I Want My Query Back?

I wouldn't mention anything to the publications. If they ever get back to you and want to commission something, just write a different version of the story from the one you will use in your own magazine.

Personally, I think it would be much more professional (and don't you want to be perceived that way?) to contact the pubs. and tell them you are withdrawing your queries.

JMHO,

I'd officially withdraw them as well. Editors spend a lot of time considering a query, and I'd hate to have someone mulling over one of my ideas, make a favorable decision, only for me to have to say sorry, you can't have it anymore.

I don't do freelance but two questions I would ask myself:

1) How long have you given it?
2) Is it worth burning tentative bridges?

I wouldn't withdraw it. If they get back to you and they want you to write the piece, you can certainly write about the same subject from any number of angles and give them an original piece that's within the confines of the query you sent.

Plus if you withdraw you will give up the possibility that they might have said "We don't need a piece like this, but we're looking for something like. . ." which can lead to an assignment on a completely different topic anyway.

Good luck!

What is the time line of those magazines? As a newbie, I'd wait until then & then send a follow-up.. (?) /established writers might follow up sooner?/

What is the purpose of your own little magazine? To showcase your articles (in which case the articles themselves might not get used later on, but you could be assigned similar ones) or to try to establish a new magazine? (In that case, have you done market research yet & checked other biz-related things?)

If you want to start a real magazine, you might need a bunch of article ideas for later on anyway, so I hope you have those..? (or do you have enough other writers to write for you?)

Also, if you look at the financial side: how much could you earn if the articles got published in the magazines, & how would it be financially with your own magazine?

Imo it would be best to follow up first (especially if it's a relatively well-paying market), & then see what they say (it might take a while though) - you could occupy yourself with other projects & article ideas inbetween?

I'm just a newbie though, so others may know better..

If you have waited the appropriate amount of time for the publication to answer and they haven't gotten back to you yet, I would follow up first. You may still be able to get published there...and if you could get paid for it--all the better.

If you are starting your own mag, I would suggest writing something different. It's good practice to spin a topic in a different way.

Good luck!

Editors don't spend a lot of time mulling over queries, contrary to what you may have been told. An article is either right for this issue, right for a future issue or not right at all. For those not right at all, they break down to good writer/bad writer. No editor puts aside an article for six months and then decides to publish it.

Go ahead with publishing it yourself and don't worry about withdrawing it. If they call then say that the article was sold months ago - would they like something else?

I disagree - On more than on occasion I've heard from editors regarding a query that was 6 months, even a year old. Especially with today's economy, editors will hang onto something they like and wait until they have a spot where they can use it.
That doesn't mean you have to wait for them, though. After a decent amount of time, say over 3 months, you can do what you'd like with the article. if you do get a call, on something you've used elsewhere, try to work out a variation of the article.