Slush Statistics?

[Scott H. Andrews]

Discussion on Slush Statistics, moved from the recent Recent Acceptances (http://beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/forums/showthread.php?p=123) thread.

[travllight]

Scott,

Congratulations on making your first acceptances - when you've been through a few slush updates, it might be interesting to share how many submissions/passes/acceptances you see in the typical reading period. Inquiring minds want to know what we're up against!

~Dan Koboldt (travllight)

[Scott H. Andrews]

...when you've been through a few slush updates, it might be interesting to share how many submissions/passes/acceptances you see in the typical reading period. Inquiring minds want to know what we're up against!
I know lots of writers like to learn that information, but as a scientist, I have to point out that the percentage of acceptances doesn't have any practical significance for knowing what you're up against because those acceptances aren't chosen at random. :) They're chosen for very specific reasons.

Knowing the odds of getting a specific card from the dealer certainly is relevant because every card remaining in the deck has the same random chance of being that one that gets dealt. But in the slush pile, it's not random. There are stories that just aren't written well enough. There are also many that have a different type of setting than I'm interested in, including some brilliant ones. And there are stories, lots of them, that are solid or fine but they're not great. Those are the hardest ones because it's so subjective what is "great"--what I don't think is great certainly might be great for another editor.

I think the best thing to show what you're up against will be the actual stories that get published in the magazine. They will have the types of setting that I'm looking for, and their prose will be at the level of writing that works for me. And the variation across those different stories will help show the boundaries of what I'm looking for--how far toward more literary or toward more adventure still works for me.

[travllight]

I know lots of writers like to learn that information, but as a scientist, I have to point out that the percentage of acceptances doesn't have any practical significance for knowing what you're up against because those acceptances aren't chosen at random. ... <snip> ... There are stories that just aren't written well enough. There are also many that have a different type of setting than I'm interested in, including some brilliant ones. And there are stories, lots of them, that are solid or fine but they're not great.

Thank you for the reply - I might have guessed this would be your answer. You're right to point out that the basic manuscript/acceptance statistics are hardly informative, since many submissions are probably automatic discards (wrong format, wrong genre, poor quality, etc.). The ROF slushmaster once wrote that about 90% of submissions to Realms of Fantasy fall into these categories.

While I think it would be interesting to see an analysis of a typical submission, with manuscripts broken down into numerous categories like the above, but I appreciate that you editors don't have the time.


I think the best thing to show what you're up against will be the actual stories that get published in the magazine.


Indeed, this is probably good advice for any fiction market: read what they actually print. Do you have an idea yet of when we might see the first BCS issue? I look forward to reading it.

~Dan Koboldt (travllight)

[Scott H. Andrews]

You're right to point out that the basic manuscript/acceptance statistics are hardly informative,
:) I think it's more that I'm a scientist, and I think a lot about what numbers mean.

One thing I am considering is a post on the 2-3 most common reasons that a story doesn't grab me. It would be very specific to me as a reader, and might be no help at all in gauging other markets, but it might help people gauge what's important to me.

Do you have an idea yet of when we might see the first BCS issue? I look forward to reading it.Thank you! My current plan is mid-October. When I finalize the date, at some point in the next month, I will announce it everywhere I can.