Archive | June, 2021

Why Rolling Daily Subs Are Ending

20 Jun

To tell you this, it’s necessary to start with why I was doing daily subs in the first place. Last year was a dark time for a lot of people. I personally had my best year, most acceptances, most publications.

A damn fine year as a writer.

However, I still felt there was room to grow, and challenge myself. I asked my Twitter followers:- “How hard would it be to sub a story, every day for a year?” This turned into the Submission Challenge, the event where I sub at least 1 story every day for a month to a paying market. Yet that original challenge still nagged at me, from the back of my mind.

Could I sub a story every day for a year?

So on September 1st 2020, I started out on what I hoped would be the most challenging 365 days of my life as a writer so far. To submit at least 1 story every day for an entire year to a paying market. I had no clue how possible it was, if there’d even BE markets open on days like Christmas or New Years Eve & New Years Day.

I just started.

And it worked. At first. Until January 4th 2021. When my laptop decided it absolutely had to run the Windows 10 end of life update. I left the thing running for hours but it bricked my operating system, could not boot again and I no longer had the ability to upload stories and the 365 day challenge was effectively over and failed.

125 days, if anyone wanted to know. 4.1064 months or 17.8571 weeks. Thanks, Google.

Anyway, it took me 4 days to get a new PC due to lockdown, but I got back online January 8th 2021 and I’ve been submitting every day since. As of today (20th June 2021) that’s 163 days. Just short of half a year (182.5 days).

This Saturday (26th June 2021) is the 1st day I don’t have a market listed on my wallplanner, so that feels like as good a day as any to end the rolling daily subs. It’s been difficult to maintain, not impossible but incredibly tough both physically & mentally to stay on top of, with the constant hunt to find places to sub to every day.

In total, I’ll have subbed for 265 days, only 100 short of the full year.

I’ll tell you this:- It’s more than possible to sub a story to a paying market every day for a year. This guy will not be achieving that though. I need a short break before the next September Submission Challenge, which will also be the event’s 2nd birthday!

I think 265 days of subs with only 4 days break due to computer issues is more than enough for any one.

I won’t be trying this again. I’ve more than proved my point. If the laptop hadn’t bricked, I could have done it.

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Tallying Wins And Losses

17 Jun

Today I posted my lifetime stats from Submission Grinder, purely what I had logged.
I decided here to peel back the layers & check other social media outlets to see if those numbers were the entire story, or not.


2012
The image shows nothing from that time.

My bibliography records the following publications, no-one paid me anything that year:-Tesla’s Grave. Amazon. May 1st, 2012.
No World For Vampires A Splendid Salmagundi. October 18th, 2012.
Lightning Strikes Twice; A Flash Fiction Collection. Amazon. December 7th, 2012.


2013
Again, nothing from that time. My bibliography shows the following publications, again, no-one paid me that year.

Return From Red Zone. 365tomorrows. January 12th, 2013.
The Man Who Was Twelve Bears. Linguistic Erosion. January 16th, 2013.
Ground Zero. Linguistic Erosion. January 19th, 2013. The Last Mighty One.
Linguistic Erosion. January 24th, 2013.
The Keepers, Kept. Linguistic Erosion. April 7th, 2013.
The Armstrong Moment. Linguistic Erosion. May 15th, 2013.
Salary Man. 365tomorrows. May 28, 2013.
Come In Number 13, Your Time Is Up! Linguistic Erosion. August 20th, 2013.


2014
Again, nothing listed. I recorded the following publications on my bibliography, no stories were paid for.

Back From The War. Farther Stars Than These. March 20th, 2014.
First Impressions. The Sirens Call, ezine 14. April, 2014.
Pigeon Punching In North Africa. Stranger Views. December 3rd, 2014.


2015
The 1st year of listings, 3 submissions & 3 rejections.

As far as publications went, 1 self-pub & 2 others. I think I sold 1 or 2 copies of the Bradbury book so I got SOME money:-A Year Of Living Bradbury; 52 Stories Inspired By Ray Bradbury. Amazon. January 2nd, 2015.
The Waiting Room. Steps In Time. March, 2015.
Wipeout. Ealaín Issue 11. September, 2015.


2016
According to Submission Grinder:-7 subs & 0 acceptances. I had to revise that statement. I subbed & sold Seeing Double, to Deserts Of Fire.
The bibiliography doesn’t agree:- Seeing Double. Deserts of Fire: Speculative Fiction and the Modern War. December 7th, 2016.
My blog says this:-Submitted over 25 stories. Sold nothing.
Received 2 free contributor copies of an anthology I’m in.
Wrote 87 new short stories.

