In response to Dryder - unfortunately, one of the perils of writing for a foreign market is that you tend to be judged against the native speakers. Neither Dungeon nor Dragon makes exceptions for language barriers, so be sure to proofread your query veeeeeeery carefully before you send it in. That said, however, keep working at it - you never know what might happen.
I am also a non-native speaker, so here's to keeping your fingers crossed ;>
Dragon editor Jason Bulmahn claims that he was reading German before he ever learned to read English.
Kudos to him, German was always beyond me.
Got another quick question: While I know its standard practice to actually submit a completed Workshops article, can we still do queries for them?
I wonder if any of the editors had to go through the submissions process?
Submitting two proposals right after a rejection? Sheesh! Do they even realize how long it takes and how much work goes into just the query?
I wonder if any of the editors had to go through the submissions process?
Generally, my experience with editors is that while they may or may not have dealt with the submissions process of the magazine they currently work at, they've definitely submitted material to other magazines.
So the answer to your question is, yes, they're probably aware of how much time and effort goes into a query.
Submitting two proposals right after a rejection? Sheesh! Do they even realize how long it takes and how much work goes into just the query?
'Tis a labor of love.
Creative Director
|
I wonder if any of the editors had to go through the submissions process?
Submitting two proposals right after a rejection? Sheesh! Do they even realize how long it takes and how much work goes into just the query?
I certainly do. I had my first adventure published in issue #12 of Dungeon. I started submitting adventures to the magazine when I read the article in Dragon that anounced that Dungeon was on the way and needed adventures. I kept submitting adventures up till around #35, and in that time, of the dozens of submissions I sent, 3 made it in. It generally took about a year or a year and a half to see a submission go from proposal to print.
Not letting rejection letters get you down is the key. Writing new proposals immediately after a rejection not only keeps your mind off the rejection by letting it focus on the hope for the new proposal, but it also keeps setting your name down in front of the editor. When we see lots of proposals by the same person, and once we start recognizing a name, well, that's one way we can tell a writer is serious about writing.
Hi James,
Just wondering: if you accept a proposal, how much time do we have to send in the full draft manuscript? A week or two? More?
I am just wondering how advanced the manuscript should be when we send in proposals.
The only time I submitted, I had a nearly completed manuscript and could have sent it within a couple of days (after proof reading). But if I am to send loads of proposals, I am not sure that I want to see so many unused manuscripts pile up on my desk...
In advance, thanks for your answer.
Bocklin
I certainly do. I had my first adventure published in issue #12 of Dungeon. I started submitting adventures to the magazine when I read the article in Dragon that anounced that Dungeon was on the way and needed adventures. I kept submitting adventures up till around #35, and in that time, of the dozens of submissions I sent, 3 made it in. It generally took about a year or a year and a half to see a submission go from proposal to print.
Not letting rejection letters get you down is the key. Writing new proposals immediately after a rejection not only keeps your mind off the rejection by letting it focus on the hope for the new proposal, but it also keeps setting your name down in front of the editor. When we see lots of proposals by the same person, and once we start recognizing a name, well, that's one way we can tell a writer is serious about writing.
Not letting rejection letters get you down is the key.
Eh, rejection wouldn't bother me. I mean, if you can't see my brilliance, then it's most likely 'cause you're blinded by it :D
I can hardly fault you for that. 'tis a burden I have to bear. Sigh.
Writing new proposals immediately after a rejection not only keeps your mind off the rejection by letting it focus on the hope for the new proposal, but it also keeps setting your name down in front of the editor.
Nice idea but writing a query sortof requires that you have the adventure all but done. I had to rewrite my query a dozen times and every time it wasn't satisfactory because the adventure hadn't been nailed down properly. Once I figured out how the adventure was going to play, which required a lot of work in itself, I found the query was easy to write.
Point is, that a lot of work goes into one query. There are dozens of hours behind those two little pages.
When we see lots of proposals by the same person, and once we start recognizing a name, well, that's one way we can tell a writer is serious about writing.
Who wants to be a serious writer? I make my living from looking menacing and sitting on my ass, staring at CCTV feeds. Why would I want to bother being a writer? I just want to get a bit of extra cash on the side.
