How to Submit
Now that you have determined where to send your work, you are ready to begin the submission process. This is where you can distinguish yourself from the vast majority of submissions made to publishers and editors, and you can do this by simply following the proper protocol.
If you want to write an article or review, you should send what is known as a “query,” which is discussed later in this chapter. Essays, memoirs, and op-eds are submitted in their entirety with a brief cover letter. Book proposals are sent with a cover letter or sometimes preceded by a query, depending upon the submission policy of the respective publisher, editor, or agent. It is always best to check the websites to review the current and specific submission procedure of each publisher or publication where you intend to submit.
The submission process can be disheartening and you may receive many rejections before an acceptance. To avoid giving up, you might want to make a list of where you will be submitting; check off the name when you submit your work; cross it out upon its return; and then just move down the list for the next submission.
Tips and Terms
In order to appear professional in submitting your work, you need to know some of the terminology and what is expected from you at the receiving end of your submission. Although there are no absolute rules and you should comply with the submission guidelines where you are sending your work, the best course is to maintain the protocol of the industry. To do this you should guide yourself by the following points:
Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with your submission for a response and any material you wish returned.
Unless the intended recipient specifically requests or agrees to receive electronic submissions, send your material via regular mail.
All material should be double spaced with the exception of query letters, which can be single-spaced.
If appropriate, mention your publishing history or include a list of publications. Only send “clips” (copies of your articles) if requested or suggested in the submission guidelines.
If you are granted an “assignment,” that means you are authorized to proceed with the project subject to the terms of the assignment; an indication that your work will be read “on spec” means that your piece will be seriously considered but may be rejected for any reason whatsoever.
Do not make first contact with someone you do not know with a telephone call. Likewise, to determine the status of your submission after an appropriate length of time has elapsed, your request should be in writing. Telephone calls are only appropriate after acceptance or if you have had a previous relationship with the individual.
Simultaneous Submissions
For many years, the standard procedure required the writer to make one submission at a time; a decision was rendered timely — usually in several weeks; and if rejected, the writer was free to submit elsewhere. With the dramatic rise in submissions and response time often taking many months, some writers began to submit to more than one publisher, editor, or agent at a time. This is called “simultaneous submissions.”
From the recipient's standpoint, simultaneous submissions are undesirable because it means time is wasted considering a work when it has already been accepted somewhere else. From the writer's perspective, simultaneous submissions only aggravate a growing problem by generating even more submissions. Nonetheless, simultaneous submissions are becoming more acceptable, but you should consider the guidelines where you are sending your work, where you will find one of three policies concerning this issue: simultaneous submission is accepted; it is accepted only if the submission indicates it is being submitted elsewhere; it is not acceptable (no indication means it's not acceptable).
