Equestria Daily Rejection :) · 7:13pm Jan 7th, 2014
So, I knew it would happen, and "How to Tell Your Friends You're Dating a Changeling" got rejected from Equestria Daily. It took them a bloody long time to actually tell me. Below is the message I received.
Dear Infinite Carnage,
I cannot recommend this for posting. This is its first strike.
- Reasons for rejection:
- Awkward phrasing and word choice
- Typos
- Overuse of "to be" verbs
- Smalltext
- Overreliance on telling character emotionsYou may find our Editor’s Omnibus helpful, especially the links at the top.
Amacita
So there you have it. I got another message with more specifics on what was wrong and some advice, although I'm not really too fussed to be honest. I was warned they have absurdly high standards, and although my work isn't very good, I've seen plenty of rejected stories that really were of the highest quality. Truthfully, I don't think the site does itself many favours. I've heard circulation on it has hit an all time low, and I can only guess why that is. Still, the work it has there is very nice (generally). Although I must confess, the website layout is very poor. It's a struggle most of the time just finding a specific story or anything for that matter.
Anyway, there you have it. At least they gave the story their time to read, or rather, whoever Amacita is.
- Infinite
*Edit: It appears that they only read the bio and the first chapter. That's sort of dick move if I'm honest. In fact, the more I read it, the complaints seem to be the readers personal taste, rather than actual writing standards. Weird.
Sorry that happened to ya man. Perhaps you should have your stories reviewed by the critics group and give you advice before sending it to equestria Daily, though they will be harsh so be warned.
Equestria Daily as a general news site is quite excellent. As a fanfiction repository... not quite so much. hardly anypony comments on the new stories posted on EQD. At this point, it's more a mark of honor to get accepted there rather than a huge driver of new readers.
1692518 Trust me, one of my editors is enough of a ball buster right now. Maybe some other time. I'm just trying to enjoy writing before I start hating it again.
1692522 You see, that really doesn't surprise me, but that does depress me. I kept getting told how good it was, and only the best of the best were there. When I checked it out, not only was looking through the stories a chore, but many I had already seen on this site, or found myself thinking aloud "How the hell did this get here?"
1692563 There are three kinds of people in this world, mate. You, Us, and Assholes.
Which category do you think the EQD people fall into? Take your time, don't rush your answer.
Better than mine. My fic got rejected because the prereader doesn't like Diamond Tiara.
I only remember EQD exists when someone mentions they were rejected. I can't stand their site layout.
1692699 I'll take option 4, pretentious
1692736 ... You're kidding, right?
1692753 Same here.
My own story's been #1 top ranked here on fimfic (and I mean with >1000 upvotes), and they still rejected it, so yeah, I wouldn't be too bothered. They're a bunch of elitists, and their standards are not only high, but also strange, and very random, depending greatly on the prereader.
They're completely out of touch with reality, really.
1692774
@Yukito's post: Wouldn't be too far-fetched. I had the distinct feeling the prereader I got didn't like changeling fics. Gods know why he bothered to pick up my fic then. Just to flunk it?
1692796 Yes, that's very clear to me now. Oh well, at least the nice people on fanfiction.net seem to like my story.
1692774
I kid you not. Here's the blog post I wrote about it if you wanna take a look at the 'reasons' they gave for rejection. They even say flat-out that in order to make the story meet the criteria means changing so much it's not even the same story anymore.
1692826 Ugh. That bothered me too. Stuff like claiming "the characters are not very relatable" and other vague stuff like that... just totally bogus reasons.
That is very typical of EQD and why I always tell people not to waste their time on them. Their selection standards are incredibly arbitrary and based almost entirely on the whims of the pre-readers. It also does not help that they seem to have an aversion to stories with real plots because they let mindless one-shots through all the time while rejecting great stories for incredibly stupid reasons.
Meh. I get the impression that if the fic isn't [Sad], [Dark], or centered around Trixie it's an instant rejection.
I apologize for you having your story not properly reviewed as it should have been by EqD.
In all due honesty, I figured they would be more willing to take things in considering how far MLP has come. (Remember those days of Season 1 and 2? Looking back I would consider those times to be the prime times of the Pony fanbase. Where stuff was flying constantly back and forth, and where EqD did reinforce their standards into an iron-clad vice of approval.)
I really liked them back in the day, they were a site where I used to visit constantly everyday, and not just to check messages or write a fanfic or something along the lines. Point is, I'm wondering just how much of an inflow of fics they receive now.
Back then, with everything so hectic letters came back relatively soon.
I still happen to be waiting for a rejection notice for a Trixie fic I've done. I don't care if it goes onto EqD or not, I just want to get SOMETHING back from them this time instead of leaving me in the dark. Yes, a response no matter how negative it is can be used to further improve on a work of fiction. That's what I'm after.
About a month and still nothing... still waiting...
EqD is always about dick moves and personal prefrence of th' mods and such, don't you know that?
I never liked EqD
Yeah, those were all just nitpicks. I never go on there anyway, news or otherwise, so I don't give a confound!
Have a House Mix.
I wouldn't even bother with eqd. Stuck up snobs if you ask me. Stay here! fimfiction loves you!
It's rare that I find fan fiction on EQD that I actually want to read, because I've read some real crap on that site (that being said if one of my fics gets somehow posted I will retract that statement). It has nothin' to do with being good or bad, it's who you know... kinda like when you're job hunting.
