Thread: This is a good sign, right?

I got an e-mail from a paying online pub that says to hang onto my submission for the next quarterly deadline as they only have one slot left so competition would be fierce.

Along with suggested tweaks -- I mean "put a comma here" kinds of suggestions.

This is a good sign, right?

I would be getting excited.

You’re being set up to win.

I can relate to your comments in a totally unrelated fashion – huh? - and it almost certainly means your name will be up in lights next quarter.

One night 30-odd years ago I was seated behind the wheel of my empty cab, hoping the dispatcher – an acquaintance, as it happened – would throw a crumb my way. The way it worked, the dispatcher would announce, on the two-way radio, the pick-up address of the next job, but not the destination, and drivers would “bid”, or not bid, for the work. The “winner” would be the car closest to the job as adjudged by the dispatcher.

So I’m sitting there, and a job only a half mile or so away was offered. It was a moderately quiet night, and every driver within about two miles, including yours truly, put in a bid. I missed out. Next nearby job, the same thing; I missed out. And again, the next time. And a fourth time.

The ranks of the nearby empty cars were thinning out. Then, the next job, I was the only handy car left to put in a bid. I won it by default.

So I go and pick up these two young fellers in Air Force uniforms. And where were they going? The Amberley Air Force base, forty miles away. Half the trip was chargeable at double the usual rate, as it went outside the city limits. On a quiet night, that was like Christmas.

So the next day I happened to bump into the dispatcher.

‘How’d you like your little gift last night?’ he said.

‘What d’you mean, gift? I won it fair and square. There was no one else close enough to put in a bid.’

‘No, mate. It was a gift. I saw it on the conveyor belt from the telephonist, knew where you were sitting, and held it back until all the other nearby cars had jobs. It was a gift.’

So, yes, your email telling you to hang on until next time, because of the hefty competition, is a good sign - it’s synonymous with what happened to me 30-something years ago.

You’re being set up to win. I’ll bet quids on it.

Anything other than "Thank you for your submission, but. . . ", is always a good sign. Congrats, my friend!

Love your story OX. And thanks all of y'all for your kind words. This would be my first pub for money (as opposed to contrib copies) so I'm anxious. And I think, OX, you nailed it. It's like I can feel him reaching through my inbox to guide me in a way.

Also, I envisioned acceptance/rejection as binary. So I wasn't really prepared for the in-between.

That sounds like a good response. I hope you make it.

I would think if they took the time (or more importantly, cared enough) to offer suggestions on how to improve the work, then you've got their interest.

i've had these "under review" type of emails on 2 of my stories. not rejected, but not quite accepted either.
of course, my head was in the clouds simply because it wasn't a rejection. in my case, they ended up rejecting
them later. but in your case, they've actually went and told you little things that they wanted fixed in your
work.....so it seems like you might be in a better position for a more positive outcome than the one i had.
neither of those places ever told me to fix anything to get it ready for publication. so it looks good for you.

Thank you for taking the time to post. I really appreciate it because I don't want to be too optimistic. I'm trying to sense what the appropriate level of expectation is that I should set.

dale, I think I'm hearing that it's a good sign they're making suggestions. I hope you're right. At the moment, i can't think of how to implement what he suggests, but I know if I don't over-think it, it will come to me.

Originally Posted by astroannie

dale, I think I'm hearing that it's a good sign they're making suggestions. I hope you're right. At the moment, i can't think of how to implement what he suggests, but I know if I don't over-think it, it will come to me.

welp. looks like i'm in a similar boat as you, as of this morning. i hope this goes through. i really
need this 1st publishing credit.

We really enjoyed "Ten Finger Discount." As per our submissions policy, I would like to hang onto this story until the end of our submission period, which is February 29, 2012. At that time, your story will be compared to the other "maybes" that have accumulated, and the best eight will be selected for final publication. The runners-up will receive an Honorable Mention on our Main Page.

Please let me know if you have any problem with this. I hope you don't. This is a really entertaining story.

In any case, congratulations for making it past the first tier!

- Ty Drago
- Managing Editor

damn. i'm just happy it's not a rejection.

Congrats, dale, on making it that far at least. Hope your story goes all the way.