Quick question about file type for entry

Are PDF's acceptable? I tend to save all my work as PDF's when submitting as a way to lock in my formatting.

This is not a definitive answer, but I don't remember seeing PDF's as an option. I think it is .doc .docx and maybe one other option.

If you don't have Word, you can convert your file for free online. Just type in google "free online file converter" and you should get several. I use ZAMZAR a lot.

Eeek. I saw that it's meant to be .doc .docx or .rtf right after submitting a PDF! Shouldn't have been so hasty. I guess I'll just reply to the auto-confirmation from Joni with the attached .doc and hope I'm not disqualified. =(

Eeek. I saw that it's meant to be .doc .docx or .rtf right after submitting a PDF! Shouldn't have been so hasty. I guess I'll just reply to the auto-confirmation from Joni with the attached .doc and hope I'm not disqualified. =(

BeeW, I left you a comment on what you need to do on the Q1 topic post you made about this. Please do that today. The confirmation letter will likely come after the 1st or later, and you will be into the next quarter.

Best,

Moon

The submission form includes what files are accepted, and a PDF isn't one of them. WotF is quite lenient in terms of what you can get away with compared to many pro-markets, so get used to reading the guidelines! You'll rarely have a Joni to e-mail.

I read the guidelines of every market twice-through every time I submit. After putting so much effort into every story I write, I want to make it as difficult as possible for editors/judges to reject my stories.

I imagine most editors/first readers use e-readers on initial evaluation. PDFs do not translate well to the kindle, at least, and none of your special formatting will be preserved. That being said, the staff and judges know many of us are new, so take Moon's advice and don't sweat your formatting. The contest probably doesn't link to standard format ( https://www.shunn.net/format/story.html) because it includes author name. Leave off any identifying information, but try to follow that guide otherwise. It's good practice, even though the contest is forgiving if you don't follow it.

Thanks for the advice everyone! I emailed Joni with a word doc version, fingers crossed it’s accepted. If not I guess I’ll enter it into Q3 or Q4. I spent so much time reading the formatting and can’t believe I glossed over something as important as file type. Curse my workplace in making saving everything as a PDF be second nature to me.

Are PDF's acceptable? I tend to save all my work as PDF's when submitting as a way to lock in my formatting.

I've asked Joni whether I should send in my submission in word or pdf, and she said "either one actually"
But I'm starting to have second thoughts on submitting my Q3 entry in pdf form after reading the discussion thread...

Remember that if your story wins, it goes through a round of edits (well, multiple rounds: initial edits, line edits, typesetting edits...). You can't do that with a PDF, so at the very least someone will have to email you to ask for the docx/rtf anyway. Save a step!

Plus pretty much no specfic market accepts PDFs for that reason, so get in the habit of submitting in a standard manner.

What Kate said. Don't make it hard, make it easy on editors. There's an accepted way, and an accepted pro format. As Nike says, "Just do it!"

Thanks to both Kate and Moon I was having trouble with converting my story (which I wrote by using Google docs) to a word docx file when using my windows computer, but finally succeeded when using my iMac

I was in such a hurry last time (Q3) because of the submission portal problem that I didn’t give my format a second thought before selecting pdf...

Thanks to both Kate and Moon I was having trouble with converting my story (which I wrote by using Google docs) to a word docx file when using my windows computer, but finally succeeded when using my iMac

I was in such a hurry last time (Q3) because of the submission portal problem that I didn’t give my format a second thought before selecting pdf...

Google Docs actually has a way for you to convert into .docx format, at which point you can download it. I've done it recently, actually.

Thanks to both Kate and Moon I was having trouble with converting my story (which I wrote by using Google docs) to a word docx file when using my windows computer, but finally succeeded when using my iMac

I was in such a hurry last time (Q3) because of the submission portal problem that I didn’t give my format a second thought before selecting pdf...

Google Docs actually has a way for you to convert into .docx format, at which point you can download it. I've done it recently, actually.

I did convert my google docs file into word docx on my iPad, but when I used my Windows computer (To upload my entry because I can’t do that with an iPad), I just couldn’t download the file properly. The computer would randomly cut down
the last word in each line
Like this:
I was having trouble with converting my st
ory

Guess I'll have to stop using Windows...

Thanks to both Kate and Moon I was having trouble with converting my story (which I wrote by using Google docs) to a word docx file when using my windows computer, but finally succeeded when using my iMac

I was in such a hurry last time (Q3) because of the submission portal problem that I didn’t give my format a second thought before selecting pdf...

Google Docs actually has a way for you to convert into .docx format, at which point you can download it. I've done it recently, actually.

I did convert my google docs file into word docx on my iPad, but when I used my Windows computer (To upload my entry because I can’t do that with an iPad), I just couldn’t download the file properly. The computer would randomly cut down
the last word in each line
Like this:
I was having trouble with converting my st
ory

Guess I'll have to stop using Windows...

Well, that's weird!

Google Docs actually has a way for you to convert into .docx format, at which point you can download it. I've done it recently, actually.

I did convert my google docs file into word docx on my iPad, but when I used my Windows computer (To upload my entry because I can’t do that with an iPad), I just couldn’t download the file properly. The computer would randomly cut down
the last word in each line
Like this:
I was having trouble with converting my st
ory

Guess I'll have to stop using Windows...

Well, that's weird!

I guess I've learnt my lesson on using Windows to submit a word docx