Withdrawing Submissions

engmajor2005 · Jan 2, 2007

Say you sent a short story off to a non-paying market hoping to just get some more credentials considering you were confident the story was an easy sell. Then you stumble on a paying market where the story is an equally easy sell. Is it rude to send the editor and e-mail saying that your'e withdrawing your submission?

aka eraser · Jan 2, 2007

Like many of life's Great Questions, the answer is "it depends." How long has the nonpaying market had the sub? Have they acknowledged receipt? Are they considering it for publication?

By the way, "easy sells" are a rarity among legit, paying markets (and many nonpaying ones). Should the paying market reject you, you'll have burned the bridge back to the first one by withdrawing it.

Unless the first market has had the piece for quite a while without responding, I'd leave it there and write something new for the paying market.

engmajor2005 · Jan 2, 2007

aka eraser said:
Like many of life's Great Questions, the answer is "it depends." How long has the nonpaying market had the sub? Have they acknowledged receipt? Are they considering it for publication?

By the way, "easy sells" are a rarity among legit, paying markets (and many nonpaying ones). Should the paying market reject you, you'll have burned the bridge back to the first one by withdrawing it.

Unless the first market has had the piece for quite a while without responding, I'd leave it there and write something new for the paying market.

They've had it a couple of weeks, acknowledged the receipt, but their accept/reject response takes about six months.

But I think you're right. Just something new.

Soccer Mom · Jan 2, 2007

Write something new for the paying market. If the nonpayer rejects your submission then send to paying market.

johnzakour · Jan 2, 2007

To me, six months is a long time for a non-paying, short story market.; but writing a new story for the other market is good advice. You can never have too many credits to your name.

Arisa81 · Jan 2, 2007

I also think writing a new story for the new market is a good idea.
If the first place had had your work for a really long time, withdrawing it would probably be okay, but at two weeks I'd just leave it be. If they don't decide to publish it then you'll have something else to submit the new place.

Withdrawing Submissions

engmajor2005

aka eraser

Fish Whisperer

engmajor2005

Soccer Mom

Crypto-fascist

johnzakour

Dangerous with a Keyboard

Arisa81