So over on the Dungeon board, there's a thread that started off asking about the status of submissions and queries, but has turned into a really good thread providing lots of cool feedback from the editors to the writers. This thread is going to start the same way, and maybe it'll evolve in a similar fashion. :)
I'm not too concerned about the submissions I have outstanding. I know from talking with Jason B. and Mike M. that everything I've submitted has been received; with the fear of things being lost in cyberspace gone, I'm willing to wait a little while longer while they evaluate my stuff.
Of bigger concern, though, is feature queries I've sent in - some going back as far as late May. Other queries were sent in late June and late August (right after GenCon, actually). Each mentioned the previous queries as a sort of follow-up. But I've yet to hear back on any of these, and so there's two fears:
1) The queries got lost in cyberspace
2) Ya'll are sitting around the office on Fridays, pointing at my queries, and laughing. :P
I pondered just sending an e-mail off to Jason to pester him once again. And while I'm sure Jason just sits around waiting to get e-mails from me, I thought maybe a thread similar to the one for Dungeon would work better. This way, other potential authors who are waiting have a resource, and the editors have a place to keep us up to date on any submission meetings, or any time consuming events (like GenCon) that will affect the schedule.
So I'll end this thread the same way Steve ended the Dungeon thread: I still love you guys. :D
-- John
I'm a little concerned myself, being new to the query process. So far, I've written two proper queries, one of which was sent in over a month and a half ago, and I have not recieved a responce for either. I've sent an e-mail inquiring about the status of my queries, but haven't had a responce yet.
I'm a little concerned myself, being new to the query process. So far, I've written two proper queries, one of which was sent in over a month and a half ago, and I have not recieved a responce for either. I've sent an e-mail inquiring about the status of my queries, but haven't had a responce yet.
John -
What kind of query? Feature queries tend to take a little longer to hear back on than those for familiars (ecologies, spellcraft, class acts, bizarre of the bazaar).
Especially around this time, and again just after the winter holidays they tend to be a little backlogged, and that can delay the responses a little.
Also, I would say a month and a half isn't an overly long response time from Dragon for a query... I would work on a new query over the next two weeks, and when you hit the two month mark send it in with a question about the status of your previous query.
I might also note that Dragon seems to prefer to receive a number of ideas at once, each presented in a short single paragraph.
- Ashavan
No, a month-and-a-half isn't too bad at all - especially given the fact that time frame smacks right into the GenCon schedule.
And Ashavan offers good advice on a few points. Try and send as many ideas at once as you can (though I'm certainly guilty of sending only one idea). Also, while you wait for a response try and think of - and submit - new ideas. This'll keep your mind working on ideas, and when acceptances start coming in from your earlier queries, you'll have some other stuff already sitting there for the staff to review.
***
And I'll offer a suggestion to the Paizo staff that I've tossed out before. Perhaps placing an "auto responder" on the dragon@paizo.com and dungeon@paizo.com accounts would be a good idea. This way, folks at least know their queries or submissions have been received, and they can immediately move to the next stage of the worrying game. :D
An auto-responder would offer some comfort to those inclinded to worry about e-mail gremlins. The "Knights of the Dinner Table" magazine uses an auto-responder for submissions via e-mail, and I've found that reassuring.
I guess writers as a group are genetically predisposed towards worrying...
No, a month-and-a-half isn't too bad at all - especially given the fact that time frame smacks right into the GenCon schedule.
I have to admit, I didn't take GenCon into account... I'm just getting a little antsy, I guess. :)
Contributor
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2) Ya'll are sitting around the office on Fridays, pointing at my queries, and laughing. :P
Okay, who's been leaking information? ;)
Perhaps placing an "auto responder" on the dragon@paizo.com and dungeon@paizo.com accounts would be a good idea.
