j_cheney: (Oh Noez)
J. Kathleen Cheney ([personal profile] j_cheney) wrote2008-10-15 08:07 am
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::headdesk::

I queried an editor who has had a story for 397 days.

I didn't actually intend to.

I located their confirmation e-mail yesterday just to check its date, and considered querying, but decided that their query e-mila addy wasn't likely to be the same as their automated confirmation addy, so I thought "I'll just close this and worry about it when it hits 400 days"

Except I must have hit "send" instead...

I got an e-mail from the asst editor today asking why I'd sent them a blank e-mail, so I figured I'd better go ahead and query...

Which means a rejection is soon forthcoming.

I feelz dumb.
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[identity profile] reudaly.livejournal.com 2008-10-15 02:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow, you've never gone above #9 in your markets? I'm jealous. I might average out about that between the ones that sell to the first 3 and the ones that go 15 - 20 before finding a home...

And what everyone else said - don't worry about it. Email goofs happen. Attachments don't get attached. Blanks go out. SEND ALLs happen. It's okay. There are more pressing concerns to the editors than that.

[identity profile] j-cheney.livejournal.com 2008-10-15 04:53 pm (UTC)(link)
You know, I really haven't been submitting all that long. ;o) I just looked, and my first sub went out 10/12/05....wow, that's really close to 3 years on the dot!

I'll try not to worry about it, I just have a real thing about being wrong. (or stupid, in this case) ;o)

[identity profile] reudaly.livejournal.com 2008-10-15 04:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, I don't blame ya. I do the ::HEADDESK:: thing often. MOST of the time I can laugh it off with the editor/publisher - other times, I go find my dunce cap in the closet.

[identity profile] j-cheney.livejournal.com 2008-10-15 05:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah. The last time I queried (on a novel) the resonse was unfavoable, so my fingertips are singed....

[identity profile] reudaly.livejournal.com 2008-10-15 05:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah, yes, the "twice shy" syndrome. Sounds like that unfavorable response to a query was a bad day on their part and not any fault of yours, though.

[identity profile] j-cheney.livejournal.com 2008-10-15 06:22 pm (UTC)(link)
We can talk someday, in person...not something I'm going to blab about on-line, but I was seriously annoyed.

[identity profile] reudaly.livejournal.com 2008-10-15 06:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Next convention breakfast. And I'll bring the rejection letter that was a "who pissed in his corn flakes" rejection. We'll be twice shy together.

[identity profile] j-cheney.livejournal.com 2008-10-15 06:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Woo! Gotta hate that!

It's a date!

[identity profile] reudaly.livejournal.com 2008-10-15 07:09 pm (UTC)(link)
There ya go. It was a page and a half rant.

[identity profile] reudaly.livejournal.com 2008-10-15 07:29 pm (UTC)(link)
I may have just deleted it. I've just cleaned out email up to this year. But it was this market who wanted hard boiled detective stories, but posted on Ralan. Apparently I was the last straw SF story he'd seen and he just went off on me. It was fun... NOT.

[identity profile] j-cheney.livejournal.com 2008-10-15 07:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah, I think I saw that one, but I don't do HB....it's sort of like glimmer train posting there...why bother if you don't want specfic?

[identity profile] reudaly.livejournal.com 2008-10-15 08:11 pm (UTC)(link)
It was quite a while ago by someone who doesn't publish anymore. But yes, I have the same feelings. If you're not really in the market for it, why waste our time and theirs?
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