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MULTIPLE MAGAZINE SUBMISSIONS

edited November 2013 in Writing
Hi All... I'm new here and just beginning to start sending articles out to magazines.

I just wondered about your thoughts on whether its okay to send multiple submissions rather than doing it one at a time? Do I just send each subsequent submission and then mention in my cover letter / email that it is being circulated to others as well?

Any thoughts you have on the matter would be gratefully appreciated!

Cheers! :-)

Comments

  • Welcome Babayag321.

    Do you mean the same article to a number of magazines?

    Or different articles to each of those magazines?
  • Most magazines don't mind receiving several articles from the same person (multiple submissions), though some will specify only one at a time and if you are 'new' it may be wise to send just one to check whether you are on the right lines.

    Most magazines DO object to the same article or story being sent to them and others at the same time (simultaneous submissions) as they don't want to be in the position of reading and accepting an article only to find they are too late as someone else has bought it. So best to send to the magazine at the top of your list and wait for a response before sending to anyone else.
  • edited November 2013
    Welcome!

    You shouldn't write an article until it's been commissioned - editors will want it written to their word count and may request that certain facts (that you will have outlined in your original email), be expanded upon.

    There are a few mags that accept pre-written work, but not many.
  • I agree with all the above - do not send the same article to several magazines at once.

    It is always worth seeing if the magazine has contributor guidelines on their site - often found under their contact us tab if it is not listed separately.

    A few titles, as BB says, do accept pre-written work. These include several of the local and county titles. Others prefer to see an idea first with an outline of how you would tackle the topic. If you are new to a magazine they may also ask you to submit a piece on spec with no promise of publication but it gives them a chance to see your writing to see if it is for them.

    Good luck.
  • Yes, agree with that. Contact the editor first with your proposed article before submitting - unless that say otherwise. Don't submit same article to several editors - in fact, your article should be written to suit a particular magazine, so it shouldn't be a 'one size fits all' anyway.
    Good luck - and welcome to talkback!
  • Thanks all for your input... most useful!

    The articles that I'm writing are based on shorter features which I've put on my website. They are based around family history stories and so I'm thinking they could be relevant to a number of magazines at the same time.

    The thing is, the first one that I have sent an example out to is showing interest in the concept of the example I forwarded them, but are saying that although they would consider publishing it, they do not make payment for the kind of feature slot where they are thinking of placing it.

    I'm thinking that there would be no harm in at least writing to the editors of other magazines and asking if they would be interested in such articles, and whether they would be interested and also pay me for my trouble.

    I don't mind if in the end my work (albeit unpaid) gets featured in the first magazine, as hopefully this would generate some interest in other work featured on my website, but if I can get paid too then all the better! :-)

    Thanks again for all your help with this.

    Cheers - G.
  • edited November 2013
    [quote=Babayaga321]The articles that I'm writing are based on shorter features which I've put on my website. [/quote] It's fine to use subjects you've mentioned on your website, but you'll need to take care that what you send to magazines is substantially different as anything on the website will be considered already published.

    [quote=Babayaga321]They are based around family history stories and so I'm thinking they could be relevant to a number of magazines at the same time.[/quote] They'll need to be pitched differently though. It's very unlikely an article which is perfect for one magazine will suit another. Think of The Sun newspaper and The Times for example. They might report the same events, but would tackle them differently. You can use the same basic information in several articles which you send to different magazines. Eg if you had an ancestor who was a baker in Kent you could do one article on historical baking and another on Kent at that time. Obviously these two articles would suit very different magazines.
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