Comments on: [process] More on fiction submissions, time issues

By: A satisfying weekend « A Mingled Yarn

A satisfying weekend « A Mingled Yarn — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:09:04 +0000

[...] things – editing the Serpent novel, the ‘How to Think Sideways‘ course, making the Jay Lake ’story a week’ write/submit schedule (and of course I have two mad weeks of textile [...]

By: tetar

tetar — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 05:05:00 +0000

I’ve sent out 116 submissions so far this year, 33 are out right now, and I’ve sold 5 so far.

Response times vary wildly and are lengthening generally.

I try really hard to send at least two out for every one I get back but this is simply not always possible, as I flat run out of viable markets. Usually I keep all my markets full at any given time.

To keep track I use both file cards and a flow chart. I used also to use a 3-ring binder but sorting out three sets of errors every April got tedious.

I find the markets for novels far more restricted and unfriendly than ever, and have only two out as we speak. I may soon have a third to submit, but nowhere to send it in all likelihood.

I’m nearly to the Simmons stage, frankly.

By: Felicity Shoulders

Felicity Shoulders — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:40:00 +0000

I haven't tried writersplanner, but I have both a spreadsheet and an account at Duotrope's Digest. I like having the redundancy of 2 systems, and Duotrope, like the genre-specific "Submitting to the Black Hole", compiles statistics from user-reported data. I love using Duotrope because it shows me at a glance what stories I have where, how long they've been out, and the average response time for the market.

By: Jo Rhett

Jo Rhett — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 02:15:54 +0000

Speaking of Markets, I’m wondering just how lazy you’d be willing to let us be? In specific, how much to buy your market list off you?

Yah yah I’m just a smart-a tonight.

By: Jo Rhett

Jo Rhett — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 02:13:55 +0000

Paraphrase:
So don’t do this. It won’t work. I did it for years

Don’t do this either. It will annoy them. Or they might send you a contract.

*giggles*

By: Jay

Jay — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 22:37:47 +0000

@1 — Mary Robinette, I appreciate the suggestion, but I’d much rather build a database that matches my existing process (and historical dataset) than have to learn something new to me.

By: Mary Robinette Kowal

Mary Robinette Kowal — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 22:34:03 +0000

Thanks for posting this, Jay.

May I suggest http://writersplanner.com hosted by Kaolin Fire? It totally rocks for submission tracking.