Slush Pile Update

It's back to work for the staff at FMM, and we have started reviewing submissions for our April 30, 2010 issue.

So far we have received 80 submissions.

We have 10 submissions before the editorial staff. So far we have rejected 1 story for being over our word count, and had 2 withdrawals. We have 67 submissions still in our inbox.

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After reviewing all the submissions we've received since December 2nd, these are some of the complaints I've had:

Authors who simply attach a document, without so much as their name in the body of the email. This means I have to open the attachment in order to log the submission into our database. Wastes time, and comes across as lazy. A short cover letter is always appreciated, but this is also the best place to put the required information: your legal name, your name as you want it published, your email address and a short biography to be published with your story.

Story titles in the subject line of the email that do not match the title of the attached story. I don't know if you've attached the wrong story or made a typo.

Excessively long story titles. We have several in our inbox that exceed seven words! This is a frequent gripe of mine - see our old post about titles.

Submissions that are forwarded to us. These submissions feel like hand-me-downs. It isn't that difficult to copy the original email and paste it into a new draft.

None of the above complaints will keep your story from being considered for publication, but they are things I urge every author to consider before sending us a submission.

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There is still time to register for our next Flash Fiction Boot Camp. If you haven't checked it out, I encourage you to do so. If you'd like to participate but can't afford the tuition, contact me. We have a few scholarships available to FMM readers.

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That's all for now...

JDawson
Editor-in-Chief