Tracking Submissions, Queries, and Rejections: The Delayed Icepick to the Heart

I'm not going to lie. Being a writer is a singular experience. It's one of the most redeeming things I've ever done. Creating something out of nothing and coming up with an engaging piece with memorable characters is incredible.

That's the good side of it.

Submissions, Queries, and Rejections

The Other Side of the Coin

The other side of that coin is part of being a writer is putting up with a lot of crap.

Now, I'm not one of those whiny writers who think they've written the greatest work of fiction the planet has ever known, and I'm also not the type to gripe about being rejected. I've posted on my blog before about rejection and how it's part of the growth of a writer. No one will ever have a 100% placement rate. It's impossible. Okay, okay, so the writer who self-publishes or submits to a free webzine might experience a 100% acceptance rate, but for the paying market, it's just not going to happen.

Which brings me to my next point.

The Other Side of the Coin

Part of being a writer is also treating submissions and publisher queries like a business. Keeping track of what manuscript was sent where and the associated feedback to help improve it for the next publication or agent is time-consuming but necessary. You never want to send the same query to the same agent multiple times after they've rejected your piece unless they requested changes. It's amateurish.

Tracking Submissions, Queries, and Rejections

While tracking submissions, most publications will have a line or two in their guidelines that state something like "If you haven't heard from us after four weeks, assume we're not interested. This does not shine on your skill as a writer but rather that the piece doesn't meet our needs at this time." Every writer on the planet has read something along those lines.

Well, I submitted my short story 'Devil's Acre' to a particular publication that had something similar above, and after four weeks, I marked it as 'Did Not Respond' and went on to submit it to other publications. Those kinds of submissions are essentially rejections without the in-your-face, direct narrative in their reply. It's important when tracking submissions, queries, and rejections to keep good records so you don't submit the same story to a publication that was already rejected.

The Delayed Icepick to the Heart

Fast forward nineteen months. I received a rejection letter from the same publication for my 'Devil's Acre'. Not five months, which would be a month beyond their stated guidelines, but an entire year and a half beyond it.

At that point, why bother sending anything to the authors?

Like I said, a delayed ice pick to the heart.

Sigh.

'Devil's Acre' was picked up by another publication. Do you think I should send something five years after the date I submitted it to them, telling them it was picked up? Do you think they'd be as confused as I was receiving their rejection letter?

Hey, we have to laugh at the plight of the writer every now and then, don't we?

Smile and write ON!