Question About Uncanny Magazine Submissions

[Margaret Note Spelling]

Hi. This is only the second time I've submitted somewhere, so I'm hoping someone with more experience can tell me how this might work. Uncanny just closed their fifteen-day submission window for short stories, and I inadvertently came in on the second-to-last day (didn't realize there was even a submission window when I submitted, actually). I'm sitting at 1500+ in their queue and it's advanced by about 30 over the last three days. Does anybody have experience with how quickly Uncanny can get through massive queues? Is it worth letting my story sit in it for potentially five months (and surely they'll find more than enough great stories they like before they ever get to see mine) or is it better to pull it and try somewhere else?

 

[Tirellan]

The Submission Grinder has response time data The Submission Grinder
Uncanny responses Uncanny - The Submission Grinder

 

[Margaret Note Spelling]

Ah, well. I suppose I was hoping people might have some personal experiences to share (e.g., entering during previous submission windows, do they receive 1500+ stories per window as a normal occurrence, do they go through all the stories in the order received, do they even go through all the stories or do they simply return all submissions once they already have enough good ones).

Nearly two weeks in, we're down to just under 1400 stories and unless someone can offer some hope (or just a plain, "What on earth are you thinking? Never withdraw, never give up! Have a little patience!") I think I'll probably withdraw. I could be getting rejected by multiple other magazines in the same amount of time I'd be waiting to have it read.

 

[alexvss]

Ah, well. I suppose I was hoping people might have some personal experiences to share (e.g., entering during previous submission windows, do they receive 1500+ stories per window as a normal occurrence, do they go through all the stories in the order received, do they even go through all the stories or do they simply return all submissions once they already have enough good ones).

Nearly two weeks in, we're down to just under 1400 stories and unless someone can offer some hope (or just a plain, "What on earth are you thinking? Never withdraw, never give up! Have a little patience!") I think I'll probably withdraw. I could be getting rejected by multiple other magazines in the same amount of time I'd be waiting to have it read.

You asked, so: ARE YOU CRAZY?! DON’T WITHDRAW!

I also have a story under consideration by Uncanny right now. I submitted it on the first day. According to The Grinder, where I register my submissions, the average rejection is 17 days for me. (FIY: here’s a FB Group that people use to share open submission calls, so you won’t miss any).

It's normal for Uncanny and other magazines to receive 1500+ stories in a single submission window. That's why they have slush readers (AKA submissions editors) to sift through their slush piles (unsolicited material) and pass the suitable stories up to the actual editors. If your story is not to their tastes, a slusher will drop it by the first page or even first sentence. That means the editor will never see it. Maybe that’s not “fair” or not the ideal, but that’s just how it is. A lot of things have to work at the same time for a story to be accepted, which is not limited to: 1) start with a hook that keeps the reader hooked all the way to the ending; 2) please a slush reader that you don't know about, so there's no way you can study if they'll like it or not, and please the editors; 3) be different than other stories that they bought. (click here to find a great discussion about getting your story published).

The good news is that they have the manpower to consider every story (even if it’s just the first sentence), and they won’t return the submissions after they have good ones. Some markets do that, but with disclosure. If they buy enough stories for a full issue, they’ll just save the others for the following issue. They also don't necessarily read it in order. Your position in the queue will obviously give you an idea, but they read shorter stories first.

I advise you to “forget” about this story and go write something else. Uncanny is one of the most desired markets for authors, and they aren’t open year-round. Make sure you don’t miss that chance.

 

[Margaret Note Spelling]

Thank you! That's exactly what I was looking for. I'll probably keep it in for a while, then, at least.

I'm aware the quality of the story is very important, thanks! I'm very grateful for the helpful resources you've offered, and I'm definitely new to the detailed processes of submitting stories. At the same time, I'm not exactly idealistic about the short story market in the way you might expect. It sounds like you think I might need reassurance/comfort! I'm just looking for what's standard practice. I appreciate it a lot, truly, but let's just say I've always been told--very frequently since beginning to write--that the story-selling market is neither fair nor very profitable, which is one of the reasons I've never submitted any stories anywhere until ten years after I started writing seriously.

I also read Emily of New Moon (L.M. Montgomery) at a somewhat formative age and basically assumed from then on that if you ever thought you had a good chance of selling a story, you were being contemptibly naiive.

No, I didn't really like Emily. Hated the final book, actually--

Spoiler: I realize this book's been out for nearly a hundred years, but....

She burnt her manuscript. On purpose. I never forgave her.

(I'm also definitely writing something else. Lots of something elses, probably too many all at once. I'm mostly just trying to figure out what's the most profitable use of my time concerning this story now.)

 

[Margaret Note Spelling]

I also have a story under consideration by Uncanny right now.

Oh, and good luck! Out of curiosity, what's your queue number at the moment?

Also just a tiny bit disappointed this morning by the discovery that Asimov's has exactly the same kind of submission tracker as Clarkesworld but minus the queue number. Watching those little numbers go down bit by bit is the funnest part of submitting!

 

[RayDaleyWriter]

Uncanny vary massively in how quickly they reply. My subs range from 3 days to 27 days. My average is about 11 days. I've subbed there 15 times since 2017.

The best thing you can learn, to ignore queue numbers. A market will answer when they've read your story and made a decision. Saying that, some never send rejections.