Resubmitting stories

Okay, Ive sent stories out to publishers, (including Asimovs), gotten rejected etc. Ive been told its not a good idea to resubmit the same story to a publisher.

But between submissions, Im revising my story, and we all know sometimes, sometimes decisions are more arbitrary than pure talent. maybe a story will be accepted on a different day? Maybe it will be much better once I revise it (several times)?

Allowing at least six months, what are your thoughts on resubmissions? Can we get blacklisted for them?

It probably depends on the editor. You could circumvent any bad feelings by dropping him/her a note first saying something like: "I submitted a short called "The Boat in a Mod's Eye" last February which was not accepted for publication. Since then I have revised the story significantly and feel it is much stronger. Would you be interested in seeing it again?"

At worst, they say "no."

Asimov's has their own message board. You could ask there, as well.

Lot's of magazines have message boards now.

Generally, I would only resubmit if the revisions were substantial or if there was a change in editor or the magazine indicated it was changing direction. Has anyone resubmitted a rejected story and then had it accepted? I'd be interested to know.

stories

Generaly speaking, if an editor wanted you to resubmit a story after a rewrite, he would have said so. You can always try it, if you make sure to note in the cover letter that you've rewritten and revised the story substantially. This gives the editor the option of reading it or not.

But I can't say I've ever known anyone to sell a story by resubmitting it, unlesss asked to do so by the editor.

When an editor rejects a story without asking for a rewrite, it usually means there are many things about the story the editor doesn't, and often many reasons why he doesn't think it fits into the magazine.

I'm sure it varies from editor to editor and market to market -- maybe it's even just a matter of getting past a different slush reader the second time around. But I've heard a few editors comment that they frown upon unsolicited re-submissions. I'd be afraid they would consider it unprofessional and might be less inclined to look on any future submissions favorably. That may be the exception rather than the rule, but I've heard it enough that I'm not willing to take that chance.

I've Heard...

I've heard that some publishers or editors keep track of submitted stories by logging character names, the basic plot summarized at about the level of TV Guide movie listings, and the author's name. If a rejected author re-submits the same story with revisions, these publications not only won't accept the rewrite but automatically reject later submissions.

Strictly a rumor, one that circulates widely among Romance authors in my area--but you know, sometimes rumors are true.

I'd go strictly above-board as was previously suggested. Make your substantial revisions, then query whether they have any interest in seeing the new and improved version.

Maryn, who's truthful because it's easiest

rumors

This is sort of a rumor and sort of not. Most publishers, whether book or magazine, do keep track of submissions. It would be silly not to do so. How else are you going to know what manuscripts you've received, when you received them, etc.

Most often these lists contain nothing save title of the story, writer's name, when it was received, and when it was rejected. Very few have any sort of plot summary because that would mean the story was read, and from my experience eight out of ten novel and short story mansucripts never have more than the first three or four pages read. Often no more than the first page.
It usually takes no more than reader the first few pages to reject a mansucript.

It's difficlut to include a plot summary when you don't read the manuscript.

A general comment: if you're an unpublished short story writer, it's a bad idea to keep rewriting a story on your own. Write it. If you're satisfied, start submitting and then go on to other things. Unless you're a niche writer, there are enough markets to generate rejections for five, ten, fifteen years or more. Short stories (like opera or poetry) no longer have a mass market, but they're a good stepping stone to success as a writer - meaning full length works - novels, mostly. After a few years it's probably OK to look at the story to decide whether it's worth the postage, and maybe a few will excite you enough to think about a rewrite. But until you have an audience, avoid recycling old material. Having said this, I'll mention that I keep a large chart to track my story submissions. After five years I resubmit to the same magazine, and I've never had any trouble. I've also never sold a story I've resubmitted, but I have received encouraging comments each time.