#ContactForm1 { display: none ! important; }

Monday, June 15, 2009

A funny thing happened...


Yes, I owe you all a few more posts on cloning on genetics. It's coming, promise.

Today though we have a real life lesson on why authors must be ORGANIZED.

See me cringe.

I'm really not as organized as I need to be. And, I'll be the first to admit, I'm really a slacker when it comes to short story submissions and paying attention to where I send them.

Yes, for an anthology I pay attention. But for magazines and journals that take almost a year to respond? I send the submission and forget. It saves my nails.

So, long story short, I received an e-mail to day asking my short story The Falcon was still available for consideration.

It is. I'd pretty much forgotten it existed in fact.

But the e-mail didn't have the magazine or journal listed and I didn't recognize the e-mail!

Eeek!

I trawled through my list of places I'd sent submissions only to see I hadn't updates the list since, um, February? Shameful isn't it?

After that the only solution was to cross-check every possible magazine, check the submission guidelines, and see if I could find an e-mail match.

Lesson learned: When submitting a short story or query write down all the information on where you submit.

7 comments:

  1. *giggles* Lei that is baaadd! My wips are where area I'm half organised.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ah, grasshopper, you are amusing indeed :P

    Glad you tracked it down eventually.

    And, *snort*, I'm still amused they called it a poem o.O :D hehe.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have an Excel spreadsheet where I list the info, but I don't send out that much so it's easier to keep track. In your case, you probably have a lot of balls in the air.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I use Excel as well. I fill it out right before sending the email. I also use Duotrope's Digest, which is a great source for markets, and has a tracker.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good advice! I can totally see myself doing the same thing... except my nails would still be gone.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Querytracker is what keeps me organized. And since it's online, I can't misplace it!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, ouch! Yes, I'm not organized, but I do keep a Submissin Journal, an excel file. Two actually. One for short stories, and one for agents whom I've queiered. Boy, have I been glad to have a record of hat.

    ReplyDelete