tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post1526073313447284454..comments2024-03-28T15:01:21.285-04:00Comments on SleuthSayers: Submission AccomplishedLeigh Lundinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-11195146571230013182014-08-12T17:01:54.240-04:002014-08-12T17:01:54.240-04:00Good advice, Michael. I too find myself more apt t...Good advice, Michael. I too find myself more apt to stack submissions up at places I've sold to before. Part of that is of course because I feel I have a better chance of selling those stories there, and am thus more willing to tie them up for a period of time, than I would be at a market that has never bought anything from me. In the publishing world, as in so many other areas in life, time is money.<br /><br />Your track record is an inspiration to all of us.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-21466444028825729822014-08-12T16:45:38.702-04:002014-08-12T16:45:38.702-04:00How often one should submit to any specific period...How often one should submit to any specific periodical is a tricky thing to figure out, but I've generally opted for matching my submission volume to the periodical's publication schedule. That is, submitting a story every three months to a quarterly, every other month to a bi-monthy, and every month to a monthly. This presumes, of course, that I can actually produce appropriate stories at that rate, which can be tough to do if one targets several periodicals.<br /><br />How many stories one should have hanging around in any one periodical's slush pile is also a tricky thing to figure out. The more I've sold to a periodical, the more willing I am to increase the number of stories under submission at any one time.<br /><br />If I've never sold anything to the publication, I might be willing to let only one or two stories sit in the slush pile. On the other hand, I write for a pair of monthly women's magazines that share the same editor, and I have as many as 10 submissions there at any given time. That's worked out well for me as I've had at least one story in one or both magazines each month for 47 consecutive months.Michael Brackenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01072019804281421944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-21314548003116246352014-08-09T20:54:00.872-04:002014-08-09T20:54:00.872-04:00Thanks, Stephen!
David, that DOES sound cumbersom...Thanks, Stephen!<br /><br />David, that DOES sound cumbersome. Thanks for the interesting info--hope the glitches get worked out.<br /><br />I can only imagine how much work it must be and how much time it must take for Janet and Linda to read and evaluate the number of submissions each of them must receive. I wonder if EQ really did start getting even more subs once they moved to the new system several years ago. John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-48568978287130943332014-08-09T20:43:48.126-04:002014-08-09T20:43:48.126-04:00Jeez, been using it with EQ for some time, now. I...Jeez, been using it with EQ for some time, now. I had a deal to do it with Linda a while ago, but my submissions are backed up. God bless her, but she has Jackie print them out, and send them to her by SNAIL mail. Or that's my understanding. Cumbersome process. I don't fault Linda in any way, but with eight or nine e-mail subs sitting in the slush pile, I went back to print submissions for AHMM. I'm getting a mixed message. No disrespect. Still, it's the 21st fucking century. David Edgerley Gateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05302818835018859164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-10448767444366365192014-08-09T17:52:24.866-04:002014-08-09T17:52:24.866-04:00Peter, that sounds like a good plan. It's cert...Peter, that sounds like a good plan. It's certainly what I do.<br /><br />For those places that do require snailmailed subs, I once heard about a smart technique to use, when submitting multiple stories. The person who told me this said that he often sends multiple submissions, but that his rejection letters sometimes didn't specify <i>which</i> story had been rejected (which was, of course, a problem). He said he solved this by lightly printing the name of each story in pencil on the inside flap of the SASE that accompanied that story. Then, if he had submitted three stories to a certain market in three separate submissions and he got a letter from them saying only "Sorry, your story doesn't meet our requirements at this time," etc., he just checked the flap of the SASE and immediately knew which of the three stories had been rejected. I've always done that, since.