2016 Ray did NOT keep records. It’s a good job Facebook exists.


2017
According to Submission Grinder:-93 subs, 7 acceptances.
The blog had this to say:-I had 9 stories picked up this year. Of those 6 were for money.

Publications that year were as follows:-The Catch. The Weretraveler. September 3rd, 2017.
The Dirtheads of Duke Street. CEA Greatest Anthology Written. October 10th, 2017.
The Dionesian Wave. When You’re Strange: An Anthology of Strangers. November 5th, 2017.
Call Girl. Neural Nets, Uplinks, and Wet ware; The Complete Set (The Astounding Outpost Presents Book 2) November 30th, 2017.
The Early Years. Timeless Tales Issue 9. December 12th, 2017.


2018
232 Subs, 7 acceptances according to Submission Grinder.
Wrong again, according to the blog. That said 9 acceptances, 8 were sales. The blog listed 240 stories subbed.

The year of my 1st pro sale, although I didn’t know it at the time!

Publications that year were as follows:-An Improper State of Mind. Mind Candy. February 5th, 2018.
The Doomsday Machine Retires. Monstrosities. March 3rd, 2018. [1st pro sale]
Muse. Cat Tails: War Zone. March 16th, 2018.
Not According to Design. Mythic, #7. July, 2018.
Uncle Ping’s Evening Farewell. Insignia, Vol 5. July 19, 2018.
The Girl on Platform Two. Jouth, Vol. 1. November 1st, 2018.


2019
232 Subs, 13 acceptances according to Submission Grinder.
The blog said:- 242 new submissions. 13 acceptances

Publications that year were as follows:-The Razors Edge. The Weird and Whatnot #1. February 28th, 2019.
Two Tickets To The End Of The World (Unused). CafeLit. March 8, 2019.
The Subaudibles. Aurora Wolf. April 1st, 2019.
How Have the Mighty Fallen?. Insignia, Vol 7. June 6th, 2019.
The Parting. Electric Athenaeum Issue 02. August 14th, 2019.
The Symptoms Of Lawn Tennis. Flash In A Flash issue 7. (subscribers only) September 24th, 2019.
A Million Light Years From Home. Tall Tales & Short Stories Volume 1. Nov 19th, 2019.
Uniform. New Orbit Magazine Issue 07. Dec 3rd, 2019.


2020
353 Subs & 15 acceptances according to Submission Grinder.
The blog said:-323 new submissions. 15 acceptances. (Someone misread a number there, by the look of it?)

Publications that year were as follows:-A Tooth Fairy Dreams… Aether And Ichor issue 5. January 1st, 2020.
It Takes A Dragon. Flash Fiction Magazine. January 12th, 2020.
My Summer Holiday, By Billy Mesner (Aged 5). Trouble Among The Stars issue 5. February 5th, 2020.
Super Fake. Future Syndicate II. February 6th, 2020.
Bastard Space. Wordland 8, Time We Left. March 1st, 2020.
Mushnik’s Guitar. Aphotic Realm Magazine #9, Interstellar. March 26th, 2020
(REPRINT) The Dionesian Wave. Tell-Tale Press. May 4th, 2020.
For The Duty. Space Force: Building The Legacy. May 19th, 2020.
The Shaming. The Starship Logs Vol 3: Nabu Carnevale. Tell-Tale Press. June 1st, 2020.
The Scars Of War. Chrome Baby. June 30th, 2020.
The Passing Of Witchcraft. The Angry Noodle (formerly Satyr Central). August 12th, 2020.
Two Tickets To The End Of The World (Unused). The Best of CaféLit 9.August 31st, 2020
Electric Feet, Manual Street. Kasma Magazine. September 1st, 2020.
Summer At Camp Long Drop. Ghostlight, The Magazine of Terror: Fall 2020 (#6). September 10th, 2020.
Detecting Rogue Time Travellers (Practical Exam). On Time, September 30th, 2020.
And The Lord Taketh Away. The Colored Lens #37 Autumn 2020, October 15th, 2020.
One Of Us Is Lying. Sirius Science Fiction, November 8th, 2020.
The Symptoms Of Lawn Tennis. Worth 1,000 Words: 101 Flash Fiction Stories by 101 Authors.December 5th, 2020.


