Name dropping

[tanaise]

Apparently I'm odd--I don't plan to list that I've been to Clarion on my cover letters. I guess it feels like bragging to me, and I don't see any need to do such a thing. Either my story is good enough or it isn't--where I was before I wrote the story isn't important. Is this that weird? I've heard enough editors tell me that they really don't pay attention to publishing credits for anything less than pro magazine sales. Why then would I list a workshop in my credits? Is it just my disinclination to make myself look cooler? Does this make sense to anyone else?

Comments

[yendi]

Well, the thing is, although it could be considered bragging, going to Clarion is also a credit in and of itself. And it carries a pretty decent amount of weight at the short story sumission level.

That said, I doubt it'll make a huge difference one way or the other -- maybe make a judgement call based on the market you're submitting to. Find out which editors are alums of Clarion -- they'd certainly be more impressed by the credit, I'd guess.

[two-star.livejournal.com]

I think this is is a fair way to feel.

If your stories are good enough, (and if they fit into existing markets, which I gather is frequently a problem,) they will make it on their own merits. And this way, when they do, you will know that they did. If this this is as important to you as getting them published is, then leaving off the Clarion reference seems appropriate. On the other hand, if getting them published is the most important thing, I think that mentioning Clarion might help, and can't hurt.

[stronae.livejournal.com]

Yep. But there's also the cheeseball factor -- you don't want to look like one of those people who attends seminars and has no skill, because those kinds of people list everything they've done and have nothing to show for it. (It's the same with cert exams -- I can't describe to you all the paper MCSEs I know. Useless people. Ugh.)

[aynjel.livejournal.com]

For what it's worth... Shawna McCarthy's TOCs are quite happily populated by Clarion grads. She said in her Editorial following last year's Clarion (I think, ghod my head is a sieve sometimes) how great Clarion is.

And what I hear about other editors is that while mentioning you went to Clarion might not get you into the magazine if your story isn't good enough, it more than likely will get you bumped into the "other stack" from the slush. The stack the editors take a little more time with.

[tanaise.livejournal.com]

Well, she's got a piece of mine right now--if I thought they'd reject it before the end of July, I could have put a return address to here in it. :) BUt I wouldn't have. of course, I also didn't put the extra postage on it either. grrr.

[aynjel.livejournal.com]

Well, that'd be one way to let them know you'd attended Clarion without actually saying in your cover letter. ;)

I'd managed to forget about postage increases, too, and realized I'd sent stuff off to, umm, long-response-time markets with that poor pathetic 34-cent stamp on it. I realized it today when I dropped another submission into the mail (already sealed, or I'd've put a 3-cent stamp on the SASE) at the post office and saw the notification of the rate increase.

I've been living under a rock or something to have compeltely and totally forgotten or not known (not sure which) about the postage rate increase.