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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Numbers Game

This morning while hubby took his shower, I stayed in bed for a few extra minutes and while in that half asleep phase I had a thought that sorta woke me up.  And not in a very good way.

I've heard it said many times that getting published is a numbers game.  The more you send out the more chance you have to get something published.  And that's true.  You can't get published if no one sees your work.

But here's what  came to me this morning. 

There's this well known magazine I'd love to have a story in.  It comes out monthly and has about 15 stories in each issue.  That means they need about 180 stories for the entire year.  Thing is...every writer in this magazine's genre wants in so sends them stories.

Let's say they get 100 submissions a month for 1,200 a year.  But they only need 180! 
What if they get 200 submissions a month?  That's 2,400 a year.  Again, they only need 180.
Let's take it up a notch, 500 submissions a month for 6,000 a year.  They still only need 180 though.

The numbers are kinda staggering and don't really give much hope.  But, there are things we can do to better our chances of getting one of those 180 slots.  (Or any other magazine.)

1.  Study their publication.  Read back issues.  See what type of stories they like to publish.
2.  Write the best story we can and polish it until it gleams. (This means learning our craft and practicing.)
3.  Follow submission guidelines. (Yes, basic info we should know but sometimes we need to be reminded.)
4.  Hope for the best, expect the worst.  Meaning, have another market in mind in case of rejection.
5.  Realize there are a lot of stories competing with yours.  Just because it's rejected doesn't mean your story is bad.  It just means it wasn't what the editor was looking for at that time.
6.  Never give up.  Keep writing, keep submitting.

2 comments:

Timothy said...

Jean, the numbers in your horrible thought are correct--the journal probably receives dozens of submissions every day. And your 6 points in response are well taken, especially the first 3.

I write to snuff out the opening premise--not that I think you believe it; your first 3 points say otherwise.

It's certainly said that getting published is a numbers game, and many authors keep several copies of their manuscript in circulation from one agent or another.

But the assumption behind this activity (play the numbers) is that all articles or proposals are about the same in quality. Some editor cuts the deck of articles piled high and pulls out a prize winner. ("But they're all winners in the stack; so maybe next time it will be my turn.")

I've spent the bulk of my career as a publisher's book editor. I reviewed over 20,000 proposals. Most of these had a good idea buried somewhere in a fair or poorly written document. 80% of what I received did not make it past the initial review.

I launched My Literary Coach as a service for authors to help them stand head and shoulders above the crowd.

That doesn't mean that every client gets an agent or a book deal. But it usually means they stay out of the rejection pile at the start.

Keep encouraging writers to study the publication (or agent); write the best article or sample and proposal; and follow the guidelines. Thanks.

Timothy said...

Jean, the numbers in your horrible thought are correct--the journal probably receives dozens of submissions every day. And your 6 points in response are well taken, especially the first 3.

I write to snuff out the opening premise--not that I think you believe it; your first 3 points say otherwise.

It's certainly said that getting published is a numbers game, and many authors keep several copies of their manuscript in circulation from one agent or another.

But the assumption behind this activity (play the numbers) is that all articles or proposals are about the same in quality. Some editor cuts the deck of articles piled high and pulls out a prize winner. ("But they're all winners in the stack; so maybe next time it will be my turn.")

I've spent the bulk of my career as a publisher's book editor. I reviewed over 20,000 proposals. Most of these had a good idea buried somewhere in a fair or poorly written document. 80% of what I received did not make it past the initial review.

I launched My Literary Coach as a service for authors to help them stand head and shoulders above the crowd.

That doesn't mean that every client gets an agent or a book deal. But it usually means they stay out of the rejection pile at the start.

Keep encouraging writers to study the publication (or agent); write the best article or sample and proposal; and follow the guidelines. Thanks.