2021
Obviously this year is still on-going so stats are subject to change.

Publications that year were as follows:-Lost Souls. Daily Science Fiction. January 27th, 2021. [Pro sale]
Grandmothers Shoes. Bards And Sages Quarterly, April issue. March 30th, 2021.
Overground. COLP:Underground. May 23rd, 2021.
Fixing Broken Dreams. Stupefying Stories. May 28th, 2021.
The Message. Stupefying Stories. June 4th, 2021.
For Sale: Used Time Machine. No Refunds! Stupefying Stories. June 7th, 2021.

May 2021 Submission Challenge Summary

1 Jun

Another event is now over, how did I do?

I’ll show what markets I’d selected for each day, where I subbed to and why, along with my stats.
No=rejections. Yes=Acceptances. Subbed=Submitted.


On the 1st of May I choose Kaleidotrope, Fantasy Mag [Flash & SHORT] or Cryptids:Emerging.
Subbed Do Bears… to Kaleidotrope & The Dive to Cryptids Emerging.
No=143, Yes=6, Subbed=176.


On the 2nd May I’d picked Cosmic Roots & Eldritch Shores or Flash Fiction Online.
Rejections from Flash Fiction Online on Notepad & Pencil, Wyldblood Magazine on Empty Chest & Kaleidotrope on Do Bears…
Subbed The Ripples Of Time to Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores.
No=146, Yes=6, Subbed=177.


On the 3rd of May the selected markets were Dread Stone Press (Dose Of Dread), or The Other Stories [Space theme] Rejection from Apex on Sixteen Tons.
Subbed The Boy In The Shopping Cart to Dose of Dread.
No=147, Yes=6, Subbed=178.


STAR WARS DAY! On the 4th of May I’d chosen Every Day Fiction or Chrome Baby.
Rejections from Uncharted Mag on Hyperboy: Trinity & Boneyard Soup Magazine on The Hauntings.
Subbed The Suicide Drive to Chrome Baby.
No=149, Yes=6, Subbed=179.


On the 5th of May I picked Distant Shore Publishing or Uncharted Mag.
Rejections from Cosmic Roots on The Ripples Of Time & The Deadlands on I Keep Dying In My Sleep.
Subbed Praise The Lord to Distant Shore.
No from No=151, Yes=6, Subbed=180.


On the 6th of May the markets were F&SF or Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
Rejections from the PodCastle Flash Fiction Contest on Right Place, Right Time & Lightspeed on To Have & To Hold. Subbed The Doppleganger Exchange to F&SF and I’ve Fallen In Love With A Hologram, Again to Space Cowboy Books.
No=153, Yes=6, Subbed=182.


The 7th of May markets were Andromeda Spaceways or Giganotosaurus.
Rejections from Space Cowboy Books on I’ve Fallen In Love With A Hologram, Again and Best of British Science Fiction Anthology Series on My Summer Holiday, By Billy Mesner (Aged 5).
Subbed Clone Thirty-Four to Clarkesworld.
No=154, Yes=6, Subbed=183.


The 8th of May I picked Clarkesworld.
As I hadn’t used the previous days’ spare market, I decided to use that.
Subbed The Bivouac to GigaNotoSaurus.
No=154, Yes=6, Subbed=184.


On the 9th of May the markets were Nature: Futures or The Lorelei Signal.
Rejection from Nature: Futures on Dial Stuck On Summer.
Subbed Party Of Five to The Lorelei Signal. I’d been waiting to hear from Nature for a while, I decided that was my last roll of the dice there.
No=155, Yes=6, Subbed=185.


The 10th of May I chose Planet Scumm or Mithila Review.
Rejections from Clarkesworld on Clone Thirty-Four & Nightmare on Diversion To Fahla Bha’la.
Subbed Fairytales, And Lies to Planet Scumm.
No=157, Yes=6, Subbed=186.


On the 11th of May I choose Allegory.
Subbed Where Have All The Dragons Gone? to Allegory & One Of A Kind to Martian Magazine.
Also got a same day rejection from Martian Magazine on One Of A Kind.
No=158, Yes=6, Subbed=188.


12th May, the market was Not One Of Us. Pretty sure they were shut & I only found out on the day.
Rejections from Daily Science Fiction on Dear Transnational Death Tank Company & Flash Point SF on Welcome To The Death Machine Factory Tour.
Subbed Sixteen Tons to Interzone & The Shaming to Best Indie Speculative Fiction.
No=160, Yes=6, Subbed=190.


