Query Question - WritingForums.com - Writing Forums, Writing Challenges, Critiques and Help for Writers

Gio · 06-30-2006, 04:46 PM

Hi all.

A while ago, I submitted a query (my first) via e-mail to the editor of a national magazine. Six weeks later I sent a follow up, which the editor replied to by saying that the query was under consideration. So far, so good.

A few days later, by the worst of luck, my e-mail automatically resent a copy of the original query letter to him. Aaaarrgh!! I wrote a short note explaining the error, and then left it alone hoping that it hadn't ruined everything.

Wary of e-mail I left a phone message two weeks later, asking if the query was still under consideration and if I might be able to get a date for a decision. No response. It's now a week later, and I'm not sure how to follow up. This should be a good market and I don't want to blow it. So what to do? E-mail? Phone? Withdraw the query?

Thanks

mammamaia · 06-30-2006, 08:47 PM

getting a response on a query from a national mag can take months, so i'd just be patient and send out queries to others in the meantime... as long as they're only queries, there's no law agin' sending 'em out simultaneously...

aspiring · 07-01-2006, 03:36 AM

Don't do anything. They have your query - they have already told you it's under consideration. The fact that you've automatically sent it again by mistake doesn't make any difference. They'll probably just delete the duplicate. Don't hassle them any further - you've already had quite a lot of contact with them at this very early stage. Wait for them to get back to you - as maia says it can take months, not weeks, so you should really be submitting stuff elsewhere at the same time. If you haven't told the mag it's a multiple submission then it might be wise to send a different story out to someone else.

mammamaia · 07-01-2006, 07:20 PM

if this is truly merely a query, and not a submission, no notice needs to be given in re its being 'multiple' [simultaneous]...

however, if the actual article/story ms was sent along with the query letter, then that advice is valid... but only if that mag has a 'no sim-sub' policy... it doesn't apply if they don't mind sim-subs, and the same piece can be offered to others...