closed. After a bit of a scramble, I found Strange Constellations WAS open, thankfully.
05-Weird Old Wullie to Strange Constellations,
Starliner Down to F&SF.
No=4, Yes=0, Sub=12.
Today’s market was Strange Constellations. Guess who I subbed to the previous day? I found an anthology call open and subbed there. I also subbed to Infinite Worlds Magazine, because the anthology wasn’t a paying call.
06-No from Clarkesworld on The Witch In The Fog.
Bodge Job to Infinite Worlds Magazine,
Mushnik’s Guitar to Aphotic Realm’s Interstellar; Horror Among the Stars.
No=5, Yes=0, Sub=14.
Today’s market was Agni. I subbed there. On the right day.
07-No from F&SF on Starliner Down.
Stranding Room Only to F&SF.
Salvation to Agni.
No=6, Yes=0, Sub=16.
Today’s market was Visions. I couldn’t sub here because they were closed. So I subbed a horror piece from the horror market list I’d also created. I’d made it, so why not use it, right?
08-Ghost Tour to Dark Moon Digest.
No=6, Yes=0, Sub=17.
Today’s market was The Overcast. Hooray for a day with no problems submitting there.
09-Two Little Birds to The Arcanist,
She, Of The Tribeless to The Overcast.
Timeshare to Hybrid Ink; Small Loves.
No=6, Yes=0, Sub=20.
Today’s market was Trouble Among The Stars. They were placed on this day as their closure deadline was imminent.
10-No from F&SF on Stranding Room Only,
My Summer Holiday, By Billy Mesner (Aged 5) to Trouble Among the Stars
& The Healer to F&SF.
No=7, Yes=0, Sub=22.
Today’s market was Constellary Tales. They were closed. I had this market in reserve though.
11-They Who Dare to Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award.
No=7, Yes=0, Sub=23.
Today’s market was Electric Spec. Their deadline was looming, so I’d placed them here for that reason. My 2nd story of the year was published today. “It Takes A Dragon…” went live at Flash Fiction Magazine.
12-Total Immersion to Electric Spec.
No=7, Yes=0, Sub=24.
Today’s market was Strange Horizons. You can only sub here on a certain day between certain times. The hoops you have to leap through JUST to submit a fucking story.
13-No from F&SF on The Healer,
Fair King, Fell Low to Strange Horizons,
The Healer to Clarkesworld.
No=8, Yes=0, Sub=26.
Today’s market was Every Day Fiction.
14-No from Daily Science Fiction on Monster,
no from Interzone on Nightwing Fucks Shit Up,
The Age Of Chivalry to Every Day Fiction,
Shoulder Surfers to Forge Literary Magazine.
No=10, Yes=0, Sub=28.
Today’s market was Strange Fictions. Submission Grinder listed it as “permanently closed” hence submitting elsewhere.
15-Save State to Utopia Science Fiction,
Simon Says to F&SF.
No=10, Yes=0, Sub=30.
Today’s market was NewMyths.
16-The Fight to NewMyths,
Ghost Tour to The Dark.
No=10, Yes=0, Sub=32.
Today’s market was Chrome Baby.
17-No from Electric Spec on Total Immersion,
no from NewMyths on The Fight,
no from The Dark on Ghost Tour.
The Scars Of War to Chrome Baby,
The Uninvited to Black Static.
No=13, Yes=0, Sub=34.
Today’s market was Flash Fiction Online.
18-No from Forge Literary Magazine on Shoulder Surfers,
no from F&SF on Simon Says
& no from ServiceScape Short Story Award on In Hot Water.
On Common Ground to Flash Fiction Online,
Say Again, Over to F&SF.
No=16, Yes=0, Sub=36.
Today’s market was Metaphorosis Magazine. I’ll be honest, I didn’t want to sub there because of the way they make you format a story to such an exact way. In the end I just did it anyway. Tell-Tale Press were closed for general subs, Andrea invited me to sub to her anthology call. Well, I wangled an invitation. Right place, right time.
19-No from Black Static on The Uninvited.
Sidekicks to Metaphorosis,
The Shaming to Tell-Tale Press; Nabu Carnevale,
Ballroom to Tell-Tale Press; Nabu Carnevale,
& The Dionesian Wave to Tell-Tale Press; Nabu Carnevale.
No=17, Yes=0, Sub=40.
Today’s market was Mithila Review. First sale of the month! 36 Hours In The Space Force was sold to B Cubed Press. I actually made 2 sales on this day but didn’t get permission to announce the 2nd sale right away hence not announcing it here.
20-No from F&SF on Say Again, Over.
No from B Cubed Press on Volunteers Needed.
36 Hours In The Space Force was sold to B Cubed Press.
The War Machines to Mithila Review,
Say Again, Over to Aggregate.
No=19, Yes=1, Sub=42.
Today’s market was Space & Time. I’d already had to bump it up the list to get in before they shut, so there was a bit of looking around for an open paying market today.