For the 13th of May I chose Three-Lobed Burning Eye. – I’d pulled The Arcanist as they weren’t open.
Subbed Home Is Where The Heart Is to Three-Lobed Burning Eye & Crime Of The Century to Martian Magazine.
Rejections from F&SF on The Doppleganger Exchange & another same dayer from Martian Magazine on Crime Of The Century.
No=162, Yes=6, Subbed=192.


On the 14th of May I’d picked Fusion Fragment.
Rejections from Interzone on Sixteen Tons & Constellation on Starliner Down.
Subbed One Night Stand to Fusion Fragment & Two Little Birds to Mason Jar Press.
No=164, Yes=6, Subbed=194.


15th May’s markets were Outlook Springs, Strange Religion (TDOT SPEC) or Dark Dispatch.
Outlook springs closed early. I couldn’t sub to Strange Religion as I’d subbed there already at the start of their private subs, they were only taking 1 piece per person.
Subbed Dream Journal #4 to Dark Dispatch: The Dead Inside.
No=164, Yes=6, Subbed=195.


On the 16th of May I chose Strange Wars (TDOT SPEC) or Asimov’s.
Same issues as Strange Religion so I couldn’t sub there.
Rejections from Fusion Fragment on One Night Stand & Mason Jar on 2 Little Birds.
Subbed The Bivouac to Asimov’s, Desperately Seeking… Something to Martian Magazine & Welcome To Pleasantville to Fusion Fragment.
No=166, Yes=6, Subbed=198.


Markets for the 17th of May were The Other Stories [post apocalypse theme], Typehouse or The Common Tongue.
I added Starward shadows as a spare.
Subbed The Welcome Wagon to The Other Stories Podcast (Hawk and Cleaver).
No=166, Yes=6, Subbed=199.


On the 18th of May I chose Eerie River (Horror, vampire theme) or No Sleep Podcast.
I had to pull Strange Horizons who’d announced they wouldn’t be open again until June.
Subbed The Legend to Eerie River Publishing Monthly Themed Contest.
No=166, Yes=6, Subbed=200.


On the 19th of May the markets were Apex Magazine or Apparition Lit (themed, Contamination).
Rejection from Martian Magazine on Desperately Seeking… Something. It was quick, at least.
Subbed Nanny Slums It Across The Apocalypse to Apex Magazine.
No=167, Yes=6, Subbed=201.


The markets for the 20th of May were Daily Science Fiction or Sanitarium Magazine. I also added Hexagon Magazine.
Rejections from Three-Lobed Burning Eye on Home Is Where The Heart Is, Fusion Fragment on Welcome To Pleasantville & Every Day Fiction on The Milkman Of Paradise .
Subbed Stray Kids Come Back to Daily Science Fiction, Officer Down, Permanently to Sanitarium & Other People’s Gods to Hexagon.
No=170, Yes=6, Subbed=204.


For the 21st of May I picked The Overcast. And subbed there!
Subbed Fair King, Fell Low to The Overcast & Welcome To The Death Machine Factory Tour to Flash Fiction Online.
No=170, Yes=6, Subbed=206.


On the 22nd of May I used Bourbon Penn.
Rejections from Crunchy With Ketchup on The Princess & The Sandwich and Intrinsick on Dear Toaster.
Subbed Egg Witch to Bourbon Penn, Edgar’s Spaceboot Shop to Manawaker Studio Flash Fiction Podcast & One Night Stand to Kaleidotrope.
No=172, Yes=6, Subbed=209.


On the 23rd of May I’d selected Metaphorosis.
Rejections from Hexagon on Other People’s Gods & Tales to Terrify on The Waking Nightmare..
Subbed A Selection Of Fools Grails to Metaphorosis & Hyperboy; Trinity to DAIKAIJUZINE.
Fixing Broken Dreams was sold to Stupefying Stories.
No=174, Yes=7, Subbed=211.


For the 24th of May I chose Interzone. Andy is always a solid choice for any SF story.
Lots of rejections today – from Metaphorosis on A Selection Of Fools Grails, Hoosier Review on Shoulder Surfers, Kaleidotrope on One Night Stand, Apex Mag on Nanny Slums It Across The Apocalypse, The Mesozoic Readers on 38 Days in an Electric Tyrannosaur, Flame Tree on The Death Of Tony Fashion, Midnight Breakfast on The Long Con & StarShipSofa on Total Immersion.
Subbed Officer Down, Permanently to Not One of Us & Starliner Down to Starward Shadows Quarterly.
No=179, Yes=7, Subbed=216.


