Okay, I'll outline the sequence of events, and I leave it to you fine, more experienced people to provide me with some wonderful suggestions as to what to do with this...
December 12, 2008: Sent query about an article to Magazine #1
February 3, 2009: Sent article on spec about very similar article to Magazine #2
February 4, 2009: Magazine #2 liked the article submitted on-spec. I was asked to add a sidebar with information. Added the sidebar and was told, "We'll be getting back to you" and it's "tentatively" scheduled for the Nov/Dec issue.
February 14, 2009: Magazine #1 sends me an e-mail saying "we are interested" and the query has been accepted for an article for the summer issue. Please send your article now. Note also included: "Schedule subject to change at any time."
Other issues: The magazines are clearly and obviously competing magazines (in fact, so much so I actually had them confused for a day). The article could be written as a new article for each magazine, but it would clearly be almost exactly the same topic.
As I see it, neither has committed fully to me, neither has offered me a firm contract, nor any cash so far. Magazine #2 has the entire article, already written, on-spec.
I'm not sure how to proceed. I don't want to annoy any editors, but if I don't tell someone something, it's going to be darn obvious that I sent basically the same article on the same topic to two different magazines. So, especially editors out there, what would you like to see happen? I'd hate to tell one editor "no" because someone else might run it, then have the other editor change their mind! But I feel like if I hesitate to one, they might drop me just to be safe, then I get nothing for the article at all. I could try to spin it differently for each magazine, but it will still be clearly the same topic.
Ideas?
December 12, 2008: Sent query about an article to Magazine #1
February 3, 2009: Sent article on spec about very similar article to Magazine #2
February 4, 2009: Magazine #2 liked the article submitted on-spec. I was asked to add a sidebar with information. Added the sidebar and was told, "We'll be getting back to you" and it's "tentatively" scheduled for the Nov/Dec issue.
February 14, 2009: Magazine #1 sends me an e-mail saying "we are interested" and the query has been accepted for an article for the summer issue. Please send your article now. Note also included: "Schedule subject to change at any time."
Other issues: The magazines are clearly and obviously competing magazines (in fact, so much so I actually had them confused for a day). The article could be written as a new article for each magazine, but it would clearly be almost exactly the same topic.
As I see it, neither has committed fully to me, neither has offered me a firm contract, nor any cash so far. Magazine #2 has the entire article, already written, on-spec.
I'm not sure how to proceed. I don't want to annoy any editors, but if I don't tell someone something, it's going to be darn obvious that I sent basically the same article on the same topic to two different magazines. So, especially editors out there, what would you like to see happen? I'd hate to tell one editor "no" because someone else might run it, then have the other editor change their mind! But I feel like if I hesitate to one, they might drop me just to be safe, then I get nothing for the article at all. I could try to spin it differently for each magazine, but it will still be clearly the same topic.
Ideas?
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