In the olden days I used a photocopied form for collecting information on various submission opportunities. When money permitted I bought the most recent issue of a magazine. I’d comb though it looking for hints at themes of upcoming issues. I would note the name of a particular editor and worry over names without obvious gender clues. The library is a great place for viewing several issues at a time.

After market research I would take out another photocopied sheet and I’d note the who, what, when and where to send it. I’d put together a query letter with a paragraph to clearly show I had looked through past issues of their magazine. Sometimes I would mention an article well done. I’d put a note on the sheet of paper as the submission and SASE dropped into the mailbox. This is how I tracked my submissions. I’d make a note to myself when time ran out and I assumed I ended up in slush and went to the next publication on my list.

I’d spend time between submissions, re-writing things with different slants or cleaning up 10% of the words in a short story.

Today, there are plenty of ways to track your submission.Computers, cell phones and actual programs are everywhere.

Tonight’s topic will look at Query Tracker, Writer’s Database, Duotrope, The (Submission) Grinder and the Story Tracker Mobile App. 

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Penny C. Sansevieri is our Celebrity Sunday Guest.

Founder and CEO Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. She is an Adjunct Professor teaching Self-Publishing for NYU. She is the author of fourteen books, including How to Sell Your Books by the Truckload on Amazon and Red Hot Internet Publicity, which has been called the“leading guide to everything Internet.” See more about her on our Previous Guests Page. 

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