Enrichment · Passion Projects

Know where every
piece is waiting.

Sending work out means a dozen magazines, each with its own reading period, response time and rules about simultaneous submissions. Log each submission and the organizer counts the days, tells you when a polite query is fair, and when a piece is accepted lists every other magazine it must be withdrawn from that day.

Log a submissionWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Passion projects kit, $39 for 43 items.

Submissions

The worked example is made up, magazines included: one poem out to two magazines and a short story declined with a note. Saved on this device only.

Loading the submission form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Enrichment · Passion Projects$5

What you finish with
A record per submission: magazine, piece, genre, date sent, stated response time, whether simultaneous submissions are allowed, fee, status, response date and notes. Works out days out and days past the window; shows pieces to withdraw, the acceptance rate, pieces waiting and fees spent; flags overdue responses, no-simultaneous rules and fees.
Who it is for
High school and college writers and artists sending to literary magazines and teen journals, and adult writers building a publication record.
Format
Browser organizer with a saved record per submission. Prints one submission, the full log or a blank sheet; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Passion projects kit ($39) and the Enrichment Suite pass ($119), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Passion Projects space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Log each submission the day you send it.
  2. Copy the response time and simultaneous rule from the guidelines.
  3. Update the status when you hear back.
  4. Withdraw an accepted piece everywhere else the same day.
  5. Send declined pieces out again.

Log a submission

Submitting work

Sending work to magazines1Read an issue firstFit beats luck.2Follow the guidelinesFormat, length, readingperiod.3Note the response timeQuery only after it passes.4Simultaneous? CheckOnly where the magazine allowsit.5Accepted: withdrawEverywhere else, the same day.6Declined: send againMost work is declined manytimes first.Sending work to magazines1Read an issue firstFit beats luck.2Follow the guidelinesFormat, length, reading period.3Note the response timeQuery only after it passes.4Simultaneous? CheckOnly where the magazine allows it.5Accepted: withdrawEverywhere else, the same day.6Declined: send againMost work is declined many times first.
A declined piece with a personal note from an editor is a good sign. It is worth recording, and often worth sending to them again.

Simultaneous submissions

Many magazines accept work that is also under consideration elsewhere, on the condition that you withdraw it promptly if it is taken. Some do not. The guidelines say which; when they say nothing, assume simultaneous is fine but withdraw fast.

Young writers

Several magazines publish only teen writers, and many school and regional contests run each year. Read the guidelines for age limits and whether a parent must sign a contract for writers under 18.

Sources

  1. Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (clmp.org): the literary magazine community and submission norms.
  2. Poets & Writers (pw.org): literary magazines database and guidance on submissions and simultaneous submissions.
  3. Duotrope (duotrope.com): response-time statistics and market listings.
  4. Alliance for Young Artists & Writers (artandwriting.org): Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for students in grades 7 to 12.

The worked example is made up; the magazines named in it are not real. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.