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-56042783668600079812014-08-09T17:33:34.266-04:002014-08-09T17:33:34.266-04:00Thanks John and Eve for posting your views on mult...Thanks John and Eve for posting your views on multiple subs. Your points are welcome news to me. I hadn’t submitted to AHMM at all until I read those forum comments suggesting subbing every few months (to offset long response times). I’d decided to snail-mail three (or so) subs a year, a few months apart, so I guess I’ll stick with that plan with the online system.<br />Peter DiChellishttp://murderandfries.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-33888516398043895442014-08-09T17:06:20.789-04:002014-08-09T17:06:20.789-04:00Good point, Bradley. I especially like the image o...Good point, Bradley. I especially like the image of an editor sprawled in a beach chair reading my submission. Seriously, these electronic subs will certainly make the reviewing process more mobile and versatile. It'll be interesting to see if the response time at AHMM gets shorter, longer, or stays about the same. How long has EQMM been using their online sub system? Three or four years now, right?<br /><br />You are also correct, I think, that the best way to handle waiting is to write something else.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-6030965730044783402014-08-09T16:54:20.321-04:002014-08-09T16:54:20.321-04:00It would appear that the ease is for the writers, ...It would appear that the ease is for the writers, though this also might make it easier for the editors to review submissions on their tablets while sitting at the beach, sipping margaritas, instead of lugging along a few pounds of wood pulp. <br />Those who desire to write, send, wait (while writing more) will continue to do so because it is in their blood. Those standing by the mailbox the day after sending in a submission in anticipation may have a longer wait.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-56017825705992368932014-08-09T16:04:17.599-04:002014-08-09T16:04:17.599-04:00Eve, I honestly don't think most editors objec...Eve, I honestly don't think most editors object at all to multiple subs, as long as you don't overwhelm them with too many or send the submissions (as you said) too close together.<br /><br />The one thing I've never done is send two stories in the same envelope--even if both are very short. I've never seen any rules against it, but it just doesn't seem like a professional thing to do.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-62285098335288611582014-08-09T15:53:26.539-04:002014-08-09T15:53:26.539-04:00I'm with you, John - I've always submitted...I'm with you, John - I've always submitted multiple stories, mainly because it takes so long to hear back. And as long as the submissions are a few months apart, I figure, what's the harm? Eve Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03015761600962360110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-91796377316093178422014-08-09T14:18:39.456-04:002014-08-09T14:18:39.456-04:00Thanks, Peter. Good to hear from you.
As for your...Thanks, Peter. Good to hear from you.<br /><br />As for your question, I doubt there'd be anything in the e-sub system that would automatically kick out what I've always called "multiple" submissions--but I recently heard someone say Janet at EQ prefers that authors wait to submit a second manuscript until they hear back from the first.<br /><br />I have always (at AHMM and everywhere else) felt pretty comfortable having three stories under consideration at any one place at any one time, unless the guidelines tell me not to. (More than three always sounds like too many, to me.) The truth is, when responses sometimes take as long as a year, you almost HAVE to keep multiple submissions in the pipeline; otherwise, you'd never be able to publish often at any one market. (My opinion only.)John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-81960018589660886762014-08-09T14:03:16.827-04:002014-08-09T14:03:16.827-04:00I prefer e-subs, though I'd sent in an AHMM su...I prefer e-subs, though I'd sent in an AHMM submission (my first) via snail mail about two weeks before the e-sub announcement. Still waiting to hear from them, of course, it's been only a month or so. <br /><br />One thing I do wonder: I'd read in forums that some writers kept multiple submissions in play at AHMM. They'd sub every 3-4 months while waiting to hear about a previously subbed mss that sat quietly in an AHMM file cabinet. I don't see anything in AHMM guidelines about multiples, and wonder whether the e-sub system will bounce them out.<br /><br />And congrats on your latest acceptance!Peter DiChellishttp://murderandfries.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-5374907219959411052014-08-09T13:52:45.776-04:002014-08-09T13:52:45.776-04:00Herschel, the more I think about it, the more I...Herschel, the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced: I think most places that continue to hang onto the old snailmail submission procedures do it not because of the technology challenges but because it's just easier to read and consider a hardcopy submission than an electronic submission. If I were the buyer rather than the seller I would probably agree.