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Hi! I have a contrasting opinion about BEYOND Words. I have been in this magazine a few times, and they have accepted some of my favs. It's a really beautiful print publication with good stuff in it and art complementing the lit. And they don't take everything--they have rejected me a whole bunch of times, a vast majority of times. And I know the editor's name, and she is easy and fun to work with. And I'm no newbie--lol! In fact, I'm so old, I don't buy green bananas, and that's why I like fast tracks. All that said, I understand the criticisms and I currently have a few other fast places I am concentrating on that don't have such high fees, and who I like as much. So I get it. But I just wanted to tell another side of the story.
Thank you for this, Becky. That first enterprise isn't a literary mag. It's a money making scheme to bilk newbees out of their dollars. $18 general submission is outrageous.
I took a quick look at where the O Henry selections came from and I seem to recall they're all from the big name mags. Really?
Those are the only hills where gold can be found? Something is rotten in Denmark', Becky! Something is rotten in Denmark!
Here's what's up with Beyond Words Magazine, whose $18. sub fees are absurd and whose masthead is a mystery .
For Becky Tuch & my colleagues, I have donned my Sherlock Holmes deerstalker cap, and investigated. The pirate in charge of this literary "3 Card Monte" scheme is: Yashraj Patil.
Beyond Words is clearly a scam for hopeful beginners wanting to see their work in print. It probably accepts all "submissions" and has a circulation of zero except for the hopeful beginners and their moms and dads.
They rejected me most of the time, and the poems of mine they took were some of my favs. And I'm no newbie--that's why I am willing pay extra for fast tracks. I'm an oldie who doesn't want posthumous pubs!
Interesting. How many poems did they accept for publication, and what is the total you paid to this journal? Have you participated in any poetry workshops? Do you attend poetry readings? When this publication communicated their acceptance of your poems, did this person or these persons sign their name(s) with "editors?" Did you send, or did they ask for, your poet's bio in 50 words or fewer? Did they say, "We love your poem 'xyz'" or ask for a small edit? You see what I am trying to figure out here--Is this journal a poetry/literary factory run by an AI program, or are there real humans who are a caring part of the poetry community willing to develop a both professional and personal relationship with an emerging poet to help you become a stronger poet? Most established poets are genuine people who love to guide beginner poets. It's not good odds to agree to be a mail-order bride...the real satisfaction is to be a member of the community, to have a reputation, to be a contender.
They rejected 48 of my poems and accepted 4. They sign their name. I used my regular, standard bio. They did not ask for edits, but they communicated readily and responded to my own requests for edits. Duotropers report a 13% acceptance rate which is high, but not as high as many reputable pubs. Because I am NOT a newbie, and my poems are or will be published in books by independent presses (at their expense, not mine, to be clear) I'm not really needing more active mentoring from every journal I'm in, nor do I pay for "feedback options." I paid about $100 all told, so $25 per, which is a better deal than most where we pay that $3 dozens of times, wait forever and may never get published. Most journals charge extra for fast track.
i hope we cleared up the misunderstanding about writers and the CIAFBI attack on them beginning in the thirties and acclerating in the forties and fifties that buried most of the more radical poets and fictiion writers bringing "good trouble" in our writing and writing about social ustice issues in an artful and astonishing variety of novle. And by squelching such astonishing and varied writers as Meridel LeSeur, Naomi Replanssky, Thomas McGrath and hndredsofohthers 'Minority' writers in particular and by allowing the strange bedfellows of the Southern Fugitive biggots like Tate and Ransom and Penn Warren et all to merge with NorthernX Cmmunists who accepted so obsrqiuosly their state ofanticommunist glory ( and benefits) - Rahv, Hook, Podwhoretz and preceded to champion individualiism unconnected to any social justice save a very vague hmanism that wound up with Samuel Beckek in a series of mudpies.
it's all lopsided. At the top, editors and owners. Editors decide fee/no fee, amount. Writers, smack on the bottom. Editors decide "fits"/ Criteria or whim? And people also look for book suggestons- that seldm appear on most sites Ive seen Few talk about talks.
so much of it seems a real tempest in a teapot. I dont mean to disparage anyone, but how many people do all your online indie presses actually reach?????s
Also, I think I misunderstand substack. I thought if people were putting up our writing, at least SOME of us might mention writers we love and.or are reading. For example, this entire year Ive been reading the fiction and poetry of Vi Khi Nao, a Vietnamese American poet whose work is so sensational it is like being with a bisexual kaleidiscope turned human that is part wolverine and part Coney Iland and part part obygyn proabortion md who has a family of biacrobats that play jazz while racing each other on unicycles as they cook amazing meals with dishes with names of Hegel Pie, and Pllathpudding and you can just imagine. She is one of many contemporary writers who are living proof that OMG DC AI doesnt have any real change beyond what the corporate gimmick cheapeners are trying to figure out for themsevlesl how to make the most green bread. (be careful of the mould much of it is very old and much of it is very cold
I think that you have some image in your heads of what a literary magazine is, and you use this image while exploring the different options where to submit. The thing is, Beyond Words Magazine has a different concept. Unlike other literary magazines, we work around the clock and decide on each submission within 24 hours, and sometimes even sooner. This concept is due to our own frustrating experience submitting to literary mags. We wanted to offer a different reality. There are people doing this challenging busy job every day and they do this as their primary occupation. In addition, we publish a brand new print edition every month, so there is plenty of hard routine work which basically never stops designing the upcoming issue, keeping in touch with each month's collaborators, packing and shipping the magazine, et cetera. That's what the submission fees are for.