I don't know nuthin' 'bout this here tekno-lodgy of which you speak, so I won't comment on it. From my perspective, Class Acts is undergoing a bit of a change soon so Class Act queries have begun to back up in my Inbox. As far as the main submissions account (dragon@paizo.com) goes, well, Jason is slow. ;P Oh, and he went to Gen Con. Yeah. That's the hold up. Gen Con. ::nods::
;)
2) Ya'll are sitting around the office on Fridays, pointing at my queries, and laughing. :POkay, who's been leaking information? ;)
A ha! I knew it! :P
Perhaps placing an "auto responder" on the dragon@paizo.com and dungeon@paizo.com accounts would be a good idea.I don't know nuthin' 'bout this here tekno-lodgy of which you speak, so I won't comment on it. From my perspective, Class Acts is undergoing a bit of a change soon so Class Act queries have begun to back up in my Inbox. As far as the main submissions account (dragon@paizo.com) goes, well, Jason is slow. ;P Oh, and he went to Gen Con. Yeah. That's the hold up. Gen Con. ::nods::
;)
An autoresponder basically just shoots off an e-mail to anybody that sends you an e-mail, with some predefined text. So basically you would say something like, "Your submission or query to Dragon has just been received. Thank you." Or whatever.
GenCon's a good excuse - I'm still blaming it for stuff too.
Boss: Why isn't that program written yet? It was a simple little query!
John: Sorry, Boss. I was at GenCon a month ago. That screws up everything for a while. I'll get to it as soon as possible.
:D :D :D
And yeah - I figured your e-mail was getting a little backed up when you didn't reply to the submission I sent you about 10 days ago. ;)
it can take awhile, but patience would seem to pay off.
my first article to be printed (co-written with Shade) is Monsters of the Mind, in next month's issue. i sent in the query almost a year ago, and sent in the submission in February (with a self-imposed revision in June).
the moral is, don't be discouraged by long wait times. :D
My most recent "pitch week" was early august and I have yet to hear back. But that's not unusual for this time of year due to the convention season. Plus, my understanding (not based upon any actual facts or real information, which explains why I'm regional VP of the "Elvis is Bigfoot" society :) ) is that a committee of some sort is involved. This would tend to make response times a bit slower due to the need to coordinate schedules and the like.
Hopefully the committee -if it exists- has given itself a fun name :)
(the "Legion of J's" over at Dungeon might be able to give some pointers :) )
Director of Games
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This time of year is a tricky one for us here at Dragon. The conevention season along with personal vacations really plays havoc on our ability to review queries and submissions. Rest assured, that we will get to them soon. I have well over 100 built up right now, but that is not an insurmountable number. If you are really concerned about your query not being in the pile, feel free to send a email asking about their status.
Thanks for your patience everybody.
Jason Bulmahn
Associate Editor of Dragon
Got a guess how old the pile is? That might prevent some e-mails from coming your way... ;)
High Jason! I sent my first query in ever a few days ago (don't worry, i konw i gotta wait) but i was just wondering what the preffered format for a query was? I didn't make mine very clear now that i think back about it so it'd help for my next one to know what formt is best. Here is what i think mguht be good:
(IDEA NAME/ARTICLE NAME) - (TYPE)
(DESCRIPTION)
Oh and about how many ideas for articles do you prefer in a query? I think i sent about 5-10 in the lest one but if you preffered more or less i'd be happy to do them that way in the future :)
Oh and one last thing, do you have a plan on what sort of themes the issues will be? Because if you do i'd love to know what themes you have planned so i could propose some ideas that 'fit'.
So umm.. yeah keep up the great mag and hopefully you'll catch up with your mail soon so you're not so busy :)
Got a guess how old the pile is? That might prevent some e-mails from coming your way... ;)Early June.. unfortunately.
Alrighty... I have one from May that's MIA then. I'll be sending you an e-mail shortly, so now you know to ignore it. :P
my first article to be printed (co-written with Shade) is Monsters of the Mind, in next month's issue.Ahem. ;)
oh right, there was a third party involved somehow... now who was that again? ;)
"Dragon's own Little Black Hole?" It's so small, but quaint nonetheless.
Yeah, there can sometimes be long waiting times. I know they can be discouraging, but don't let them be. :)
Speaking from the small bit of experience I have with the Dungeon side of things, yes there can be a wait. I submitted a first draft proposal that Mr. Matthew Sernett liked to the fellows last November. Now because of something called "Aow" (which sounds Canadian to me) it will probably not see print until I'm at least 34. I'm 32 now.... Jeremy has it "around here somewhere". So yes, there can be a wait however on the opposite side of karma I got an adventure published in Dungeon in under five months after I submitted one draft with no proposal. It was by entering a contest posted back in April or May, but hey you never know.