I mean, really, how many of your published authors are 'serious' writers? I bet my bottom dollar that most of them are just amatuers having a hack and have day jobs that have nothing to do with writing. Not all of us want to be editors of Dungeon.
Not all of us want to be editors of Dungeon.
Some of us do though ;)
But yeah I see your what you're saying. At this point in my life I'd just love some exposure, something in print. To get my foot in the door, as it were. The money is just a nice incentive.
Hi James,
Just wondering: if you accept a proposal, how much time do we have to send in the full draft manuscript? A week or two? More?
I am just wondering how advanced the manuscript should be when we send in proposals.
The only time I submitted, I had a nearly completed manuscript and could have sent it within a couple of days (after proof reading). But if I am to send loads of proposals, I am not sure that I want to see so many unused manuscripts pile up on my desk...
In advance, thanks for your answer.
Bocklin
For my first adventure, it took me about 6 months to do turn it around and submit it.
My second adventure I had written before I got the query response back. (I figured if they didn't want it, I'd post it for free somewhere)My third adventure took about four months to finish up.
I would highly recommend that you don't have much of your adventure written because many the editors often ask you to change several aspects of your story to more suit their needs.
(I recently didn't take my own advice here and had a 3rd-level adventure about halfway done and had it rejected.)
As an example of how things change: "Throne of Iuz" went from a 5th level adventure to a 14th, added demons, changed the location (from the Dreadwood) and expanded the orc camp to include giants and flying mounts.
I would highly recommend that you don't have much of your adventure written because many the editors often ask you to change several aspects of your story to more suit their needs.
(I recently didn't take my own advice here and had a 3rd-level adventure about halfway done and had it rejected.)
As an example of how things change: "Throne of Iuz" went from a 5th level adventure to a 14th, added demons, changed the location (from the Dreadwood) and expanded the orc camp to include giants and flying mounts.
John -
While I am still waiting for acceptance on an adventure query, I also don't write the adventure first.
This does NOT equate to not working on the adventure, or not plotting the adventure. I try to have an idea of the following:
Major villian or opponents
Primary henchmen
Number of encounter areas
General idea of the maps (since these often relate to the encounter areas, I'll sometimes sketch the map, unless the map itself is part of the inspiration for the adventure, in which case some of these may be complete)
adventure hooks (these are crucial, since they often impact the query) -- how and why are the PCs involved?
What happens... is there a time constraint or EVENT based aspect to the adventure?
Major Traps/Treasures/Rewards
Concluding the adventure: How does the party "win" - is there an alternative "win" result?
Compiling these in a meaningful way into 2 pages can be a pain, and I don't have the secret formula yet (or maybe I do and just haven't hit the editors on the right day).
- Ashavan
|
Creative Director
|
Hi James,
Just wondering: if you accept a proposal, how much time do we have to send in the full draft manuscript? A week or two? More?
I am just wondering how advanced the manuscript should be when we send in proposals.
The only time I submitted, I had a nearly completed manuscript and could have sent it within a couple of days (after proof reading). But if I am to send loads of proposals, I am not sure that I want to see so many unused manuscripts pile up on my desk...
Once we accept a proposal, we typically give the author several months to write the manuscript. Usually three months. Sometimes more. We never expect a writer to be able to generate a full manuscript in a week.
My general advice is to not start working on a manuscript until we greenlight a proposal.
I certainly do. I had my first adventure published in issue #12 of [i]Dungeon[/i
When I read that I couldn't resist digging that issue out and scanning the title page (the only one I remembered from good old #12 was "Huddle Farm").
Sceptre of the Underworld! One of the few solos to make it into the magazine. I remember something about a stone golem killing me off the first time around, and I think getting betrayed by drow at the end...
Ironically enough once I finally finished "Sceptre" off the fighter you created to serve as the character (Jan? Jay? something like that) found a new life as a henchman/bodyguard for my regular character, a magic user named Gillmore. He eventually gave his life to buy Gillmore some time during the climax of the "The Mines of Bloodstone", letting the surviving members of the party send Orcus back to where he belonged. So thanks for that :)
On the subject of advice to contributors, one red faced moment from me. If you mention a monster in your proposal make sure you spell the name right :)
Sahagin, sahaugin, solongandthanksforallthefish...