Well ain't that a dick move. I'm sorry to hear about you're troubles with them. But somehow I'm not even surprised that they did that. I remember asking all of my readers once if I should try submitting my fic to EqD, and all I got was a bunch of noes because, apparently, they don't like any type of crossovers that aren't Fallout: Equestria. What kind of bullshit is that?
Anyways, I don't think you have to care what they think, I like your fic, and like every story in existance, there is room for improvement. So don't let this bother you, 'cause I know your story's good.
I remember one author had his excellent and popular story rejected. The reasoning that was given basically boiled down to a single misplaces semicolon and the use of hyphens (-) as em-dashes (--). I did the same thing just now, since most keyboards, including my own, do not have a button for em-dashes.
that is really extreme. and pathetic, none of those reasons are all that great considering I don't notice any myself.
Oh, fuck EqD. The hell do they know anyway? As you said, I've seen them deny some pretty high-caliber stories.
Though if I am to be perfectly honest, your fic could use some polishing. It's good, it just has room for improvement. Mostly like what's-his-fuck said, just small grammar and phrasing things. Story itself is just peachy.
Also, Amacita sounds familiar. Pretty sure it's the same person putting ideas in my friend's head about his writing.
1692907 Actually yeah, I've noticed that now that nearly all the stories they have are one-shots. That is weird.
1692976
1693080 There's nothing for you to apologise for. I'm fine
1693602 House Mix! Raise the roof!
1693611 I wouldn't have gone anywhere, don't worry. I love fimfic too.
1693657 Please don't mention job hunting
1694281 I got a lot of no's as well. Now I know why.
1694329 I don't have that on my keyboard either
1694816 I'm fully aware it still needs approving. I keep trying to learn more to improve my stories. And thank you, I like peaches... actually I don't, but I appreciate the support.
You got rejected too? We can be rejection buddies!
They are unprofessional and biased, if you ask me.
1695765 Was it your "I'm a cat" story? Because I love that story.
1695783
It was! Here's my letter:
1695786 It's the same guy who rejected me
I am a big fan of Equestria Daily as a news source, but the way it handles fanfiction is, in my opinion, only harmful to the fandom. I don't write, but as a reader I find the site completely useless for my fanfiction needs. I would miss so many great stories if I only used EQD. And pretty much every story on there is on fimfiction anyway.
The pre-readers don't use a fixed template or fixed guidelines to judge if a story fits the bill. Because of this, a story may or may not get through depending on the pre-reader. This is inexcusable. It also means that the variety in quality of stories on there is ridiculous.
The worst thing in my opinion is how it drives a wedge between writers who made the cut and those who don't. Every story that proudly announces "published on EQD" makes me wince. Every story that should make it but doesn't makes me sad. It has become a status symbol, implying that the stories that don't make it because a particular pre-reader didn't have his morning coffee yet are somehow inferior. Not only is that ridiculous, it's harmful to the fandom.
With fimfiction, EQD should not bother with fanfiction at all if this is how they handle it.
1695787
I know! It's like, ironic, or something.
1695790 That comment right there is perfect. Sums up the entire thing.
1695792 I think coincidence is the word you're looking for.
1695793
It is both.
We both wrote stories about Rainbow Dash.
We were both rejected.
We were both rejected by the same reader.
We were both rejected for pointless reasons.
1695786 Ah yes, the hyphen vs dash thing strikes again!
1695806
)
I have since read and learned on that.
(I didn't even know there was a dash... I thought dashes were hyphens, but used differently
1695805 Oh, fuck you're right.
1695808 The only objective difference between the two is that one is a little longer than the other. Hyphens can easily be used to substitute for dashes in a pinch, and everyone will know what it means.
1695811
And just look at this favoritism!
That's a sentence taken directly from a story featured on EqD. The entire story is like that. The only reason it got in is because of the author.
Yeah, EQD has gotten pretty bad. The prereaders pass or reject stories, not on merit, but on their personal tastes. I was told that Lady Rarity was a stupid idea, and that I should abandon it, in the same email that had my rejection. For Not Your Average HiE Story, the prereader said superheros were stupid and childish.
I've thought about complaining to the guys who run it.
Many stories they reject on prereader personal stuff
I have never used the site, no bluff
They rejected some top quality work
Among them, MEMORY PENDING, they chose to shirk
So that you were rejected was not a surprise
If it wasn't those, shipping with an OC would your rejection comprise
So they really are dicks to all their user base
I will still read your stuff, and words my eyes trace
-Eclipse
1695962 That was lovely, thank you.
Hell, my story about alicorn Trixie was turned away because I made a Seth joke. They turned away another thing because I missed a motherfluffing semicolon.
Fimfiction is 100 times better and hell even FOB is better than eqd. the only sites worse than eqd are derpibooru, and 4chan /mlp/
1695652 Unce! Unce! Unce! Unce!
EQD: Where you can only get in if YOUR SPECIFIC PREREADER likes it, and the chance of your fixes pissing off the next one go up with every "correction" you make.
I believe this is the antithesis of "love and tolerate" is it not?
It's worth noting, though, I've seen prereaders mention multiple times that they give almost every story one strike just to get the author to polish it a bit.
I always feel like trying to write a story and submitting it to EqD, but then I hear so much shit like this it makes me think why bother. I can honestly say I go to FIMfiction more often then I go to EqD, and by the looks of it you guys are more understanding and appreciative of hard work then the staff on their site. Maybe it's something about it being a job for them that makes it so impersonal and robotic.
1695652 The thing is dude, the story is not bad at all. In my opinion as a writer myself, it's fine. Really just minor things.