Tag: slush Page 2 of 5

I was poking through the Clarkesworld Magazine submissions database last night and thought I’d share:

SLUSH STATS FOR 2009

Sometimes pictures are better than words:

May was a down month for submissions from women.  I’m not sure why, but it’s something I hope we can turn around.  If we count up all the submissions since September (actually, mid-September), women account for almost exactly one third. Interestingly, that third is responsible for 5 of the 8 stories I’ve accepted.

Why We Don’t Accept Paper Submissions

Electronic submissions are very convenient for writers and editors. Paper submissions are a nuisance.  Here are the reasons we do not accept them:

• On average, we’d waste 400 pages of paper per month and hours of our time printing letters, stuffing envelopes and going to the post office.
• I hate going to the post office.
• I think making you pay to submit a story to us is unfair.
• I think making you waste paper is wrong and inefficient.
• The risk that your submission or our reply is lost is greatly reduced by managing the entire process through an online submissions system.
• Our staff is scattered around the country. A centralized online system for submissions allows us all to share and manage documents efficiently. We can manage slush wherever and whenever we want.
• We receive submissions from all around the world. It should be no more difficult or costly for them to submit a story and get a quick response than it is for someone in my home town.
• I have found it much easier to organize online submissions. My experience as an editor is enhanced by powerful search and reporting tools.
• We receive an average of 400 submissions per month. I don’t have room for all that paper.
• My children would use your stories as scrap paper.
• Paper cuts are too painful. (Thanks pabba)

The March fiction submission statistics for Clarkesworld Magazine are very similar to those for February. There were very minor increases in submissions from men and people outside the United States. The only category with any statistically valid changes was first time submissions, where we saw a significant increase in the number of submissions from returning female authors.

Submissions Processed: 431

Average Response Time: 1.40 days

Gender Breakdown:
279 Men (64.73%), 0 acceptances
152 Women (35.27%), 1 acceptance

First Time Submissions*:
164 Men (58.78% of all submissions from men)
84 Women (55.26% of all submissions from women)

Countries with Two or More Submissions:
US 76.33%
Canada 6.5%
UK 6.26%
Australia 3.94%
Germany 1.39%
Taiwan 0.46%
Thailand 0.46%
India 0.46%
Sweden 0.46%
Ireland 0.46%
Republic of Korea 0.46

* The tracking system has only been in place since September 2008, so "first time" may actually be first time since then.