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#1: Write it!
- #2: Proofread it! - #3: Match
it! - #4: Format it! - #5: Introduce it!
- #6: Send it! - #7: Monitor it!
StoryBoard
Step #7:
Monitor it!
Once sent, you're into the waiting game.
Editors usually post their response times, which could be days, weeks, or
months. Know this in advance! In the meantime, if the editor doesn't
accept simultaneous submissions of the same story to multiple
publications), don't submit it elsewhere.
Checking status. It is perfectly
acceptable and professional to check on the status of a submission once
the editor's response time has been surpassed. If an editor says his
response time is 4-6 weeks, after Week #6, you're okay to check. The
best way to do this is with an email or snail-mailed query—DO NOT CALL
unless the editor says you can! Email or send something like "I sent my
story, 'Elephant Wizards,' to you for consideration six weeks ago. I
haven't heard a response, and just wanted to check in." Be forewarned:
some editors aren't very professional. All stories should be read and
you should be contacted within the editor's time frame; if he can't do
it, he should change his response times. However, sometimes things
happen—editors get busy, bogged down with more subs than expected, etc.
Give him a chance, but at the same it's not very professional for any
editor to insist you don't submit anywhere else yet hang on to your
story for six months.
Withdrawing. If you feel you've
waited long enough, or if the story you've submitted has been accepted
elsewhere, send or email the other editor a withdrawal notice, such as:
I would respectfully like to withdraw my
story "Mandibles of the Purple Deities" from consideration.
It's a good idea to do this while sending
another story in its place, so you can then say:
Enclosed you'll find another story in
which you may be interested. "Super Martian Zappers" (5,100 words) is a
near-future science-fiction tale.
That way, you've done the professional
thing by formally withdrawing your story, and in case he really liked
you and your writing, you've given him something else to chew on.
Tracking. Develop a method to
track your story. I use a database, but even a text file with all your
stories listed works. Note where you've submitted each story, and
whether you're waiting on an editor's response. You can also note
whether the editor in question allows simultaneous submissions (most
don't). If you're really enterprising, you'll list under each story
publications by category; I use the following:
- Planning On for magazines
whose criteria the story meets, and to whom I plan to send
eventually. This is good for advance planning; when it's rejected by
a magazine, I can see which magazine is next on the list.
- Waiting For for the magazine
or magazines to which I have sent the story and from whom I am
waiting for a response. Adding dates when stories are sent, and the
magazines' response times, helps gauge at a glance if it looks like
I should contact the magazine, or even give up on that 'zine.
- Rejected By for any magazines
who have rejected the story already. If rejections come with
suggestions, advice, or other notes, I add those in here for future
reference. If I begin to see a trend—i.e., most rejections are for
the same reason—I may choose to alter the story.
- Sold To for magazines that
have purchased the story. I then add notes about how long they have
exclusive rights. This helps so I know when the story is eligible
for reprinting elsewhere.
As I said, even if you just use a simple
text file or a word processing document, it's easy to track everything.
Below is an example of three entries for stories in a simple text file
to track it:
———————————————————————————————————-
Story: "Mystical Moons" (fantasy, 8,000 words)
Planning On: Supermagazine, Speculation
Station, Moon Goddess
Waiting For: Megalithic Magic (sent 1/25/2006,
average response time 4-6 weeks)
Rejected By: Galvanized Horror Tales ("too
much 'magic fantasy' and not enough horror")
Sold To: N/A
———————————————————————————————————-
Story: "Walking with Centaurans" (sci-fi, 4,600
words)
Planning On: SFX, Science Fiction Marvel
Magazine, Star Heroes, Spiral Galaxy
Waiting For: Googolplex (allows simultaneous
subs), Infinite Multiverse (allows simultaneous subs)
Rejected By: Worldfall ("nicely written, but
we want hard SF")
Sold To: N/A
———————————————————————————————————-
Story: "Blood of Ages Past" (horror - vampire,
9,500 words)
Planning On: Nibbles and Bites, The Impaler,
Daymare, Vampire Chronicles, Black Sun
Waiting For: Invited In
Rejected By: Invited In ("we do contemporary
vampire tales; this is historical")
Sold To: Daymare (FNASR reverted on
publication)
———————————————————————————————————-
With any word processor, you can easily
dress up your tracking so it's eye-catching and eye-pleasing, and allows
you to find points easier with colors, boldface type, and italics:
Story:
"Mystical Moons" (fantasy, 8,000 words)
Planning On: Supermagazine, Speculation
Station, Moon Goddess
Waiting For: Megalithic Magic (sent 1/25/2006,
average response time 4-6 weeks)
Rejected By: Galvanized Horror Tales ("too
much 'magic fantasy' and not enough horror")
Sold To: N/A
Story: "Walking with Centaurans" (sci-fi, 4,600
words)
Planning On: SFX, Science Fiction Marvel
Magazine, Star Heroes, Spiral Galaxy
Waiting For: Googolplex (allows simultaneous
subs), Infinite Multiverse (allows simultaneous subs)
Rejected By: Worldfall ("nicely written, but
we want hard SF")
Sold To: N/A
Story:
"Blood of Ages Past" (horror - vampire,
9,500 words)
Planning On: Nibbles and Bites, The Impaler,
Daymare, Vampire Chronicles, Black Sun
Waiting For: Invited In
Rejected By: Invited In ("we do contemporary
vampire tales; this is historical")
Sold To: Daymare (FNASR reverted on
publication)
#1: Write it!
- #2: Proofread it! - #3: Match
it! - #4: Format it! - #5: Introduce it!
- #6: Send it! - #7: Monitor it!
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