Jul
22nd
2014
Well, so much for that · 7:44pm Jul 22nd, 2014
Welp, it looks like Scars is 0-2 with EQD now. Got the rejection this morning. :(
The bad side to their newly 'streamlined' system - which still took nearly a month - is that feedback is no longer provided to authors. All you get is a yes/no, and a link to their editing omnibus document.
Honestly, I'm bummed as hell right now. I really thought I had a shot after addressing their initial feedback to the letter, then polishing it even further. Of course now, I don't even know where to start with that omnibus document, much less identify what I should specifically fix/enhance.
(Full disclosure: I have been featured once before, for The Furthest From the Tree)
Any ideas or thoughts you all have are always appreciated. Thanks!
To be outright honest with you? Don't worry about it. I know that sounds hollow coning from a guy that's been up there twice, but trust me when I tell you that it's just not worth it anymore. You have to jump through hoops to get in the good graces of a pre-reader—each with his or her own arbitrary list of what they will and won''t take, based firmly in personal opinion—and, now, wait months for something that's completely unhelpful to any denial. If, by some miracle, you manage to land the checkmarks in someone's list, you might be accepted, featured, and get... 1000 views, if you're lucky; most people who read MLP Fanfiction these days either already bae a FIMFIction account, or are too embarrassed to make one. Either way, they've all already said their piece, or they're not going to say anything or do anything to let you know they liked it or hated it.
The last time I was featured up there was for Last Chance, and I only betted about 600 views. Don't get me wrong, I value all of my readers, but the work is just not worth the turnaround when you compare it to Trust, which got well over 13000 views from EQD.
The last time I got up there, they denied me because they mistook what was clearly an accidental death for a planned suicide and there was no three strikes—they insta-banned it because they didn't like the end.
I know bats was once denied because the pre-reader didn't like his particular stule of prose, and Timaeus was once denied because of his pairing. The pre-readers only care about what they care about and only let in the fics that they like—EqD is more of a "pre-Readers'' Favorite's list than it is anything else, now.
By the way, I enjoyed Scars, so foo on you, EqD.
Don't worry about EQD, your stories are all awesome!
You can still email them back and request feedback, you know. They will give it if asked nicely. It's just that they don't do it by default anymore, because they estimate that about 90% of rejected submissions are not resubbed.
Try it and see what happens. Also, I think it depends on the pre-reader, because I got feedback for The Ultimate Alicorn. Granted, there was only a single issue I had to fix, so it was probably really easy to tell me.
I'm gonna go with Incredible Blunderbolt and advise you not to worry about EQD. It was a big accolade and view-booster to get featured back in 2012 or so, but as far as I can tell it's been steadily downhill from there in terms of payoff versus the cost in frustration at jumping through hoops and rolling the dice on getting the "right" pre-reader who thinks you have the "right" opinions about pairings and such, and even if you do get in, it holds relatively much less significance today.
If it's any consolation, I've read Scars and it's most definitely EQD quality by a wide margin, so don't feel bad about it at all.
I guess I have to offer the disclaimer that I've been featured on EQD, but it was back in that 2012 timeframe I mentioned (with the story First). It was really thrilling and fun at the time but these days I actually haven't even bothered submitting things to them. I think that at this point reaching out and community-building here on FimFiction is a more rewarding and consistent long-term payoff experience to invest the effort in for anyone with a major MLP fandom interest in writing.
Sorry to hear that :(
I still loved Scars and if EqD don't want it then to Tartarus with them.
2307148
Yep, I've already done just that. Hopefully, it takes them less than a month to respond, lol.
The prereaders will still likely be willing to answer a couple questions about your fic and what they feel needs to be improved, if you ask, especially since you've already resubmitted it once after making revisions. Most people never even do that. All you have to do is ask. They're usually willing to help the authors who are genuinely making an effort,
Edit: Apparently you already have. That's what I get for not reading previous comments before posting.
Food for thought:
Twilight's Library accepted stories that didn't came near EQD 'standards' and we rejected quite a few stories that were featured on there.
Don't worry about it. Even tho it passed almost a year, Scars is still one of the top ones in my fav's c:
~Twi