(at least it wasn't ixit... ixitalc... those bloody manta ray things :) )
On the subject of advice to contributors, one red faced moment from me. If you mention a monster in your proposal make sure you spell the name right :)Sahagin, sahaugin, solongandthanksforallthefish...
(at least it wasn't ixit... ixitalc... those bloody manta ray things :) )
Ah yes, the ixitxachitl... the evil villains of my rejected adventure, Rays of Erythnul. ::sigh::
- Ashavan
Just a couple of quick questions. Is anyone else here waiting for confirmation (YAY!) or rejection (RATS!) from this round of proposals?
Also, how many proposals do potential writers average in a three month period between the 'slush-pile' meetings? Usually, I average 4 per meeting, sometimes 5 sometimes 3...but about 1 proposal every 3 weeks or so.
Just a couple of quick questions. Is anyone else here waiting for confirmation (YAY!) or rejection (RATS!) from this round of proposals?
I have two that I'm still waiting to hear about. The other 6 were of the RATS! variety. According to James, Jeremy Walker is supposed to contact me about them and from what I've read elswhere on these boards, he's in San Diego this week.
Regarding your other question to other writers, I average about 7 proposals in each writers' meeting. I'm of the "throw-enough-mud-on-a-wall-and-some-is-bound-to-stick" philosophy, though this hasn't been working all that well lately ;)
Question regarding City Proposals:
Which is better? Setting a city-based campaign in an established city ( from FR, Eberron, Greyhawk, etc.), or creating one's own? I think there are merits for both.
I can see the "established city" working well, because many readers already have an idea of what the city offers, and the DM can easily create a more navigable environment wihtout having to rely on the magazine for details.
On the other hand. . .
"New cities" can offer unique flavor, in terms of their populations, power centers, trade, location, etc, and these factors could really peak the interest of Players. The only downside is that you almost NEED a backdrop article to accompany it.
How do these dynamics come into play when the Dungeon staff is choosing good city adventures? Is it always wise to offer a backdrop as well? Should city campaigns generally run the maximum 15,000 words?
Then again, perhaps neither "established" or "new" is correct. Is it possible that city adventures should be self-contained, so that they can be run almost anywhere with a minimum population? Perhaps in this case, it's best to stay focued, and simply offer sugesstions on where an particular adventure takes place (for example, if you need docks, or a city with a large slum area, or maybe something that offers at least three major churches, etc).
Finally, if the adventure is good, but the actual location is wrong or requires too much description, will the Dungeon staff be willing to make a sugesstions on the location, so the adventure could be adapted?
Just some thoughts. Any feedback of sugesstions would be great. Thanks for your time, guys. We really appreciate it.
Regarding your other question to other writers, I average about 7 proposals in each writers' meeting. I'm of the "throw-enough-mud-on-a-wall-and-some-is-bound-to-stick" philosophy, though this hasn't been working all that well lately ;)
And I'm a bit the opposite... I tend to sit and fuss and mess with my query for a couple weeks, and then in a fit of "If I don't send this in now I'll never send it" I send it in. This results in far fewer queries than Steve, whose prodigious 8-10 queries a session seems insane... but then I'm also submitting another 3-5 Campaign Workbook articles at the same time.
Recently I've decided that my strategy isn't working on the queries, so I'm contemplating using Steve's strategy.
For Campaign Workbooks and Critical Threats, I really am going to try to get one in a week this round and see how I do.
- Ashavan
|
Creative Director
|
City adventures, like any other adventure, should generally be for the core D&D world. If you want to do a city adventure set in Forgotten Realms or Eberron, make sure that it's in the city you chose for a reason. In the end, there's no real difference between the two as regards a footprint in the magazine, since we'll want to present enough info in the magazine to run the city even if it's been extensively detailed elsewhere. (Unless it's an adventure that specifically supports a sourcebook, such as the Waterdeep adventures we're running in issues #126–#128.)
For an excellent example on how to structure and present an urban adventure, check out "The Styes" in issue #121.
Most city adventures'll often run long, simply because we'll want to spend some time detailing the city and its prominent locations. One thing I can't stress enough is that if you design a new city for your adventure, we MUST have a map for the city, and that map should be interesting and logically laid out. We've printed enough illogical city maps in the magazine for my tastes.