On the 25th of May I picked The Future Fire.
Subbed The Death Of Tony Fashion to The Future Fire & Set Adrift to The Colored Lens.
No=179, Yes=7, Subbed=218.


For the 26th of May the market was Analog. It had been Anotherealm, but I couldn’t find anything suitable for them. Subbed Fluid State to Analog & Edgar’s Spaceboot Shop Flashpoint SF.
No=179, Yes=7, Subbed=220.


As the market for the 27th of May I chose The Periodical, Forlorn. It had been NewMyths who I pulled as they weren’t open again until June.
Rejections from The Colored Lens on Set Adrift & Dose of Dread on The Boy In The Shopping Cart.
Subbed Snurgal The Knurgal to The Periodical, Forlorn & The Ripples Of Time to Escape Pod.
No=181, Yes=7, Subbed=222.


For the 28th of May I chose Bards & Sages Quarterly. I’ve sold there once before, and would like to again.
Rejection from Shooter Lit on Write Or Die.
Subbed Mission 334; Mannequin World to Bards & Sages Quarterly.
No=182, Yes=7, Subbed=223.
Today my latest story went up at Stupefying Stories, my 1st sale & publication there.


For the 29th of May I selected The Society of Misfit Toys. In the end I decided I didn’t have anything which suited them.
Subbed Bindlestiffs to Orion’s Belt.
No=182, Yes=7, Subbed=224.


On the 30th of May I’d earmarked The No Sleep Podcast.
Subbed The Uninvited to The No Sleep Podcast & I Dream Of Plastic to Uncharted Magazine.
No=182, Yes=7, Subbed=226.


For the 31st of May I’d chosen Darkness Blooms (Dread Machine) or The Other Stories [mythology theme].
I pulled Silver Blade who were also orignally listed here, they were shut.
Subbed Hansel and Gretel and Wilhelm to Underland Arcana & God Save The Prince to Stupefying Stories as well as 2 things to a place. YOU SAW NOTHING!
Rejection from Flash Fiction Online on Welcome To The Death Machine Factory Tour.
No=183, Yes=7, Subbed=230.


Overall, I got 40 rejections, 1 acceptance & made 54 submissions.

Now it’s just the waiting game to hear what else happens with the remaining stories still out.
As always, the next Submission Challenge will take place in September, which will be our 2nd birthday!

More details later this year.

So this was May 2021

1 Jun

I’ve made 230 new submissions. 183 rejections. 7 acceptances.

SALES & ACCEPTANCES:-

Letters From The Phased Photonic Travel Company sold to Utopia Science Fiction, Jan 14th 2021.
Rescue Me sold to Hireath Publishing, Jan 31st, 2021.
Philip K. Dick Does It sold to The Angry Noodle, Feb 23rd 2021. (1st non-fiction sale!)
Exactly The Wrong Shade Of Green sold to The Lorelei Signal, Mar 7th 2021.
Overground sold to COLP, Apr 5th 2021.
The Message sold to Stupefying Stories, Apr 28th 2021.
Fixing Broken Dreams sold to Stupefying Stories, 23rd May 2021.

There are currently 65 stories out in submission:-

PUBLISHED THIS YEAR:-

Lost Souls was released at Daily Science, Fiction 27th Jan 2021.
Grandmothers Shoes was released at Bards And Sages Quarterly, April issue. 30th Mar 2021.
Overground was released in COLP:Underground, 23rd May 2021.
Fixing Broken Dreams was released at Stupefying Stories. May 28th, 2021.

THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME!

The Message will be released at Stupefying Stories, 2021. (DTBC)
Letters From The Phased Photonic Travel Company will be released at Utopia Science Fiction, Jun 2021. (DTBC)
Exactly The Wrong Shade Of Green will be released at The Lorelei Signal, July 2021. (DTBC)
36 Hours In The Space Force will be released in Tales From The Space Force, 2021. (DTBC)
Tuck & Roll will be released in Automobilia, Aug 1st, 2021.
Rescue Me will be released in Shelter of Daylight, October 2021. (DTBC)
Philip K. Dick Does It will be released at The Angry Noodle, 2021. (DTBC)
Stranding Room will be released at Abyss & Apex, Jan 2022. (DTBC)

When I get more solid dates on the date to be confirmeds, I’ll announce them.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS:-

I wrote 9 new stories this month, a total of 7621 words.
Some projects are taking longer than expected, hang in there friends, releases will come eventually!