My suggestion would be not to sit on queries (espeically for long articles) just send 'em as they come to you. If you have a stream of shorter ones sure lump 'em, but nothing sucks worse than finding out they just got a good submission for what you were sending them. Curse you Wolfgang and your clockwork fortress!
On that note try to think ahead of the game. If you know that a year from now Wizards is going to release a new source book on the Victorian Age English Tax Code and you have great system for determining entitlements you need to send that pup off now!
Basically anytime you want to bemoan the fact you don't have anything in your Pazio in box use the time to write out an idea and send it to them with a "have you got these too?" attached what's it going to hurt? It's either that or you can waste your time reading the stuff I and other people just wrote on these boards....hmmm?
yeah well back to writing,
GGG
High Jason! I sent my first query in ever a few days ago (don't worry, i konw i gotta wait) but i was just wondering what the preffered format for a query was? I didn't make mine very clear now that i think back about it so it'd help for my next one to know what formt is best. Here is what i think mguht be good:
(IDEA NAME/ARTICLE NAME) - (TYPE)
(DESCRIPTION)Oh and about how many ideas for articles do you prefer in a query? I think i sent about 5-10 in the lest one but if you preffered more or less i'd be happy to do them that way in the future :)
Oh and one last thing, do you have a plan on what sort of themes the issues will be? Because if you do i'd love to know what themes you have planned so i could propose some ideas that 'fit'.
So umm.. yeah keep up the great mag and hopefully you'll catch up with your mail soon so you're not so busy :)
Well, I don't work there nor have I ever had anything printed in Dragon (at least not yet), but I recall seeing answers to most of your questions on another thread - early on in the "Is There a Black Hole in the Paizo Submissions Office?" Thread over in the Dungeon messageboard.
As for official formating - my suggestion is make it look professional and follow whatever the writer's guidelines say. There are samples of people's submissions but I doubt any three writers do it exactly the same. The idea being that if you write a proposal in AOL acronyms they probably will say no based on that writing sample (that is what is after all).
Hope that helps,
GGG
PS I was the last one to touch this thread? Wow. Zherog you have got to get these Dragon people on the ball. ;)
PPS And by the way good luck in both collapsed stars.
it can take awhile, but patience would seem to pay off.
my first article to be printed (co-written with Shade) is Monsters of the Mind, in next month's issue. i sent in the query almost a year ago, and sent in the submission in February (with a self-imposed revision in June).
the moral is, don't be discouraged by long wait times. :D
you think thats a long wait time... they accepted my new monster article "Horrors of Hepmonaland" submitted 12/1/03, but still have not got around to placing it on the schedule to be actualy published ;) nearly 2 years so far, now that is a wait time.
personaly I am begenning to think that they are trying to wait for the copywrite to expire so that they can print it with out paying me... only about 60 more years to go, lol
I think I already know the answer to my question, but just to be sure.
Does artwork and written work end up in the same place, the same inbox? So if written work is backed up, artwork will be backed up to?
you think thats a long wait time... they accepted my new monster article "Horrors of Hepmonaland" submitted 12/1/03, but still have not got around to placing it on the schedule to be actualy published ;) nearly 2 years so far, now that is a wait time.
personaly I am begenning to think that they are trying to wait for the copywrite to expire so that they can print it with out paying me... only about 60 more years to go, lol
it's probably officially forgotten then! ;) have you written them about this issue?
it's probably officially forgotten then! ;) have you written them about this issue?
oh yes, infact I ask Erik about it directly from time to time online. (and the answer is always the same... we plan on using it, but do not know when we can fit it in the shcedule).
well, that's better than nothing. ;)
So....
Any news on either a submission or a query meeting? ;)
So....
Any news on either a submission or a query meeting? ;)
Well, I recently received a note from Jason Bulmahn, saying that he hopes to get to my queries soon. Maybe we'll hear something by the end of the month. :)
... or not. *shrugs*
there is always hope, when you have nothing else. ;)
So....
Any news on either a submission or a query meeting? ;)
well I was pleasently surprised yesterday to find a contract for a class acts article that I had "fired and forgot" back in mid-march.
yeah, it sounds like people are finally getting replies to queries and submissions also. :)
]
well I was pleasently surprised yesterday to find a contract for a class acts article that I had "fired and forgot" back in mid-march.