Also unlike other publications, each literary work gets a matching visual art, and this pairing also takes a lot of time and resources. We do not publish twice or max three times a year like other magazines that match visual art and literary pieces and can do this in a relaxed manner.
Getting upset since a magazine asks for submission fees without even seeing the publication and understanding the daily work behind it, its special personality and unique characteristics, is just wrong.
You know what, I typically defend small journals who charge $3 for a reading fee or to offset Submittable dues, but this is pathetically transparently blatant thievery. They got some nerve charging as much a fairly good bottle of wine to read some poems.
This is literally Beyond Words. Asymptote charged me 10 bucks over my submission fee to get feedback. It was actually helpful even though the editors and I didn't see eye to eye on everything.
Sadly, I don't have the proven six-figure fundraising record needed to help NARRATIVE 'grow and assess the range of revenue opportunities' -- that job sounds emotionally rewarding and is clearly all about making art for the sake of art. Thanks for always making us laugh, Becky.
Paying for submissions is no different than paying a formerly successful publisher for the right to have their imprint on your book....give me a break.
Hi! I have a contrasting opinion about BEYOND Words. I have been in this magazine a few times, and they have accepted some of my favs. It's a really beautiful print publication with good stuff in it and art complementing the lit. And they don't take everything--they have rejected me a whole bunch of times, a vast majority of times. And I know the editor's name, and she is easy and fun to work with. And I'm no newbie--lol! In fact, I'm so old, I don't buy green bananas, and that's why I like fast tracks. All that said, I understand the criticisms and I currently have a few other fast places I am concentrating on that don't have such high fees, and who I like as much. So I get it. But I just wanted to tell another side of the story.
Thank you for this, Becky. That first enterprise isn't a literary mag. It's a money making scheme to bilk newbees out of their dollars. $18 general submission is outrageous.
I took a quick look at where the O Henry selections came from and I seem to recall they're all from the big name mags. Really?
Those are the only hills where gold can be found? Something is rotten in Denmark', Becky! Something is rotten in Denmark!
I agree with you on both counts, Percival. Something is rotten in Denmark . . .
The pirate in charge of this literary "3 Card Monte" scheme is: Yashraj Patil.
Owner of Beyond Words Magazine (domain registration from WhoIs.com)
* * TEL: +1 415-429-1173
“...you brought up on a steady diet of Cheerios and Kierkegaard...” oh my! What a life!
Becky, that line made me laugh, thanks!
Here's what's up with Beyond Words Magazine, whose $18. sub fees are absurd and whose masthead is a mystery .
For Becky Tuch & my colleagues, I have donned my Sherlock Holmes deerstalker cap, and investigated. The pirate in charge of this literary "3 Card Monte" scheme is: Yashraj Patil.
= = who = =
Owner of Beyond Words Magazine
Organisation Details of Yashraj Patil
Rotaract Club Of Indira College (Rcic)
* * TEL: +1 415-429-1173
Source for this information: https://www.clodura.ai/directory/people/Yashraj/Patil/2791618113529971579
- - from WhoIs.com - -
Domain: beyondwordsmag.com
* * TEL: +1 415-429-1173
Registrar Abuse Contact Email: email@wix.com
Registrar Abuse Contact Phone: +1-415-429-1173
Source for this information: https://www.whois.com/whois/beyondwordsmag.com
* * * * *
Negative reinforcement is our weapon. Without contributors, a zine will fold.
Avoid the pirates and/or admonish them.
Feel free to leave opinions about Beyond Words Mag's fees & policies by dialing +1-415-429-1173.
Elementary, my dear Watson!
I just got my copy of Pleiades today. It’s like a birthday present to myself. I’m looking forward to discussion 🙂
Beyond Words is clearly a scam for hopeful beginners wanting to see their work in print. It probably accepts all "submissions" and has a circulation of zero except for the hopeful beginners and their moms and dads.
They rejected me most of the time, and the poems of mine they took were some of my favs. And I'm no newbie--that's why I am willing pay extra for fast tracks. I'm an oldie who doesn't want posthumous pubs!
