Keep Track of Your Submissions!
What is Your Method?

A few weeks ago I got a rejection letter of sorts from Circlet Press. It came in a SASE that I had sent to them with postage due. It contained, not a letter specifically referencing any particular story, or even saying "rejection." Instead, it merely contained a printed notice of the kinds of stories they were looking for.

In order to have the SASE, I must have sent them something. And I must have sent it last year before the postage (US) went up. And for the life of me, I cannot remember what story I sent them.

I thought my record keeping was pretty good, but obviously I missed something, because my records don't show any submissions to them.

This isn't the first time this has happened to me. Getting rejections, I mean. When I sent my first novel out two years ago, I got several rejections from unknown publishers not on my record list.

So obviously I need a better method of keeping track of what I'm doing (all the drugs I've been taking over the past few years might have some impact on my record keeping).

What do you use?  —Dorothy

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From Gwen Masters
I struggled with this for years, and finally just settled on a simple, paper spreadsheet. I tried keeping records on my computer but quickly realized my penchant for writing did not extend to my computer skills! Simple spreadsheet, divided by date. Name of publication, name of story submitted, contact information, and expected publication date, plus a small section for a note on acceptance/rejection. It works so far, and I haven't missed one since I started using it. *knock on wood*

From Peralata
Hi, I found a very effective method of keeping track of my submissions, literary and otherwise. Just purchase an inexpensive file card holder and a rainbow of colors file cards. Email submissions are to on line journals are one color. Snail mail submissions to printed journals are another color. Another color is for newspaper/letters submissions and another color for journals that are on line and printed. The first card in the closed file card holder is white and I list the card color for the various submissions, however now I have them memorized.

On the card itself I have the name of the publication, the name of the poems underlined. Skip two lines and I have the editor or contact along with the date the poem was sent out and the date is underlined. I also add the time they stated it would take to get back to me if they have given that information. I check through this card catalogue about once a week, if I notice something old, read 2 months, I contact the editor, and I write this date down in pencil.

My favorite color holds submissions which are accepted and the date I was informed of this. If they give me a date to look for my poetry I add this date, these cards are moved up front. Sounds complicated but it is not and actually I find this fun. Good Luck.

From Rosemary
I can understand, Dorothy.. the sort of reverse happened to me last summer.. I got an acceptance for something the editor had sat on for TWO YEARS. I'd forgotten all about it.

After that I started keeping better track of submissions. I just set up a spread sheet with date, title of piece, publisher, what I sent (complete, query, partial etc), date of acknowledgement, response (rejection, rewrite, request for something else etc), date published... and date paid and how much.

It really helps as I go through it every so often and send enquires if things have been gone more than six months or so. No more letting it sit two years.

From Jean
I keep a list of submissions (date, title, where sent), then I circle the titles of pieces that are accepted and write an X next to rejected pieces. I've considered throwing out parts of this list, but I always decide against it because it is useful to know what I have sent where so I don't harass the same editor with the same story he/she rejected before.

From J.Z. Sharpe
I've made a list in a spreadsheet program like Excel, just listing the story title, the publication, the date sent, and a place to fill in its status. Sometimes, I'll put in whether it was an e-mail or snail mail submission (makes a difference in response time). The good thing is, if you keep it to one row per submission, you can sort it any way you want!

I've also used simple spreadsheet programs like Filemaker, to track possible publication venues as well as submissions. All depends on how techie - and how anal retentive - you want to be.

From Tarrick
A log of stories can be crucial to convincing the IRS that one is pursuing writing as a business, rather than a hobby. It shows the progression of the work - much like shipping and manufacturing manifests do when the "product" is widgets rather than words.

Isn't it amazing how we think we'll never forget each submission (or story). I remember the first ones with crystal clarity. (Cats still get nervous when the office line rings -- Will there be Human Whooping again? nervous padding about . . . ) But things can quickly blur as we move from one project to the next.

I also keep track of genre (queer/hetero, vanilla/kinky, fantasy/poetry/whatever), media (magazine, anthology, website), as well as what rights were purchased. That really helps for re-sales or for seeing if there's something on hand that's already done (or alterably close) to what's being requested in a new call for stories.

For myownself, I keep two separate logs: one by date (so I can easily show the work progression and let myself see that I'm keeping on track with submissions), one by story (so I can see each piece's life cycle).

From Karen
I'm still upset about the conversion from card catalog to computers in the public library. It'll come as no surprise, then, to hear that I use file folders of the paper kind. Basic labels read: OUT, REJECTION, ACCEPTANCE. They're kept in a simple 4-drawer file cabinet with separate sections for nonfiction, fiction, and erotic fiction, divided further as deemed necessary.

OUT manuscripts are filed by date, with first submitted on top. That makes it easy to see with a glance how long something's been out. I also make a pencil notation in top right corner as to the editor's turn around time.

Works for me. Of course, I've always enjoyed shuffling through paper.

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