Congrats :)
I hate to admit it but when I got the contract for the CA in issue #337 I actually had to go and look up what it was about.
At least the name rang a bell... :)
Le Bump. :)
Any information?
so noted. or not. ;)
Mike - do those vague and nebulous rumors you might be talking about possibly - or not - cover submissions, queries, or both?
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Contributor
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Mike - do those vague and nebulous rumors you might be talking about possibly - or not - cover submissions, queries, or both?
I can neither confirm nor deny the possibility that something akin to queries might have been seen by a number of Paizo staffers of a number greater than two but less than four.
I did not post this. You do not know me. This post won't self-destruct, though, because that would be bad. ;D
i'd be happy to hear that, if i was sure that i heard it in the first place. :)
I can neither confirm nor deny the possibility that something akin to queries might have been seen by a number of Paizo staffers of a number greater than two but less than four.I did not post this. You do not know me. This post won't self-destruct, though, because that would be bad. ;D
Quick, eat your computer!!! It's the only way to keep crucial information from falling into enemy hands!
I suggest you accompany it with some falva beans and a nice chianti... :)
Mike - do those vague and nebulous rumors you might be talking about possibly - or not - cover submissions, queries, or both?I can neither confirm nor deny the possibility that something akin to queries might have been seen by a number of Paizo staffers of a number greater than two but less than four.
I did not post this. You do not know me. This post won't self-destruct, though, because that would be bad. ;D
No worries - I lowered the Cone of Silence. There's no chance of anybody hearing this conversation that didn't happen. :)
I missed it by that much.
Sorry Chief,
GGG
Oh, and by the way Mike -- thanks for nothing. :)
one down (wah wah wah...), a few to go. ;)
Any word on when emails that may (or may not) be the result of this meeting that may (or may not) have happened will be going out (or not)?
Yeah, I know - I'm terribly impatient. ;)
Not sure if this helps but yesterday I sent a spellcraft idea to Wes and mentioned in passing that things must be really backed up since I hadn't heard back on some queries I sent to him months ago. When he replied to that email he asked me to resend the the queries for the original ideas since he didn't remember seeing them. I did, and he replied in less then an hour.
Taking that as a clue I sent an email off the Jason asking if the stuff I sent him during my last pitchweek, early August had also gotten lost in cyberspace. He replied as well, also quite promptly, and told me that my pitches had made it to "level two" and he would get back to me in the next few weeks.
Level two...
(ominous music available upon request :) )
So the wheels of the gods are grinding slowly but surely.
Any word on when emails that may (or may not) be the result of this meeting that may (or may not) have happened will be going out (or not)?
Yeah, I know - I'm terribly impatient. ;)
Zherog -
I will echo Hal's sentiments... I also just heard from Wes on a manuscript that was sitting on his desk, and when I heard asked him about some outstanding ecology queries - I heard back within a couple days.
- Ashavan
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I have a semi-related question (in that it is about queries). If I know which editor handles the section that I am querying for, can I email the query directly to that editor? I imagine this saves whoever sorts the dragon@paizo inbox a few seconds of time.
In my specific case I'm thinking about Class Acts and Mike McArtor.
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Contributor
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I have a semi-related question (in that it is about queries). If I know which editor handles the section that I am querying for, can I email the query directly to that editor? I imagine this saves whoever sorts the dragon@paizo inbox a few seconds of time.
In my specific case I'm thinking about Class Acts and Mike McArtor.
Yes, if you know the editor in charge of a particular section feel free to email that editor directly. That saves us all a little time and a little hassle. :)
i have received a response back about the Mystara proposal i sent in, and i suspect this has more to do with Mike pestering Jason more than anything. ;) i have about a half dozen others that are waiting for a response though, some older than the Mystara one.
Yes, if you know the editor in charge of a particular section feel free to email that editor directly. That saves us all a little time and a little hassle. :)
So can we get an unofficial list? Unless of course when you said "know the editor" you meant, have a personal, monogamous, polygamous, fraternal, professional, parasitic, symbiotic, or spiritual relationship with the editor. (sorry, forgot I’m not getting paid by the word for a second there…)