Comments on: Query? Complete Article? Ask Anne The Pro Writer

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Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:40:34 +0000

[...] Query or complete article? Here are Anne Wayman’s thoughts [...]

By: Anne

Anne — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:41:42 +0000

Like I said below, or is it above… in comments anyway… later today or tomorrow I’ll do post on simultaneous submissions.

By: Anne

Anne — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:40:38 +0000

Bill, I don’t think you can convince an editor you haven’t worked with before that you’ll update. I think you have to submit a new article. Think back on your editing experience… as you probably know there’s never enough time so editors look for pieces they can use now.

By: Anne

Anne — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:39:24 +0000

I’ll do a post on simultaneous submissions… either later today (wed) or tomorrow…

By: Amanda

Amanda — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:03:37 +0000

Hi Meg, thanks! (By the way, I am the "A" in the above letter to Anne.) I too keep a blog about my life here. Maybe I should have stated that before... The publisher clearly states in the submission guidelines, "Please ensure that we are the sole recipients of your manuscript." This kind of freaks me out! So, I've created an article that is written directly for this niche market (but I could of course rework to fit another market later). In addition, like Anne suggests, in my cover letter I am including some ideas I have for other articles. Plus, I will include links to relevant stories on my blog. I hope this works! .-= Amanda´s last blog ..Badi Time =-.

By: Meg

Meg — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:01:22 +0000

This touches on the simultaneous submissions issue. Seems like doing it wrong (whether that's sitting on a great piece until you hear back from a slow editor or getting in a mess with two acceptance letters) can be trouble. Any advice there, Anne? And A: I got my best credits and connections writing as an expat in China! I also sent some magazine-style posts on my expat blog as writing samples. Good luck! .-= Meg´s last blog ..I do not think that word means what you think it means. =-.

By: Bill

Bill — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:03:06 +0000

oops, also, I meant to ask, when does an article get too old, and what do you suggest we do to convince potential editors that we are ready and willing to update, edit and otherwise alter a completed piece written to both their editorial specifications and to account for any changes to information that may have occurred since the time our piece was first completed? .-= Bill´s last blog ..Rearranging Our Pieces, Playing With Our Future =-.

By: Bill

Bill — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:00:36 +0000

Anne, thanks for responding to this question. I've just discovered your very helpful resource here (thanks to Deb Ng) and this particular discussion gave me a chance to reflect on the whole issue of simultaneous submissions. I've been taking that stipulation rather literally and I wonder how much that might be to my detriment as I try to pitch some professional work I completed while I was finishing my master's degree last year. Even having been an editor at an alt-weekly - and having done a professional graduate program at Annenberg - I still didn't have a clear sense of effective querying, even when I have either creative story ideas or high quality completed work (or at least what I consider to be such). Thank you for giving me and others more to think about during the first stumbling steps on the business side of freelancing. That said, I still worry about annoying or otherwise starting off on the wrong foot with potential editors. Is that a risk we might run by sending simultaneous submissions? .-= Bill´s last blog ..Rearranging Our Pieces, Playing With Our Future =-.