I speak, of course, of submitting work to the Spectrum annual, which I better do tomorrow, since if I wait until after the trip, I'll be so busy I'm likely to forget.
I've submitted faithfully every year for about four years, and received rejection slips every time. Initially, they were definitely earned. More recently...well, I'd like to think they were close, and some of 'em have held up well, but I suspect that in a few years, I'll look back and go "Man, those were stinkers too!" Still, I keep submitting--it's one of my big artistic goals. (Not that I expect fame, fortune, and success to attend acceptance, I just wanna do it because--well--it'd be cool, damnit!) Although many of the contributors to Spectrum kick my ass up, down, sideways, and extradimensionally to boot, I know I'm better than some of the stuff that gets in, so I keep trying.
This year, I'm submitting "Sir Bunny vs. the Wockwurm" and "Bad Egg," which garnered the most comments/praise/etc this year, and which James (whose vote equals that of the combined internet) agreed were the best of the bunch.
Fifth time's the charm...
Good luck with your submission! Maybe they fianlly bought glasses and will be able to actually see your stuff properly this time ^___~
--Jennifer
SPectrum
-and goodluck.
Do it. I'll be doing the same. Fingers crossed for the both of us.
It's probably better to submit stuff earlier rather than later....but needs must as the Devil drives. I'll be crawling right up against the deadline as it is.
There's been a lot of scuttlebutt on some of the forums in recent years, regarding some of the ongoing politics with regard to Spectrum. Two years ago--what, Spectrum Nine?--was the worst example to me, of what I've seen, at any rate. Judges should recuse themselves from the submissions process. If you're a judge you shouldn't be in the position of having your art up against everyone else's. It qualifies as a conflict of interest. Berry and Hale won so many awards...and Terese, who was also a panelist, and Ahsley Wood, who is a Berry protoge. Then you've got rk post, whose work hasn't been in a Spectrum for some time. Politics? Yew betcha.
Still, it's more than worth it. The clients I've gotten because of Spectrum more than outweigh the money it cost me to submit.
Again, may luck be with both of us!!
On t'other hand, it's sort've nice to hear that my occasional nagging suspicion might have a little truth behind it...
Oh, more than a little truth. :) Many, many people wrote in to Cathy and Arnie Fenner over the issue. That's part of the reason the distribution of judges was a bit more diverse for Number Ten.
Still, some of their choices bug me. Guess that's to be expected. Was happy to see Chris Moeller finally got an award. He's been doing some gorgeous cover work for DC and not getting nearly enough recognition for it.
I think every industry has this undercurrent of Who-You-Know going on. That's part of the reason for attending GenCon and San Diego Comic Con; so's you can meet some of these Movers n Shakers and get in on the loop. I wish things were just measured by effort, skill and creativity, but if wishes were horses, then beggars might ride.
Bleah.
You know speaking of Bad Eggs. I was reading a collection of comic fantasy short stories and one of them featured a cracked Humpty Dumpty who just just like yours was a very very bad egg. It was a story by Neil Gaiman called The case of the four and twenty blackbirds. I was wondering if you'd read that and if it had served as inspiration for your Bad Egg.
Oh, wrong guidelines.. that was Yerf. :-) :-)
Break a leg, and hope to see you in the pages.
Scott