You write an article one night and promptly mail it the next morning. A few days later, you receive notice your article is to be published in the next publication of a prestigious magazine. Within the week you receive your check. Needless to say, you are thrilled! Then you wake up. Yes, it’s all been a cruel dream.

Slow goes it

Time is involved in every aspect of getting published. As the writer, it takes time to research information and conduct interviews for an article. Fiction requires development of character and plot to incorporate an entertaining story line. Many new writers, in their zeal to get published, write quickly and become discouraged when their manuscript comes back “rejected”. The best of ideas won’t sell unless it’s well written, fine tuned, and needed for today’s market.

Revision is necessary and time consuming to ensure your manuscript is ready for submission. Implement revision techniques from successful writers. Read your manuscript out loud several times. Have someone with an objective opinion read it. Let it simmer for a few days, or longer, and undoubtedly you will discover needed changes. You will be glad you didn’t get too hasty in mailing it.

Response time

Response time varies from magazine to magazine. It can vary from one week for a query to six months for an unsolicited manuscript. The estimated time can vary due to editorial changes, time of year, or relocation of publication offices and staff. If a rejection is received, the submission process starts over. This can be discouraging and frustrating.

If you haven’t received a response, you can contact the magazine and verify the status of your submission. Wait at least two weeks (Magazine Markets for Children’s Writers 2007 suggests three weeks) after the maximum stated response time. Some writers opt to call or email the office to inquiry on their manuscript. Others send a brief letter with a self-addressed, stamped postcard for the editor’s convenience.

Example postcard format:

Your name
Name/type of manuscript (fiction, non-fiction, puzzle, ect.)
Date submitted

• Status of manuscript
• Did not receive
• Have not reviewed
• Holding for consideration
• Revision requested
• Not suited for our publication

Another option is to state a specific date in your cover letter in which you will offer your manuscript. Once again, add a minimum of two weeks to that publications stated response time to determine the date. If a response isn’t received by then, you are free to submit elsewhere. This might be a good option to publications that don’t accept simultaneous submissions or for writers who find the wait too trying.

Queries verses unsolicited manuscripts

A query, in which you “pitch” your idea to an editor, generally receives a quicker response than an unsolicited manuscript. If the editor is interested, you will be asked to send your completed article or story. If not, check your manuscript for revisions, then query the next magazine of choice.

Make note that a “yes” to a query doesn’t mean a guaranteed sale. Neither does a requested revision on an unsolicited manuscript. But these are good indications the editor has taken notice of your writing ability.

My own experience

My first submission was a craft to Highlights for Children. I mailed it July 5, 2005. Since the stated response time of four to six weeks had elapsed, I dismissed my submission as lost with no plans to resubmit. To my surprise, I received a contract on Dec. 1, 2005-almost five months later. Payment came in approximately one month. Two years after submission, I am anxiously waiting to see my craft appear in print.

Waiting for payday

Some publishers pay on acceptance while others pay on publication. Some pay well, while others pay very little, or not at all. Decide what’s important to you in your current stage as a writer. Having only a couple of publishing credits, I “sold” an article to Kid Magazine Writers eMagazine, a nonpaying market. I submitted my article for several reasons. Having learned about the publication on the Institute of Children’s Literature Writers Retreat, I discovered the website was well-known and respected, and would make a great addition to my list of publishing credits.

Now I tend to look at “pays on publication” magazines, but never rule out any other markets. I submitted some riddles to Boys’ Quest due to their shortage of fillers. Once again, I knew it would be a great credit but not high or instant pay. My riddles sold but I didn’t see payment (or my riddles) until October 2007 and February 2008.

Where’s my piece?

Your manuscript’s sold and you’ve received payment, but it still isn’t published. Sometimes you are not told what issue your story or article will appear in. Some manuscripts are held and published when the editor sees fit. In rare cases, for varying reasons, you may never see your piece in print. This is another painful, and seemingly unfair factor, in the writer’s world of waiting.

Utilizing the time

What to do while you wait? Get busy writing new material, researching the market, and living your life. Join a writer’s support group to learn and grow as a writer, or a critique group to glean advice from other authors. Practice your art by writing and submitting as much as you can. Try your hand at something new-poetry, rebuses, or puzzles. Or write for a different age group. The busier you stay, the less you’ll think about your submissions.

So the next time you lumber (okay, jog) out to the mailbox and a self-addressed, stamped envelope contains a contract, the wait won’t seem so bad after all.