Jaqhama,

I think they are currently closed to submissions, but when they re-open if you want to avoid the bar slush conference, on the submission page they have a link to a submission form.  Click the link, enter in some very basic info, then attach your story file using the browse option and submit.  Very easy and returns an auto-responder to let you know they got it, with a link to let you follow your story's progress through slush.

I didn't realize slush readers commented on stories.  I just checked, and the only comment my story received back in June was from Edith.  She made a few good points.  Maybe I'll revise and repost.  I should have read this thread a long time ago, obviously. :)

The Baen's Bar software is horrible, or maybe their server just can't handle the load or something.  I had a terrible time getting my story to post.  I kinda sorta like the idea of an open slush pile, but to make it really effective it seems like they should have a better interface for posting and reading.

Thanks, Jason.  I think you answered my question.  The Bar it is.  Hope I finish it soon enough for this window.

Barb.  Aka the tortoise.

Edith is a good indicator of how on Baen-track a story is, but she's not the only editor and the slushies do disagree with one another.

A story might get passed up on majority vote, but it's also possible that a story gets passed up not unlike a book in a publishing house - because it has one champion among the editors who pleads a persuasive enough case that it's given a chance.

So, while Edith can be seen as a person in power, being a slush reader, it's still not quite as simple as accepting and making changes she suggests. There are more slush readers, some of them more silent than the others (except when they get togehter to talk about the stories, I guess, heh!), and they're tastes might be more aligned with what you write.

My advice is to take all the comments the same as you would with a normal critique group - compare them, see where the majority agreements&disagreements are, what the overall opinion is, and then decide yourself whether you agree or disagree with the crits.

If the critiques lead you to believe that there is room for improvement in your story, then re-write it, but because you prefer the re-write, not because someone else prefers it, because you think the story is stronger.

If all the critiques are in, and you still think the version of the story is right, then leave it for at least the 3 months and then come back to it if it hasn't been requested; send it to a couple of other markets and wait to hear what they say.

As I've said before, though, the best way to understand what the JBU wants is to read the JBU. The same as for any market.

Write the story and then see where it will fit; trying to tailor a story to a market's tastes isn't always that succesful.

I had a story make it to an "introducing" slot through the slush bar, and it was a far better story for the the revisions I made there (particularly in pacing).  I didn't agree with every-single-one of the suggestions, but most of the input was fair to excellent.

I'm trying to have a story ready to submit for this open period.  If I do finish in time, I don't know whether to submit it through the bar or directly.  I'm not eligible for an introducing slot anymore, so I'll be running into top competition.

Any sugestions on the better submission venue for a light-approach fantasy with a touch of mystery?

Barb

Been a while since I've posted to the  Baen Bar; admittedly, my progress there went from rtf request (and then pfft! from Mike R.) to less and less interest.

I don't know, the comments vary and come and go, mostly it's from folks looking for crits and stuff I think.

As has been said, Edith reads pretty much everything, and Sam reads them as well although I don't think he comments every time.

To understand JBU, it's probably best to read JBU. You can get a feel for the stories. Either that, or be familiar with Mike Resnick's writing and theories on writing, that'll help. ASIM is not very dissimilar to what JBU publishes. Alternatively, if you have a strong sale record or are a published novelists with decent sales, you have more opportunity to veer off the BAEN path. Not by much, but some.

In general, they favor science fiction more than fantasy, and fantasy especially tends to be pretty traditional in plot. Silly humor is good, unless you're Rebecca Lickiss, who is genuinely funny. Brisk pace; coherent (I'm actually going to argue that consistency thing, several of the ones I've read don't hold up when you start asking too many questions, the underlying premise that is. When you go with the flow and blithely accept what's presented to you, they are entertaining though. It all needs to tie together and make sense at the end, subtlety is not so much desired); light on description and detail you can get away with.

Baen entertains, not provoke thought or subvert expectations.

Brisk pace, breezy content. These are the Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers. That kind of thing.

Jeanette's story there was excellent, I remember it (and nnnnot quite the standard JBU profile either). Now and then JBU publish stories that I really like, really good, but unfortunately they're a bit too light in value for me, too forgettable, am not renewing my subscription.