For shorter city adventuers, there's no need to provide a map of the city or extensive details on its history or other locations. A murder-mystery that takes place in a noble's manor that happens to be in a city still counts as an urban adventure, but it doesn't require maps of the city to work.
|
since we'll want to present enough info in the magazine to run the city even if it's been extensively detailed elsewhere. (Unless it's an adventure that specifically supports a sourcebook, such as the Waterdeep adventures we're running in issues #126–#128.)
Hey James. I'm not trying to hijack the thread, but I have to ask about this. What?
You're going to set three adventures in Waterdeep and deliberately avoid giving us enough information to run it so we have to buy a sourcebook?
It could very well be that you didn't say it the way you mean it, or I'm interpreting it incorrectly, but I don't like the sound of it. I'm not a fan of the Forgotten Realms, but I understand that other readers are. If a Forgotten Realms adventure is good, I'll make it work in another world. Raiders of Galath's Roost (or something) was one such adventure. Still, I can guarantee I'm not going to buy any Forgotten Realms books. Even if I don't have enough books, I haven't been impressed by the quality - I looked through the Serpent Kingdoms book and there were so many obvious typos I wanted to scream.
Anyway, back on topic, can you rephrase that statement?
You know, if it were one adventure that supported a product, I don't think I'd mind much. Obsidian Eye is a great example. I know it was to support Sandstorm, but enough information was there to run it. There were some things that piqued my interest (and it is pique, not peak) but I chose not to buy the supplement, but I did run the adventure. If you're going to sell me the equivalent of an issue that I can't use because I don't own a supplement, I'll have to write at least one angry letter.
So, what's the deal?
since we'll want to present enough info in the magazine to run the city even if it's been extensively detailed elsewhere. (Unless it's an adventure that specifically supports a sourcebook, such as the Waterdeep adventures we're running in issues #126–#128.)
Hey James. I'm not trying to hijack the thread, but I have to ask about this. What?
You're going to set three adventures in Waterdeep and deliberately avoid giving us enough information to run it so we have to buy a sourcebook?
It could very well be that you didn't say it the way you mean it, or I'm interpreting it incorrectly, but I don't like the sound of it. I'm not a fan of the Forgotten Realms, but I understand that other readers are. If a Forgotten Realms adventure is good, I'll make it work in another world. Raiders of Galath's Roost (or something) was one such adventure. Still, I can guarantee I'm not going to buy any Forgotten Realms books. Even if I don't have enough books, I haven't been impressed by the quality - I looked through the Serpent Kingdoms book and there were so many obvious typos I wanted to scream.
Anyway, back on topic, can you rephrase that statement?
You know, if it were one adventure that supported a product, I don't think I'd mind much. Obsidian Eye is a great example. I know it was to support Sandstorm, but enough information was there to run it. There were some things that piqued my interest (and it is pique, not peak) but I chose not to buy the supplement, but I did run the adventure. If you're going to sell me the equivalent of an issue that I can't use because I don't own a supplement, I'll have to write at least one angry letter.
So, what's the deal?
Dude - give us a little credit. Do you really think we'd throw an adventure (let alone three!) in Dungeon knowing that a bunch of our readers couldn't use it without additional purchases? The pieces James is referring to are completely self-contained, but also include additional information/citations that help tie it in neatly to the Waterdeep book if DMs want to go all-out in making it a Waterdhavian campaign.
This magazine's here for YOU - believe me when I say that we honestly always have the readers' best interests at heart.
So yeah - hold off on them angry letters until you've read the first installment, then let us know if you're still disappointed! ;)
-James Sutter
Editorial Intern, Dungeon
Most city adventures'll often run long, simply because we'll want to spend some time detailing the city and its prominent locations. One thing I can't stress enough is that if you design a new city for your adventure, we MUST have a map for the city, and that map should be interesting and logically laid out. We've printed enough illogical city maps in the magazine for my tastes.
This is a killer for me. I can't even draw a decent map of a warehouse, let alone for some of the ideas I have.
You folks have tips for the artistically challenged? :)
|
Creative Director
|
This is a killer for me. I can't even draw a decent map of a warehouse, let alone for some of the ideas I have.
You folks have tips for the artistically challenged? :)
I do!