<br /><br />I predict, though, that pretty soon all respectable markets will offer at least the option of submitting electronically, either via email or web site. And I really love the ability to check anytime into the status of a submitted manuscript.<br /><br />My only complaint now is that all these places seem to want to send me more rejections than acceptances. Wish there was a solution to THAT . . . John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-5714522185906521112014-08-09T12:34:51.616-04:002014-08-09T12:34:51.616-04:00Yes, it's a two edged sword. Easier for the s...Yes, it's a two edged sword. Easier for the submitter, but it probably means more "junk" for the reader to plow through, as if they didn't get enough of that already.<br /><br />WW would save more time in the submission process because of its current procedure. The ms goes to NJ, screened, then forwarded to Johnene in Washington state. For me, here in California, that means two cross country trips. <br /><br />Like most of you, I am happy with the electronic submission. Now if they could figure a way to separate the wheat from the chaff without wasting a lot of human reading time it would be perfect.<br /><br />Congratulations on your sale. As always I am looking forward to reading it.Herschel Cozinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06097703750150309319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-36997864598107778392014-08-09T09:51:41.663-04:002014-08-09T09:51:41.663-04:00David, I would love to know how Janet, Jackie, and...David, I would love to know how Janet, Jackie, and others feel about the system, since they switched over to it some time ago. I must assume the work is now harder, first because of what Janice said--the submission will now be read on-screen rather than on paper--and secondly because there will almost certainly be more submissions arriving.<br /><br />As you mentioned, and since we're the "sellers" rather than the "buyers," the new process is not only welcome but overdue.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-51121847598626462362014-08-09T09:45:14.118-04:002014-08-09T09:45:14.118-04:00Thanks, Janice. Yes, one thing I didn't menti...Thanks, Janice. Yes, one thing I didn't mention is that I assume that all those submissions will now be read on-screen. If I were doing the reading, I would regret not having the hardcopy manuscript on my desk.<br /><br />Fran, you're right, the new system wouldn't in itself reduce response time--it just makes it easier for the submitter. But it did seem to me that EQ's response time got a little shorter around the same time that they went to their online sub system. Or maybe I'm just remembering wrong. (That happens a lot.)John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-27652920778382766802014-08-09T09:43:53.967-04:002014-08-09T09:43:53.967-04:00John, it would be interesting to hear from Janet H...John, it would be interesting to hear from Janet Hutchings, or Jackie Sherbow at EQMM on this issue. They've been accepting e-submissions for some time now. I've wondered how that changed things for them--better, or worse, harder or easier?<br /><br />Like you, I much prefer the electronic submission process. In fact, I've become so spoiled by it that I find myself feeling a little resentful when asked to go the old way. After all, so much hard work has already been done, do we really need another task if it's not truly necessary? I say, "No...hell no!"David Deanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13005457506363262838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-64387861654405401302014-08-09T08:15:03.420-04:002014-08-09T08:15:03.420-04:00John, congrats on another story. I'm of the a...John, congrats on another story. I'm of the age to resist change, and this is not a good time in history to be that way. However, I think electronic submissions are wonderful. My first Callie book was right before that became acceptable, and it was a pain in the you know what. Now I just hit "send" for three or four hundred pages. On the matter of speed of response, we need to remember that the only thing faster with the e submissions is the manuscript actually arriving at the desired place. It takes just as long for slush readers and editors to get through the submissions and respond. Fran Rizerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08655783035179620991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-24034316447161334342014-08-09T07:51:47.718-04:002014-08-09T07:51:47.718-04:00I like the online submissions very much, but I do ...I like the online submissions very much, but I do feel for the editors who must read all that copy on the screen.<br />Congratulations on your latest AHMM story!Janice lawnoreply@blogger.com