How do you avoid the stressful problem of having a piece accepted by a lower paying magazine while still awaiting an answer from a higher paying magazine? Do you just send out only higher paying submissions first and wait . . . holding off your second and third choice submissions until you year "yes" or "no" from your first choice, higher paying magazines?
Timing question
- Thread starter Umgowa
- Start date
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2010
- Messages
- 353
- Reaction score
- 48
If I have simultaneous submissions out the first magazine to accept the story gets it. It seems only fair, even if they don't pay as highly as another place. If you don't accept the rates at a particular magazine you shouldn't offer them the article. (generic you). Seems only fair. Also, you could lose the sale while waiting for a reply from another place, which will probably reject, and you'll end up with nothing.
Yup.
The second part is that publishers have memories. Tick one off and they won't buy your next article. Then that editor will go to work for the higher-paying market, remember you and still not buy your work.
On the flip side, by delivering good work on time to a market, I've been pulled along to additional markets as editors move between publications.
Jeff
Waiting for an answer is the worst, and there are many publications that only answer if they are interested in a piece. It sucks, but it's the way it is. Most places will get back to you on a pitch within a month if they are going to get back to you at all. And everyone here is right. You have to go with who responds first. When it comes to my nonfiction, I have always sent stuff out to one place at a time. And once I developed relationships with editors (even at big publications) they made sure to respond to everything I sent them pretty quickly. Start at the top because over time you can build those relationships and it will pay off. If you are pitching something that is timely, be sure to mention that in both your cover letter and the subject line of the email. That can help generate quicker response times.