Interesting. How many poems did they accept for publication, and what is the total you paid to this journal? Have you participated in any poetry workshops? Do you attend poetry readings? When this publication communicated their acceptance of your poems, did this person or these persons sign their name(s) with "editors?" Did you send, or did they ask for, your poet's bio in 50 words or fewer? Did they say, "We love your poem 'xyz'" or ask for a small edit? You see what I am trying to figure out here--Is this journal a poetry/literary factory run by an AI program, or are there real humans who are a caring part of the poetry community willing to develop a both professional and personal relationship with an emerging poet to help you become a stronger poet? Most established poets are genuine people who love to guide beginner poets. It's not good odds to agree to be a mail-order bride...the real satisfaction is to be a member of the community, to have a reputation, to be a contender.
They rejected 48 of my poems and accepted 4. They sign their name. I used my regular, standard bio. They did not ask for edits, but they communicated readily and responded to my own requests for edits. Duotropers report a 13% acceptance rate which is high, but not as high as many reputable pubs. Because I am NOT a newbie, and my poems are or will be published in books by independent presses (at their expense, not mine, to be clear) I'm not really needing more active mentoring from every journal I'm in, nor do I pay for "feedback options." I paid about $100 all told, so $25 per, which is a better deal than most where we pay that $3 dozens of times, wait forever and may never get published. Most journals charge extra for fast track.
i hope we cleared up the misunderstanding about writers and the CIAFBI attack on them beginning in the thirties and acclerating in the forties and fifties that buried most of the more radical poets and fictiion writers bringing "good trouble" in our writing and writing about social ustice issues in an artful and astonishing variety of novle. And by squelching such astonishing and varied writers as Meridel LeSeur, Naomi Replanssky, Thomas McGrath and hndredsofohthers 'Minority' writers in particular and by allowing the strange bedfellows of the Southern Fugitive biggots like Tate and Ransom and Penn Warren et all to merge with NorthernX Cmmunists who accepted so obsrqiuosly their state ofanticommunist glory ( and benefits) - Rahv, Hook, Podwhoretz and preceded to champion individualiism unconnected to any social justice save a very vague hmanism that wound up with Samuel Beckek in a series of mudpies.
it's all lopsided. At the top, editors and owners. Editors decide fee/no fee, amount. Writers, smack on the bottom. Editors decide "fits"/ Criteria or whim? And people also look for book suggestons- that seldm appear on most sites Ive seen Few talk about talks.
so much of it seems a real tempest in a teapot. I dont mean to disparage anyone, but how many people do all your online indie presses actually reach?????s
Also, I think I misunderstand substack. I thought if people were putting up our writing, at least SOME of us might mention writers we love and.or are reading. For example, this entire year Ive been reading the fiction and poetry of Vi Khi Nao, a Vietnamese American poet whose work is so sensational it is like being with a bisexual kaleidiscope turned human that is part wolverine and part Coney Iland and part part obygyn proabortion md who has a family of biacrobats that play jazz while racing each other on unicycles as they cook amazing meals with dishes with names of Hegel Pie, and Pllathpudding and you can just imagine. She is one of many contemporary writers who are living proof that OMG DC AI doesnt have any real change beyond what the corporate gimmick cheapeners are trying to figure out for themsevlesl how to make the most green bread. (be careful of the mould much of it is very old and much of it is very cold
It wasn't that long ago that we had a president who might have said those words -- Obama. How quickly we forget!
I think that you have some image in your heads of what a literary magazine is, and you use this image while exploring the different options where to submit. The thing is, Beyond Words Magazine has a different concept. Unlike other literary magazines, we work around the clock and decide on each submission within 24 hours, and sometimes even sooner. This concept is due to our own frustrating experience submitting to literary mags. We wanted to offer a different reality. There are people doing this challenging busy job every day and they do this as their primary occupation. In addition, we publish a brand new print edition every month, so there is plenty of hard routine work which basically never stops designing the upcoming issue, keeping in touch with each month's collaborators, packing and shipping the magazine, et cetera. That's what the submission fees are for.
Also unlike other publications, each literary work gets a matching visual art, and this pairing also takes a lot of time and resources. We do not publish twice or max three times a year like other magazines that match visual art and literary pieces and can do this in a relaxed manner.
Getting upset since a magazine asks for submission fees without even seeing the publication and understanding the daily work behind it, its special personality and unique characteristics, is just wrong.
You know what, I typically defend small journals who charge $3 for a reading fee or to offset Submittable dues, but this is pathetically transparently blatant thievery. They got some nerve charging as much a fairly good bottle of wine to read some poems.
This is literally Beyond Words. Asymptote charged me 10 bucks over my submission fee to get feedback. It was actually helpful even though the editors and I didn't see eye to eye on everything.
I love the line “a steady diet of Cheerios and Kierkegaard”. If that doesn’t hit the nail it right on the head I don’t know what does!
ridiculous, usury
Beyond Words' prices for editorial reviews for short stories are by far the highest I've ever seen. Outrageous!
Sadly, I don't have the proven six-figure fundraising record needed to help NARRATIVE 'grow and assess the range of revenue opportunities' -- that job sounds emotionally rewarding and is clearly all about making art for the sake of art. Thanks for always making us laugh, Becky.
Paying for submissions is no different than paying a formerly successful publisher for the right to have their imprint on your book....give me a break.