I receive a good number of
submissions each month for Kid's Imagination Train. Not long
ago, two writers emailed me to inquire if I had received their stories. Both of them wrote that they were having trouble
with their emails. Okay, perhaps that’s
true. But the cynic in me was
asking: Were these emails a handy excuse
to check on their submissions?
There are some unwritten
rules about emailing editors. One rule
is that writers should not email an editor until after the stated turnaround
time. Turnaround time can usually be
found under writer’s guidelines. For KIT, the turnaround time is about six weeks; but for other publications, it may be closer to two to three months. Checking on work a couple of weeks after submitting is unnecessary. In fact, it can make writers appear unprofessional.
Some novice writers get nervous about submitting. They feel
that their work might get lost in cyber-space. Yet, that rarely happens when the correct submission address is used. My word to these anxious writers would be: relax. Not many editors send email confirmations upon the receipt of a submission. Instead of worrying about the submission, writers should move on to other projects. Then, if the turnaround
time has been reached with no word from the editor, you have the green light to inquire about
your work.