Interesting Query Problem

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?

I'm thinking my best bet is to first go to Magazine #2, the one who first "claimed" the article and explain that someone else is interested in it, and just outright ask for a contract. If they don't provide one, I'll continue with Magazine #1. If they do provide it, I'll go to magazine #1 and explain that someone else just bought it, but I have another, slightly similar idea for them if they're interested.

Thank you all for your opinions.

Laurie, thanks for that idea, too. I was trying to find a way to do that, but the magazines are clearly competitors, and the idea is just too narrow to sufficiently slant -- it's about learning about the inside of a computer. I could write two completely different articles, but it would still be very clear it was the same topic and same author.

I've sent the question to the first editor. If they want the article, I will go to the other editor and explain what happened and then offer a similar article, but on a different topic on computers. Unfortunately, I just can't see any way to write the article based on my query without requesting a change or looking like I wrote the same darn thing for two editors without telling them. THAT would be embarrassing.

I'd like to -- but here's what it would be:

One magazine for homeschoolers would publish in August an edition with a unit study for kids talking about the inside of a computer box, it's parts, and how they work together.

Then, one month later, another homeschooling magazine would publish an edition with a unit study for kids about, well, the inner parts of a computer and how they work.

I just don't see any way to do that without both editors getting really angry at me...

Sheesh. I just got a response from Magazine #2, the one who received the entire article on-spec. I asked if they would make a decision on if they wanted it. The response was basically, "Do what you want with the article, and let me know."

I'm not sure how to take that. I just offered them the article, and they like it, but won't make a concrete offer on it. My thought is then I should offer a quite similar article to Magazine #1, proceeding until someone makes a concrete offer!

Thanks for the ideas and encouragement. This week I'll be sending the full article to Magazine #1 to see if they like it. I'm going to attempt to write it as a different article and try real hard to make it different from the article I sent to #2. If they like it, I'll let Magazine #2 know that I did sell a similar article to Magazine #1, ask them if they'd still like the article, and even offer to write them a different one on a related topic if they like. Then, I hope, everyone (including me and my wallet) will be happy!