PANK drops the ball; interviews with editors of Threepenny Review, Poetry Magazine, and HEAT; exciting updates at ChillSubs; jobs at Adroit Journal and Southern Humanities Review; 100+ markets...
I think you set off a chain reaction, Becky. I finally got a rejection from Red Rock, 8 months after submitting.
That said, in fairness, most of these mags are running on unpaid, volunteer labor, and from all accounts, submissions everywhere have mushroomed. If a publication that allows multiple submissions doesn't get back to you (or me), while it's frustrating, it's not necessarily evil. Never submitted to PANK, so can't speak for them.
OTOH, if a magazine refuses to allow multiple submissions, I agree they have an obligation to get back to you in a reasonable period. (What's "reasonable" no doubt looks different from the other side of the table, but seems to me anything over 3 months exclusive is pushing it.)
The problem with taking such a long time to reply to writers is that many end up withdrawing their work in frustration. It's money down the drain. If ten lit mags behaved this way, a writer could lose $30 just submitting to magazines where their work will never be read.
It's also unfair to other literary magazines, as it casts a shadow on the entire industry. There are many wonderful lit mags that operate on volunteer labor, have a huge volume of submissions, and make no profit from the magazine (even paying out of pocket in order to sustain it). Yet these magazines do all they can to nurture their relationships with writers and respect their work.
We all benefit when we acknowledge which magazines function well, and which ones do not.
PANK took 614 days to reject my submission. Guess I'll submit again in 2025 when their 2020 backlog is cleared out.
Becky, if you ever want to start a new religion, I'll apply for apostle.
Haha! You're so sweet, Helia. I have to finish a few writing projects first. But I'll keep that in mind. :)
Wandering eyes and strange tendencies nurtured in the Chelsea Hotel!
Saucy is good! Excellent idea about offering neglected and ignored writers a refund.
And Duotrope believes APJ chapbooks is defunct.
Actually, I think the quote is "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime" which also might fit.
That stirring last long paragraph of yours is a beautiful poem. Line breaks at commas!
Thank you, Catherine!
I think you set off a chain reaction, Becky. I finally got a rejection from Red Rock, 8 months after submitting.
That said, in fairness, most of these mags are running on unpaid, volunteer labor, and from all accounts, submissions everywhere have mushroomed. If a publication that allows multiple submissions doesn't get back to you (or me), while it's frustrating, it's not necessarily evil. Never submitted to PANK, so can't speak for them.
OTOH, if a magazine refuses to allow multiple submissions, I agree they have an obligation to get back to you in a reasonable period. (What's "reasonable" no doubt looks different from the other side of the table, but seems to me anything over 3 months exclusive is pushing it.)
Evil? no. Unprofessional? yes.
The problem with taking such a long time to reply to writers is that many end up withdrawing their work in frustration. It's money down the drain. If ten lit mags behaved this way, a writer could lose $30 just submitting to magazines where their work will never be read.
It's also unfair to other literary magazines, as it casts a shadow on the entire industry. There are many wonderful lit mags that operate on volunteer labor, have a huge volume of submissions, and make no profit from the magazine (even paying out of pocket in order to sustain it). Yet these magazines do all they can to nurture their relationships with writers and respect their work.
We all benefit when we acknowledge which magazines function well, and which ones do not.
Good points, as always.