Simultaneous Submissions Mean Writers Make More Money

Publishers hate them, but…

You’ve written a wonderful article, or a short story, or even a novel and you realize that there is more than one potential market for your work. Do you dare submit the same piece to more than one market simultaneously?

As with so many things about freelance writing, there’s no single answer. But, as a general rule, I come down on the side of yes. Publishers hate simultaneous submissions. They want to look at your work without fear that someone else may buy it before they have a chance to make a decision. Some even try to prevent simultaneous submissions by stating they won’t accept them in their market listings.

The Problem is Time

The problem, of course, is the amount of time it takes publishers to make up their mind and give you an answer. If the article is timely and the publisher isn’t, you’ve lost the opportunity if you haven’t tried additional markets.

But even when the work is more or less timeless or evergreen, you don’t want to wait weeks or even months to be told no so you can submit someplace else.

My writing is my product; if it doesn’t sell regularly, I’m out of business. I’m simply unwilling to give what amounts to an exclusive on my work unless there’s a truly good reason and, usually, if I haven’t worked with the publisher in question there simply isn’t that justification.

Here are some things to consider:

• The odds of two publishers accepting the same work at the same time are enormous; if you’re so lucky, you’ll simply have to accept one and withdraw your submission from the other.
   
• When you’re considering submitting to more than one market, make sure the submission is appropriate for each. The shotgun approach to marketing your writing not only doesn’t work, but you risk your reputation as well. The last thing you need is for editors to recognize your name and ignore your submission because it’s obvious to them from past submissions you have no idea what they want.
   
• When you decide to simultaneously submit to several publishers, make it clear without waving a red flag. I’ve used the phase, “… enclosed is a copy of…” successfully for years. I submit simultaneously even when the market listings says I shouldn’t. Some writers go as far as to state the simultaneous nature of the submission explicitly.
   
• If you have an ongoing relationship with the publisher, they probably deserve an exclusive submission. An ongoing relationship often means you can pick up the phone and ask, which is ideal for both of you.
   
• When you are doing an exclusive submission, make it clear it is an exclusive submission and set a time limit on it. Don’t make a threat; keep it simple, perhaps with something like “If I haven’t heard from you in 10 days, I’ll go ahead and submit this to other markets.”

Simultaneous submissions are a fact of life in the writing and publishing game. Most publishers are well aware that many writers submit simultaneously. Don’t let their wishful thinking stop you from marketing your work effectively.

Write well and often - and submit!