101 Reasons to Stop Writing

As part of the increasingly inaccurately named International Slushpile Awareness Month (now in its 8th week!), I asked readers how long they’ve had to wait for a response to a slushpile submission.

It was specified that a response had to be received. Otherwise, 97% would choose the “Never” option, because they’re still waiting for a response from Hopelessly Underfunded Spur-of-the-Moment Vanity Project #1 and Harlan Ellison’s The Last Dangerous Visions.

Shout out to Nathan’s homies. ‘Other’ responses included specific periods (3 months and 6 months), one respondent who misunderstood the exclusion on ‘Never’, and one respondent who had to beat a answer from an editor. I imagine it was a ‘No’.

The most important result is that 31% of you have not submitted for publication yet — so there’s still hope! Stop writing now while you can still deny you ever entertained this ridiculous fantasy.

There’s also a bunch of you who are fsckin’ liars — no-one submitted more stories to the same publisher while waiting to hear about the first one?

This poll has been reopened. The ‘Other’ option has been removed because the current polling system doesn’t support it.

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