Sunday Salutations and Submissions (Part Three of Three)
Today’s topic is: how do you know you are ready to submit a story. In some ways, I don’t know how to tell when a story is ready to be released into the wild, that is why I have a co-writer (ha!). Actually, we mostly stick with the editing rules. Once a story has gone through five edits, with the last edit being an audio listen through, I give it to Tod.
He, I believe, does one more listen through and then presses the submit button. As odd as it is to say for all the stories we have submitted, Tod is the one that pressed the submit button the most often. This is because I will still look at it for a hour and decide I need to revisit something or that just a few more tweaks will make it better. Which is why I have a strong cutoff for edits. Otherwise, I would be one of the writers lost in the whirling loop of editing madness.
I have also found that I just consider the story out of my control when I have passed it to Tod. So, in a way I am submitting it. It just happens to be submitted to my co-writer and editor partner. Still, it is a goal for this year to have me press the submit button on three different stories.
Tod here! After Anna gives me her audio listen edits (done with track changes), I go through and accept or tweak those. Then I do an audio listen through. For anything major, which doesn’t usually happen, I show it to Anna. For minor stuff like grammar, typos, or repetitive words, I usually just make the tweak. (Repeating words is one I’ll often just ask Anna about the alternative word I’m planning to use.)
Then, I double and triple check the submission guidelines. It’s weird. The general rule is Shunn manuscript format, docx, no smart quotes, Times New Roman, Century Schoolbook, or Courier New font. But there is just enough variability to cause problems. Baen for their fantasy contest wants RTF without the author’s name or other information. A lot of flash fiction (1000 word) story submissions want the story pasted into email. One publisher wants the whole 5000 to 8000 word story pasted into email. I’ve even seen one publisher specify smart quotes.
The most fun part is when you’re using Moksha, and the publisher has an unexpected question in their submission form. The first time that happened it threw me for a loop. We even grabbed Anna’s sister to help fill in the questions.
Anyway, have fun submitting!
~Anna and Tod
