I know this isn't what I was going to post (don't worry, the new essay will be finished soon) but while I was doing some research on publishers for short stories, I stumbled across the site for the Electric Dragon Cafe. The most recent news post is from October, but it's enough for me to decide this publisher isn't for me. The post reads:
Electric Dragon News - October, 12, 2008Really? You let a baby decide based on you reading the author's name and title? Why would anyone bother submitting to such an idiotic site, one which trivializes writing by not even judging the writing--you know, the stuff after the author's name and title?
Since this quarters writing contest was meant to commemorate the birth of our daughter Eleanor, we decided to let her be the sole judge. Instead of reading each and every entry, as we did with all contests last year, we read only the author’s name and the title of the story aloud to our baby. If she smiled or cooed at the sound of a name, then that story made it through to the next round. We repeated the process until only three remained. Ellie is no cupcake. She is a tough judge and a harsh critic. It is a small miracle that these stories entered the gauntlet and emerged whole on the other side. We offer thanks to all entrants, congratulations to the winners, and condolences to the families of those that fell along the way.
It's terribly frustrating to writers having their work judged by people who think they know writing (yes, I know I'm being terribly elitist here) but what Electric Dragon Cafe has done here just confounds me. I mean, it's one of those things that is so utterly ridiculous that you can't believe that it's real.
I hope no serious writers submit to this site. Ever.
