Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash

So, you’ve written a few short stories, poems, or articles, and you’re ready to submit. That’s great! You can send them out one at a time and see how things go. Some people like to wait for a response on their most recent work before sending out the next piece. Or, you can create a consistent pattern of writing and submitting.

I’m in the process of building my publishing portfolio, so this morning, I got up and reviewed four short stories that I feel are ready to go. I then searched my copy of Writer’s Market (I use the Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market because I am focusing on genre fiction) and did a little Googling. It’s important to find just the right match for each story.

Of course, just because I think it is a good match, doesn’t mean the editors will. That’s ok. If I am likely I will receive a quick rejection, maybe even some coveted feedback, and then I can send the story off to another possible publication. I don’t dread rejection letters. For me, rejections are evidence of trying. I am more afraid of completed works smothering in some digital file unread.

However, if I am going to build a portfolio through the constant submission of short stories, I need a way to track them all. This morning I created a Submission Tracker that will allow me to quickly reference where my work has been submitted and what stage of the submission process each is in. I’m including a link to that tool here for anyone who might find it beneficial.

The tracker is designed to track the title of each work you plan to submit, the date the work was submitted, the name of the publisher or publication you are submitting to, the contact information where the work was submitted, whether the publication allows for simultaneous submissions, the date you received a response from the publisher, and what stage of the submission process the work is in. There is also a column for feedback if you are lucky enough to get any. Most of the time it will be a standard reply. Sometimes you won’t receive a reply at all. There is also a column for the publication citation, so you can track the publications that any of your published work is in. Finally, there is also a notes column where you can note special instructions from publishers or whether you revised the work based on feedback.

I hope you find the Submission Tracker as helpful as I do, and may it keep you motivated as you work toward each new submission. Good luck!