1: If you can't draw good maps, do your best to at least draw a clear and legible map. Don't clutter it with too many notes. Don't do it in pencil and then photocopy it so it's hard to read. As long as it's understandable, you should be fine.
2: Get a friend to draw the map for you. There's usually at least one person in any given game group that can do pretty good maps, right?
3: Propose your adventure for a city that already has a map resource. This could be an adventure set in Sharn or Waterdeep, or it could be one set in Baldur's Gate or Verbobonc. Maps photocopied from earlier editions of the game are acceptable turnovers.
But in the end... practice drawing maps. Copy them from adventures. Learn how to use Campaign Cartographer or Photoshop or Dundjinni. A crisp, clean, and good map turnover is one of many ways to impress the editors. Designing adventures is more than just writing.
This is a killer for me. I can't even draw a decent map of a warehouse, let alone for some of the ideas I have.
You folks have tips for the artistically challenged? :)
Yes. Team up with someone who can make a map.
|
Creative Director
|
You're going to set three adventures in Waterdeep and deliberately avoid giving us enough information to run it so we have to buy a sourcebook?
The three adventures in question are written by Eric Boyd and comprise the Vampires of Waterdeep campaign arc. Everything you need to run the adventures is included in the adventure itself, in the same way that everything you needed to run "Fallen Angel" in issue #117 was there. Even though "Fallen Angel" was set in Sharn.
What I meant to say is that Vampires of Waterdeep (and "Fallen Angel", and "Mad God's Key," etc.) are all examples of how to design a city/urban adventure that doesn't require an extensive city backdrop (like the Istivin adventures) or a significant portion of the adventure detailing the city itself (like "The Styes" or "Porphyry House Horror" or "Practical Magic").
In the end, the first Vampires of Waterdeep adventure is an excellent and interesting Urban adventure that happens to be set in Waterdeep. If what you see there intrigues you and convinces you to buy the Waterdeep book, excellent. If not, you can still use the adventure itself.
In any event, if you're not a fan of the Forgotten Realms, Vampires of Waterdeep is probably not for you. That's why we make sure there's two other adventures to choose from. As it turns out, this issue we're talking about has three other adventures to choose from.
There are going to be more Forgotten Realms adventures in Dungeon going forward. Like Eberron, we're hoping to do about 6 Forgotten Realms adventures a year. Dungeon is one of the few places that can print official Forgotten Realms adventures, so it seems negligent and downright stupid to not print them once in a while. For those readers who aren't Forgotten Realms fans, we try to make sure the adventures can be run without needing to reference other books. But in the end, the expectation that ANY magazine is going to be 100% useful to you all the time is unrealistic, as much as I personally may want the magazine's entire contents to be loved by everyone.
(shrug) Can't please everyone all of the time.
But in the end... practice drawing maps. Copy them from adventures. Learn how to use Campaign Cartographer or Photoshop or Dundjinni. A crisp, clean, and good map turnover is one of many ways to impress the editors. Designing adventures is more than just writing.
Pity Dundjinni is ridiculously expensive and the maps are proprietary and can't be used in Dungeon...
Pity Dundjinni is ridiculously expensive and the maps are proprietary and can't be used in Dungeon...
Odds are that the final cartography for any given adventure is going to be farmed out to a professional along with the artwork, so the whole 'proprietary maps' issue isn't really one you have to worry about. As for the Dundjinni price problem- graph paper and a Sharpie, baby. They still work wonders and get your ideas across to the editors/cartographers.
-James Sutter
Editorial Intern, Dungeon
Pity Dundjinni is ridiculously expensive and the maps are proprietary and can't be used in Dungeon...
Dundjinni is a crutch for the weak. Real (wo)men use pen and ink with a watercolor wash.
Odds are that the final cartography for any given adventure is going to be farmed out to a professional along with the artwork, so the whole 'proprietary maps' issue isn't really one you have to worry about. As for the Dundjinni price problem- graph paper and a Sharpie, baby. They still work wonders and get your ideas across to the editors/cartographers.-James Sutter
Editorial Intern, Dungeon
James -
I'm the child of two professional cartographers, and my maps just are not great. Of course, coming from that background I may be a little overcritical of my maps. I do make an acceptable Dundjinni map however, so if submitting those is fair game (knowing they'll be redone anyway) I'd be thrilled. Can we get a semi-official word on this from Eric or James (Jacobs)?
