Thread: Questions about magazine query acceptance and article publishing

I've been reading about magazine publishing in a book. It says that after sending your query to the magazine:

1. It takes 1-3 months for most magazines to return a response to your query
2. You have about 4-6 weeks to write your article
3. Then it takes 1-6 months, after you turn in the article, to actually get it published.

Is this right? Am I understanding things right?

This is very intimidating for beginning writers.

Question: What has been your experience with getting an acceptance and publishing your article. - A sub part would be, what has been your experience with the rejection time frame?

Thanks

Well, #2 appears to be a little off. Unless you're a well known author, you should ideally have your article ready before you send a query. That way, should they ask to see it immediately, you're prepared (among other things). Querying, then (assuming you get past this point) having to ask them to wait while you write it, might just be the edge someone else needs to get their work accepted.

Other than that, yep, nothing looks out of the ordinary. Times may vary, of course, depending on the publisher. But it rarely, if ever, happens overnight. If you're planning on writing-to-sell, be prepared for a lot of wait time.

Question back: What makes it intimidating?

The intimidating part is that as a new writer, waiting can make you feel more insecure about your writing. I guess, that's why before targeting national consumer magazines, one should try get published on smaller markets (one should do that anyway to build your clip file).

Another Question: What is the waiting time on those "smaller markets"? Also, what are "smaller markets"? Does that mean the local newspaper? Any city publications?

Often a publisher will tell you what the wait time is in their submission guidelines. Read them carefully to find out their particular specifics.

A piece of advice: After you've sent something off forget about it. Do not pin all your hopes on it being accepted. It's a process. Sometimes you make it, sometimes you don't--for various reasons (some might not have anything to do with your writing). Begin writing something else; immerse yourself in your next projects. Otherwise, you may indeed fixate on it.

Duotrope.com, and ralan.com, list many smaller publishers/magazine. They are both listed on WF's Writing 101.

valeca's nailed it all... ditto in toto...