Success!

Got an email from DSF on Tuesday, and they're buying a flash piece of mine. Even better, this makes my third pro sale, so I get my Active SFWA membership without burning any of the remaining slots in my WOTF eligibility. BONUS!

(I'd been waiting for the actual contract before I posted, but I min-maxed and put all my patience in Q1.)

Congrats, Kary! I also saw it on the Grinder, earlier!

Btw, are WOTF ineligibility criteria different than SFWA membership requirements? I've read a few times before that flash pieces don't count as pro sales for WOTF -- but they do count for SFWA membership?

Congrats, Kary! I also saw it on the Grinder, earlier!

Btw, are WOTF ineligibility criteria different than SFWA membership requirements? I've read a few times before that flash pieces don't count as pro sales for WOTF -- but they do count for SFWA membership?

SFWA is weird about it. Or is going to be being weird about it soon. Or something. I think the main sticking point is the monetary value. The minimum payment per piece has to be $50, and the minimum total payment for all three has to be $250. I think DSF pays highly enough that it shouldn't matter, though, as long as the other two pieces paid highly?

In a distinctly non-spec-fic area of things, I was awarded a $25 honorable mention in The Haiku Foundation's "HaikuNow!" award. This is an international contest, albeit a fairly new one (in its fourth year), so Huzzah!

@ Stewart - Huzzah! Victory is yours!

@ SFWA vs WOTF

Under current SFWA rules, you need three pro sales totaling $250 or more where no single payment was less than $50. Flash counts if it's sold to a pro market and you're paid $50 or more. I'm not so clear in the new rules that take effect once the reincorporation is complete, but there's something about 10,000 words at pro rates and flash has to be at least $60 to count. I think you still need three pro sales, tho. I don't think a single 17,000 word novelette would do it.

Flash doesn't count at all in WOTF, no matter who/where/for what price you sell it.

Technically, one could get into SFWA with something like 11 pieces of flash as long as the pay rate was high enough.

Under current SFWA rules, you need three pro sales totaling $250 or more where no single payment was less than $50. Flash counts if it's sold to a pro market and you're paid $50 or more. I'm not so clear in the new rules that take effect once the reincorporation is complete, but there's something about 10,000 words at pro rates and flash has to be at least $60 to count. I think you still need three pro sales, tho. I don't think a single 17,000 word novelette would do it.

Flash doesn't count at all in WOTF, no matter who/where/for what price you sell it.

Technically, one could get into SFWA with something like 11 pieces of flash as long as the pay rate was high enough.

Wouldn't you only need 5, at $50 each? (Since that seems to be the minimum per piece, and you'd have to sell 5 to make up the $250)

Wouldn't you only need 5, at $50 each? (Since that seems to be the minimum per piece, and you'd have to sell 5 to make up the $250)

I think five would work under the current rules. Under the upcoming rules, I think you'd need 10 or 11 to meet the 10,000 words part of things.

Wouldn't you only need 5, at $50 each? (Since that seems to be the minimum per piece, and you'd have to sell 5 to make up the $250)

I think five would work under the current rules. Under the upcoming rules, I think you'd need 10 or 11 to meet the 10,000 words part of things.

Does it matter how many people read it? In the past, I thought they cared about the number of readers of said publication, pro rate or not. That's why they had the list of approved markets. Is that changing as well?

For SFWA? Yes, it still has to be to an approved market, and I think the minimum payment is going up to $60 to reflect the new 6 cents a word floor.

Congratulations Kary and Stewart!

All these rules are too confusing to me. Much easier to write long pieces, where the rules are more clear.

Conga rats! Stewart and Kary.

Congrats Stuart and Kary. Those sales just keep coming. And thanks for the info on SFWA qualifications. Interesting stuff.

For SFWA? Yes, it still has to be to an approved market, and I think the minimum payment is going up to $60 to reflect the new 6 cents a word floor.

I assume this is the same for WOTF. Thus Martin officially pro-ing out when Galaxy's Edge became approved with SWFA? My brain is always fuzzy on this part of the rule.

You know, I'm kinda fuzzy on what does and doesn't count for WOTF aside from the idea that flash never counts. I was surprised that you could pro out retroactively, like when GE attained its pro status. I guess I thought all sales going forward would count, but not the ones made before it was approved. Maybe I misunderstood the situation?

Anyhow, for WOTF, I just report every sale to Joni and I figure I'll let her tell me when I'm done.

For SFWA? Yes, it still has to be to an approved market, and I think the minimum payment is going up to $60 to reflect the new 6 cents a word floor.

I assume this is the same for WOTF. Thus Martin officially pro-ing out when Galaxy's Edge became approved with SWFA? My brain is always fuzzy on this part of the rule.

I don't have the link right now, but someone queried Joni, and she said that only SFWA markets count. Which was good for me, because that meant my two sales to Digital didn't count. They closed before they could qualify.

But I queried Joni regarding lengths, since the rules say "or more than one novelette". By SFWA terms, novelette means 7,500 to 17,500 words. I asked what novelette means for the contest, since other genres define the term differently; and her somewhat surprising answer was anything over 17,000 words, because that was the contest limit. Even though that's not the SFWA definition, it makes a certain sense: this is a short story contest, so they consider any eligible story to be a short story. This was also good for me, because my first sale to Analog was a novelette by SFWA standards, but a short story by contest standards.

I never heard the "Flash doesn't count for WotF" rule before, so I can't say where it comes from.