- Ashavan
Dundjinni is a crutch for the weak. Real (wo)men use pen and ink with a watercolor wash.
Yes it is... I would love to be able to do every map on mylar with technical pens, but I can't even draw a straight line with a ruler most of the time. So Dundjinni may be a crutch, but it is a useful one.
- Ashavan
Pity Dundjinni is ridiculously expensive and the maps are proprietary and can't be used in Dungeon...Dundjinni is a crutch for the weak. Real (wo)men use pen and ink with a watercolor wash.
I must be beyond weak. I can barely draw a straight line in Dundjinni. And no - I'm not kidding.
Hmm... interesting. I thought you weren't allowed to submit Dundjinni maps. This makes things a lot easier.
Also, I think Fluid (who make Dundjinni) have lowered their prices. I seem to recall the main program being something like $70 and the add-ons (which are essentially essential) being $30 or so dollars each. Now the program is $40 and the add-ons are $12.
Still expensive, but not as expensive as I remember.
Sahagin, sahaugin, solongandthanksforallthefish...
(at least it wasn't ixit... ixitalc... those bloody manta ray things :) )
Ah yes, the ixitxachitl... the evil villains of my rejected adventure, Rays of Erythnul. ::sigh::
- Ashavan
You could have a lot of fun with them, maybe create a "Puppet Masters" styled scenario. Cross breed them with aboleth, make them smaller, give them the enslave power but require them to maintain physical contact with their victims. Let them draw sustenance from their thralls, allowing them to spend most of their days out of water, but require their victims to spend at least an hour a day in the tub/well/river etc.
Just a couple of quick questions. Is anyone else here waiting for confirmation (YAY!) or rejection (RATS!) from this round of proposals?
Also, how many proposals do potential writers average in a three month period between the 'slush-pile' meetings? Usually, I average 4 per meeting, sometimes 5 sometimes 3...but about 1 proposal every 3 weeks or so.
Nine of my fifteen adventure outlines were passed on so far, leaving six still floating around. I also have two "backdrop" outlines waiting for a yea or nay. This was the first time I made a serious stab at Dungeon, not counting the half dozen or so "Campaign Workbook" articles I've written. Since I usually average about thirty pitches to Dragon every few months I wasn't sure how many I should have sent Dungeon's way. Apparently that was a lot (especially since I sent a bunch of them in before this thread started and I discovered I was emphasizing the wrong things :) ).
I find I submit more proposals every submission period. For example I submitted about six two batches ago, seven last batch and I already have six in the works for the next batch with months to go to submit them and more.
I am not waiting to hear back about any more proposals, but as a tip, sometimes props fall through the cracks. In a couple more weeks if you haven't heard anything you might want to ask James Sutter or Jeremy Walker (when he gets back from his well deserved vacation) if they even saw the props at the meeting. Two I sent in slipped through the cracks last time which means I can revise them before resubmitting them, which is good, cause they needed it. :-)
James J.'s advice on submitting two props for every rejection sounds like solid gold to me. Not only does it generate a deluge of proposals for our favorite overworked editors, but it shows grit and keeps us determined to succeed as oppossed to dejected by setbacks.
I just recieved a rejection today for a proposal sent in 6/12, the last of four sent in during this round...give or take. So, there is still hope for the other 3, as well as 1 sent in on the 30th. Anyone else get any bites? Medesha?
What? Who? Me?
I submitted something a few months ago from the last round of proposal evaluations...or whatever they call those meetings. I haven't even submitted any queries since then because I have been working on a WotC project. Come September I'll flood them with submissions again.
(I can't talk about the WotC project other than to say "it's a WotC project", which is why I haven't mentioned it before. ;-) ).
-Amber S.
Hey, it's Amber! I haven't seen you on these boards in a while. Where you been?
Hi Steve! :-)
Long story very short...for personal reasons my husband and I had to move back to Canada, and last month was pretty much a write-off between my work for WotC and packing up the apt. and moving. Now I'm in the throes of deadlines and they are slowly choking the life out of me..erk...ack...gasp!