21-No from Clarkesworld on The Healer,
no from Cossmass Infinities on Cardboard Cliffs.
The Man Who Borrowed My Clock to Planet Scumm,
Assessment to Curiosities.
Volunteers Needed! to Space Force; Building a Legacy.
No=21, Yes=1, Sub=45.
Today’s market was Asimovs. I was also given permission to announce my 2nd sale of the year! My Summer Holiday, By Billy Mesner (Aged 5) was sold to Trouble Among the Stars on Jan 20th. As I knew I wasn’t going to be submitting to Analog on the 26th, I moved Asimov’s to there.
22-The Ripples Of Time to F&SF,
Stray Kids Come Back to Hybrid Fiction.
My Summer Holiday, By Billy Mesner (Aged 5) SOLD to Trouble Among the Stars.
No from Metaphorosis on Sidekicks,
no from Newfound on The Very Next Best Thing To Being There,
no from Curiosities on Assessment.
No=24, Yes=2, Sub=47.
Today’s market was Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
23-Dragon Bait to Beneath Ceaseless Skies,
Somewhere, It’s Still Paris to Electric Spec.
No=24, Yes=2, Sub=49.
Today’s market was Interzone.
24-Stranding Room Only to Interzone.
No from F&SF on The Ripples Of Time,
no from Beneath Ceaseless Skies on Dragon Bait
& no from Kanstellation on Previous Iterations.
No=27, Yes=2, Sub=50.
Today’s market was Three-Lobed Burning Eye.
25-Grandmothers Shoes to Three-lobed Burning Eye,
Top Field Tanks to All Worlds Wayfarer.
No=27, Yes=2, Sub=52.
Today’s market was Analog. I already had a piece there, and knew they had a backlog of at least 4-5 months so I used Asimov’s instead. I also pitched a couple of stories to Andrea Dawn at Tell-Tale & she said go ahead, send them, so I did.
26-The Burning Towers to Tell-Tale Press Nabu Carnevale
& Exactly The Wrong Shade Of Green to Tell-Tale Press Nabu Carnevale.
Starliner Down to Asimovs.
No=27, Yes=2, Sub=55.
Today’s market was The Weird And Whatnot. Couldn’t sub here today because their web domain had expired, so another scramble for open markets.
27-No from Asimov’s on Starliner Down.
Stranding Room Only to Clarkesworld,
The Uninvited to Tales to Terrify
& Caught Red-Handed to Interzone.
No=28, Yes=2, Sub=58.
Today’s market was Liquid Imagination. Guess who closed early? They did, leaving me yet ANOTHER scramble for somewhere open. It’s a good job I’ve got over 500 finished stories to sub, isn’t it?
28-No from Clarkesworld on Stranding Room Only.
Second Site to F&SF,
The Death Of Tony Fashion to Flash Bang Mysteries.
No=29, Yes=2, Sub=60.
Today’s market was Not One Of Us. They were open, I subbed there.
29-No from Hybrid Fiction on Stray Kids Come Back.
No from F&SF on Second Site
& no from Analog on Body Banks.
Breaking Down A Cursed Sandwich to Not One of Us.
No=32, Yes=2, Sub=61.
Today’s market was Augur. Who were closed. I went with Silver Blade who I’d discovered a few days earlier.
30-No from Three-lobed Burning Eye on Grandmothers Shoes,
no from Interzone on Caught Red-Handed.
The Sex Lives Of Robots to The Weird and Whatnot,
Wizard Of The Day to Silver Blade Magazine.
No=34, Yes=2, Sub=63.
Today’s market was Timeworn Literary Journal. I didn’t feel I had anything which fitted their requirements, so went insane and subbed to several places. Thanks to an email reminding me Compelling were open, I subbed there as one of them.
31-Starliner Down to Compelling,
Idiots Of The Underworld to F&SF,
Simon Says to Interzone
& Bizarre Life Triangle to Tales from the Moonlit Path.
No from Interzone on Simon Says.
No=35, Yes=2, Sub=67.
So over 31 days I submitted 67 stories in total. Had 35 rejections. Sold 2.
Comparing this to the September 2019 Challenge, over 30 days, a total of 56 stories were submitted. I received 20 rejections and made 1 sale.
I submitted more, sold more, and got more rejections. Obviously I still have a lot of stories still out there.
What’s next? I’ve already made the decision to run the challenge again in May of 2020.
If you took part, I hope you achieved everything you wanted to. If that was to sub 31 stories, I hope that happened. If it didn’t, heck, it’s not a complete disaster. However many stories you got out, it’s better than none. Congratulations to those who made sales, or make sales when your replies finally come in. If you decide to join me in May, I’ll be happy to have you along for the ride again. If you take part for the first time, I’ll be just as happy to see you on my crazy train.
Remember the hashtag #SubmissionChallenge
Regards,
Ray Daley @RayDaleyWriter