Frankly, the rules are a little fuzzy, and could use some clarification. For instance, "more than one novelette": does that mean two novelettes? Or does it mean one novelette plus one more sale of any length? I could make an argument either way. And the unusual definition of novelette also can confuse people, leading them to believe they're ineligible when they're not.

You know, I'm kinda fuzzy on what does and doesn't count for WOTF aside from the idea that flash never counts. I was surprised that you could pro out retroactively, like when GE attained its pro status. I guess I thought all sales going forward would count, but not the ones made before it was approved. Maybe I misunderstood the situation?

Anyhow, for WOTF, I just report every sale to Joni and I figure I'll let her tell me when I'm done.

In my case, I kinda let Gardner make that decision for me. After the Year's Best sale, I contacted Joni and said, "Joni, I think this had better be my last quarter." She said technically that sale wouldn't count until July, when it would be published; but then I pointed out that Galaxy's Edge would probably become a pro market by then, which would also disqualify me. So we agreed Q1 would be my last quarter. If I'd really tried, I could've justified a Q2 entry up to when GE qualified; but that just felt wrong to me. I thought of myself as a pro, so it was time to move on.

http://nineandsixtyways.com/
Tools, Not Rules.
Martin L. Shoemaker
3rd Place Q1 V31
"Today I Am Paul", WSFA Small Press Award 2015, Nebula nomination 2015
Today I Am Carey from Baen
The Last Dance (#1 science fiction eBook on Amazon, October 2019) and The Last Campaign from 47North

 

I recently sold a story for the game Star Citizen. The first episode is up and it'll run on a weekly basis for a few months until it's done.

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/spectrum-dispatch/13820-The-First-Run-Episode-One

It was really fun to write in someone else's universe, especially since so much of the canon is undecided. With fell swoops of the pen I got to put my mark on the universe. Too much fun. I loved writing the story, too, and they've asked me to do another one, which I'll get to after I finish my current novel. Plus, the rapid feedback on comments is a little overwhelming.

Oh, and if you look at the last Spectrum Dispatch, you'll find our own Marina J. Lostetter did the last one. I didn't notice that until I saw a "last year's WOTF winners update". Yay, Marina!

Very Awesome news all!!

Congrats to Kary on the DSF sale, to Stewart on the Haiku win, and to Thomas on the Star Citizen sale and offer to pen more!!

Ah, I love the success thread!

I'm almost certain someone e-mailed Joni once and she said flash fiction didn't count for contest purposes, but I can't find it anywhere in the forum.

Maybe it's just extrapolation on our behalf, since flash sales to markets that don't pay at least $50 won't even possibly count as SFWA qualifying.

To be frank, the rules on what counts as a DQing sale for WotF seem to be written more in sand than stone. Joni appears to like to err on the side of "let's not accidentally disqualify someone who is still a relative newbie" rather than on the side of "NO ENTRY FOR YOU."

Congrats on your sale to Star Citizen, Thomas! I e-mailed them back in January asking to submit but never heard back. Oh well!

Conga rats to Tom.

As for WotF rules, not that I care much about the details seeing as I reckon the world will have iced over before I pro out, but nevertheless I can't help feeling they need a new category for freaks of nature like Martin. Something like, "more than 3 short stories or more than one novelette or one novel or publication in Gardner Dozois' Year's Best or Hugo win."

Congrats to Thomas! And yayyy for the success thread.

Congrats, Stewart and Thomas!

I've been behind on congratulating people here, but man I am so happy to see such fine people and writers getting ahead.
To all of you a heartfelt and sincere Congratulations.

Despite my limited fiction writing and WoTF experience, I recently sold one of my two rejections from the contest to Beneath Ceaseless Skies! It's only the third SF/F story I've tried writing in my adult life. Not quite sure how this happened, but I'm excited that it did.

Despite my limited fiction writing and WoTF experience, I recently sold one of my two rejections from the contest to Beneath Ceaseless Skies! It's only the third SF/F story I've tried writing in my adult life. Not quite sure how this happened, but I'm excited that it did.

That's fabulous! Congratulations!

Also, if I missed anyone else in here, congratulations to all! I love the success thread.

Despite my limited fiction writing and WoTF experience, I recently sold one of my two rejections from the contest to Beneath Ceaseless Skies! It's only the third SF/F story I've tried writing in my adult life. Not quite sure how this happened, but I'm excited that it did.

Woo hoo!! Go, you! BCS is one of my favorite markets.

Despite my limited fiction writing and WoTF experience, I recently sold one of my two rejections from the contest to Beneath Ceaseless Skies! It's only the third SF/F story I've tried writing in my adult life. Not quite sure how this happened, but I'm excited that it did.

Woah!

BCS is damn hard to break. 'grats on getting in!

Despite my limited fiction writing and WoTF experience, I recently sold one of my two rejections from the contest to Beneath Ceaseless Skies! It's only the third SF/F story I've tried writing in my adult life. Not quite sure how this happened, but I'm excited that it did.

Congrats! I'd seen your announcement on the Grinder, but I admit I didn't remember you from the forum.

I've always wanted to sell a story to BCS -- though for some unknown reason I've never submitted to them until a couple of days ago. You'll be my inspiration

Congrats on the sale, Always Adventure. Pretty impressive for your third story ever. Impressive either way!

Thank you everyone for the well wishes!

And congrats to all of you who made recent sales and to those who will undoubtedly make sales soon