I am mostly settled now, tho, and should be posting more. Until GenCon time, anyway. :-)
-Amber S.
Now I'm in the throes of deadlines and they are slowly choking the life out of me..erk...ack...gasp!
I'm willing to perform mouth to mouth should you need it. I even have my Red Cross certification. It's a long flight from here to there, though - you gonna be able to wait that long? ;)
Once we accept a proposal, we typically give the author several months to write the manuscript. Usually three months. Sometimes more. We never expect a writer to be able to generate a full manuscript in a week.
What happens after the manuscript is submitted? Does it go straight to an editor for revisions and, well...editing? Or do all the manuscripts from a similar time period go into a pile and await a manuscripts meeting, as with queries?
Hunter
What happens after the manuscript is submitted? Does it go straight to an editor for revisions and, well...editing? Or do all the manuscripts from a similar time period go into a pile and await a manuscripts meeting, as with queries?
I managed to film one of their submission meetings in secret. Unfortunately, the film was destroyed under mysterious circumstances so I can only give you a written account of what happens.
First, they get James Sutter to go to the seedier side of Seattle and get an ounce of good dope. Then, they pile the submissions high on a circular table and give thanks to the Grand Pooh-Bah (Erik). Then James Jacobs begins cutting up the weed and passes it to Mike Mearls who uses the submission papers to roll huge joints.
These joints are then lit by a sacred wand from Bic and then passed on to Erik.
Come morning, any papers that are left, become next months Dungeon magazine.
What happens after the manuscript is submitted? Does it go straight to an editor for revisions and, well...editing? Or do all the manuscripts from a similar time period go into a pile and await a manuscripts meeting, as with queries?I managed to film one of their submission meetings in secret. Unfortunately, the film was destroyed under mysterious circumstances so I can only give you a written account of what happens.
First, they get James Sutter to go to the seedier side of Seattle and get an ounce of good dope. Then, they pile the submissions high on a circular table and give thanks to the Grand Pooh-Bah (Erik). Then James Jacobs begins cutting up the weed and passes it to Mike Mearls who uses the submission papers to roll huge joints.
These joints are then lit by a sacred wand from Bic and then passed on to Erik.
Come morning, any papers that are left, become next months Dungeon magazine.
Hmm... certain elements are correct... yet how on earth do you expect the Dungeon and Dragon editorial staff to afford drugs? Come on, people, where do you think we work- Wendy's? We don't have that kind of cash lying around.
There IS, of course, a certain amount of human sacrifice to an idol of Erik, but those kinds of things are subsidized by Paizo. And if Mearls were involved, he would undoubtedly be the first of us to set fire to a manuscript... he's quite frank in his opinions.
-James Sutter
mmmm...FIRE!....BAD! NO!
Wow!
I've never experienced a publisher more helpful for those who wish to submit material to them (even the one I worked for -- and they were pretty friendly)!
I'm surprised by the negativity of a few posters in this and related threads.
Perhaps it is that negativity that prevents them from being published?
What exactly are the style sheets? All I see is a near-empty word document.
The style sheets contain, well, styles for magazine submissions. Type some text into the near-blank Word doc you downloaded, highlight it, and then under the "Format" menu there should be a selection called "Styles and Formatting". Once you select that you'll get a sidebar with all the relevant styles, like main text and headings.
-Amber S.
I was reading the "Blackwall Keep, has anyone read it?" Thread just a second ago, and someone (Maveric) posted a quick synposis of it. . . it involves a Dragon tampering with a bunch of lizard man eggs.
This is SO incredibly weird, because I had just sent in a proposal very similar to this called "The Clutch" about 3 months ago. Same basic idea: Lizard eggs being tampered with by a Dragon (a green one though, not a black one). By the time of my submission, "Blackwall Keep" had probably already been written and ready to go. . . so I'm wondering if maybe I channeled something? Does this happen often to other contributors?
I forget what they call this phenomenon, but I've heard of it before. . . like, for instance, all the Borg adventures from the last meeting. . . are the editors flooded with Borg adventures every time, or was it just in this last meeting? And if it's just in this last meeting, then why does this happen?
Look at me, gettin' all mystical n' stuff. . . I just thought it was cool, and I was curious if this seems to happen alot with other long-time writers.