End of 2023
Here we are. The time of year of reflections and resolutions and promises to ourselves and others. The time when we swear that we will BE better, DO better. And some may actually do it.
But I’m not here to talk about that. Y’all do what you’re gonna do.
What I am here to talk about is what I’ve somehow managed to accomplish this year.
It’s been a weird year. Work is weird. Family is weird (not bad, just weird). My mental health took a beating a few months ago and I’m still working to pull myself out of it. I found out that I have moderate hearing loss in my right ear and am trying to save up the money for a hearing aid since insurance won’t pay for it.
And with all of this, I’m still trying to find time to write and edit and submit. So, without further ado, here are my stats for the year:
Individual pieces submitted: 17
Journals submitted to: 74
Total individual pieces submitted across the journals: 196
Submissions withdrawn: 11
Individual rejections: 144
Pieces accepted: 6
Journals closed during submission window: 1
Submissions still pending: 25
Pieces published: 5
Pieces slated for publishing in 2024: 1
So what does all this mean?
Basically, I submitted 17 different pieces (3 previously published stories; 1 new story; 2 photos; 1 book; 10 poems) to 74 different journals. Of those, one publication closed and I withdrew 11 submissions because the piece had been accepted elsewhere (as an aside, one piece got accepted by two publications before I remembered to withdraw it. People really like ‘The Graveyard on Church Street.’ You should read it).
Of the 10 poems I submitted, 5 got accepted, which is a 50% acceptance rate. Four got published in 2023: Void, Faces, The Graveyard on Church Street, and The Sea Cannot Turn to Stone. My other poem, Together, is slated for publication in January 2024, but I am including it in this year’s stats because I can.
One short story got published this year, Sebastian the Safety Squirrel. I strongly recommend you read it; it’s hilarious.
I still have 13 publications that I am waiting to hear back from on various submissions. Publishing is not for the feint of heart.
Now, on to the statistics for this website and my author page on Facebook.
My Facebook author page (Allison Walters Luther, Author) currently has 55 followers. I wish it were more, but it’ll grow in time. Come on by if you so desire!
For this website, allisonwaltersluther.com, I am extremely proud of the reach I have achieved this year:
658 visits from 615 unique visitors with 875 total page views.
Visitors from 16 different countries! United States, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, Singapore, Australia, Switzerland, China, Spain, France, Ghana, Russia, Italy, Germany, Belgium, and India.
Here in the US, I reached 30 states: Missouri, New Mexico, Kentucky, Vermont, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Colorado, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Florida, Ohio, Oregon, Michigan, Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, Utah, Georgia, North Carolina, Indiana, Virginia, California, Wyoming, Iowa, Texas, and Washington. (As a side note for my Indiana friends and family: you need to step up your game. I’ve had more hits from Wyoming and I don’t even know anyone in Wyoming!)
And now? What comes next in a non-resolution sort of way? Who knows. I’m slowly working through editing on my book, The Other Side of Winter, with the help of my wonderful editor, Jeni. I’ve got Sensitivity Readers lined up for once the revisions are done. I’m still writing poetry and have three different short stories in progress right now. I turn 48 in 2024 and it’s all really starting to come together.
I want to thank all of you for the support over the past year, especially Adam, Shannon, Jami, Jily, and Laura, along with the others who have cheered me on from around the world. It means the world to me and I can only hope that my writing has touched you in some meaningful way. That’s all I can ask for.
Have a great 2024!