And here it is....the WotC contest Delay.

[Chromnos]

A question for you guys-

I submitted one setting but scanning the message boards, I've seen people who've submitted as many as 37. What do you think the average number of submissions per designer/team is?

-C

 

[fett527]

I read through the entire original thread as it was ongoing and did not remember anyone saying much about it. I apologize if it's been beat to death. It just seems they are making an effort to keep their wording vague to allow themselves room to maneuver if they want to. I would think 15-25 wouldn't be surprising out of 10,000+ entries. I also don't think it would be unprofessional of them to pick more than 10. As has been said before this isn't a contest, it's a call for submissions and why shouldn't they be able to accept as many submissions as they want?

 

[Dave G]

I think that the delay was well-played, and I think it can only help the chances of well-thought-out entries that have more richness of detail. Whether that helps my entry or not, the end result should be better selections for moving into round 2.

 

[Chromnos]

With 1 in a thousand odds I'd bet my two dollars on my submission. But that's not saying much. One in a thousand is pretty intimidating. At least when you submit short stories or the first three chapters of a novel you're looking at odds like 1 in a hundred, or 1 in sixty (if you're lucky), or even one in 240 for the major publications. But 1 in a thousand plus. I'm with the guy who thinks his submission's gonna get read after the dog diddles on the floor.

-C

 

[fett527]

With 1 in a thousand odds I'd bet my two dollars on my submission. But that's not saying much. One in a thousand is pretty intimidating. At least when you submit short stories or the first three chapters of a novel you're looking at odds like 1 in a hundred, or 1 in sixty (if you're lucky), or even one in 240 for the major publications. But 1 in a thousand plus. I'm with the guy who thinks his submission's gonna get read after the dog diddles on the floor.

-C

Getting lost in the paper shuffle or somebody's bad day is our biggest concern.

 

[toberane]

I'm hoping that since they poushed the dealine back so far, that several if not all the judges will get to examine all the submissions. That way if one guy has a bad day, the other judges will be there to mitigate the biased critique.

 

[Saracen]

At least when you submit short stories or the first three chapters of a novel you're looking at odds like 1 in a hundred, or 1 in sixty (if you're lucky), or even one in 240 for the major publications. But 1 in a thousand plus

Uh, the odds for getting published in a major publication or getting a novel published are far worse than 1 in a 1000.

Magazines, anthologies and publishing houses each receive thousands of submissions monthly and many only publish a handful of what they receive, and if you're an unpublished author you're odds of even getting your story read by an actual fiction editor are even less. Many of these magazines and publishers have people (assistant editiors) who are solely responsible for reading the first paragraph or two and deciding whether to toss it or not based on those first few words. If they get past the first couple of paragraphs and read the rest they still may toss it.

Your odds of making it as a writer are worse than the lottery.

Also, remember that this, like submitting a story or novel, isn't a contest. WotC has asked for submissions and are reviewing them so your odds increase\decrease based on how well you write, the quality of your ideas and how well you can follow instructions.

You might have the best idea for a setting in the world but if you did not follow instructions or you write poorly you will not get selected. Your odds are effectively 1 in a 1,000,000,000. The same goes for someone who is a great writer and followed instructions but has lousy ideas. They will not win.

So, the odds of winning this are not 1 in 10,000 for everyone. They are significantly better for some and worse for others.

 

[Oracular Vision]

Another broken promise...

Typical these days

 

[Rexfelis]

delay is good

Although everyone is assuredly biting their nails in anxious expectation, this delay is good:

1 - allowing the judges more time to thoroughly "weed and feed" on the submissions will aid in ensuring that the cream rises to the top. The last thing we'd all want is for a judge to have a daily "quota" of submissions that he or she must plow through, thereby risking the chance that submissions with merit or subtlety are inadvertently weeded out.

2 - it gives us all more time to digest our own ideas and contemplate the approach we'd like to take towards the 10 pager - for those lucky enough to make it to the second stage and in the abscence of a guideline.

3 - it allows WOTC to run all the prospective 10 page ideas through their legal department to ensure that the idea is wholely original. What would be more embarrassing than to elevate a submission to the 10 page stage only to find out that a portion of the submission's idea was based on another party's intellectual property.

4 - for some, the sense of expectation is like an extended Christmas Eve...which is enjoyable in its own way.

Through it all however, I'm sure the judges will find the mass appeal and sheer brilliance that the Empire of Flowing Smegma has to offer...despite the fact that I neglected to include floating islands of Smegma =o(

Rexfelis

 

[Chromnos]

Uh, the odds for getting published in a major publication or getting a novel published are far worse than 1 in a 1000.

Your odds of making it as a writer are worse than the lottery.

All good points. However, I must politely disagree with the above. According to Writer's Market, Amazing Stories receives some 250 submissions per month which would certainly fit into the one in a thousand acceptance/rejection realm. However, Wierd Tales posts a submission rate at somewhere around 120 per month which are better (flat) odds than the contest. Smaller, less well known publications may only recieve 60 submissions in a year and publish as many as 1 in 5.

The odds of publication are far greater than winning the lottery which is equivalent to the odds of being struck by lightning twice on the same day. Within my own circle of friends, I know a handful of successfully writers and I work with a good number more. Now, though my sample may be a bit biased, I have yet to even meet someone who won the lottery or who was struck by lightning even once.

Being published may be as simple as becoming an editor. I was lucky enough to have this happen to me (alas it was not within the fantasy/sci-fi realm). But even one as lowly as myself has had his articles quoted in Wired.

I do, however, agree with you on the points of process and consideration. It is nice to know that my submission will be read, in full, as opposed to the typical first line/first paragraph treatment. Such an earnest read is refreshing in an industry where the most a writer can generally hope for is an arbitrary glance.

-C