and it was just in the form of email… Ironically, as I was sitting in the GPS writing session today my phone lets out this horrendous beeeeeeep, which echoes around the corners of the back room of the Scarborough Public library. It interrupted my typing so I pick it up and check it. Lo and behold it’s from The Pedestal Magazine. I eagerly check it, cringe then hand off the phone to Jamie so I don’t have to speak aloud the dreadful message.
THEY SAID NO! UGH! ok, got that out of my system. They also said…well I’ll just paste the damned thing:
Dear Cynthia:
Thank you for submitting your fiction to The Pedestal Magazine. We enjoyed reading it but after careful consideration have decided that we cannot use it at this time.
Please feel free to submit other work to us in the future.
Best,
The Editors
The Pedestal Magazine
They said they enjoyed reading it. And only one of the708 submissions made it. Did they even think of it as a finalist? according to their reading window, they had about two more weeks to get back to me. In my mind, the longer they hang onto it, the better my chances.
My other line of thought asks if this could be a form letter? I see the wording so much, and so few personal remarks that I’m beginning to think that is the norm now. Looking at what happened to Clarkesworld’s submission process, I can’t imagine other magazines won’t start doing that soon too.
This is rejection #4 for this story. I’m shopping it to all the SFWA approved, pro-rate magazines… and I’m starting to run out of relevant venues for this one. I’m almost ready to stick this at the bottom of a drawer somewhere buuut…
If the editors did enjoy it, but couldn’t publish it, I’m sure they had their reasons. But, I’d like to get paid for my products, especially if people enjoy it. That’s the way this business is supposed to work, am I right?
This story is going to rot my brain…
Currently Reading
Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
Submissions out
Flash: 0
Short:
Agent: 0
Workshoping:
Beyond the Cemetery
The Making
The Tribe Who Laughed