MULTIPLE QUERIES, AND SUBMISSIONS, AND PAYMENT ON ACCEPTANCE: IDEAS WHOSE TIME HAS COME
(Copyright © 1991 T Bruce Tober)
Many, perhaps most editors, are former writers themselves. Many have gone the freelance route at least once in their lives and so would perhaps be empathetic to the increasing reluctance on the part of today's freelancers to submit to the rules which seem still to guide many editors.
Even as recently as two or three years ago, most editors continued their policies of no multiple, simultaneous queries or multiple, simultaneous submissions of articles and no payment until, or after, publication. Most writers complied, grudgingly or otherwise.
"But the times, they are a changing," as Bob Dylan would say.
A major indicator of just such change has recently shown up in the 1991 edition Writers' Market. The marketing guide began boldfacing the notice of payment on acceptance in each applicable listing.
"We had some writers who are professionals who told us they wouldn't write for publications that pay on publication."
Glenda Tennant Neff is co-editor along with Mark Kiesling, of Writers' Market. She told Editorial Eye, "The idea to bold face the payment on acceptance notice came about in several ways. We had some writers who are professionals who told us they wouldn't write for publications that pay on publication.
"To help them more easily find those publications for which they would consider writing, we decided to put the phrase in bold. We also want to encourage that form of payment because it's the best deal for the writer. I don't know if doing this is going to change anyone's mind about paying on acceptance, but we would like to encourage."
She acknowledged having talked to representatives at the National Writers' Union and American Society of Journalists and Authors and other professional writing organizations. She said they recommend to their members to write only for those publications which provide payment on acceptance.
"But obviously they can't make the decision for the writer as to what the writer's willing to accept. It's simply a matter of what individuals will do," she said, "since we don't really outlaw payment on publication. It's a problem for the more experienced people who want payment on acceptance. But they are afraid someone will be willing to take payment on publication and undercut them."
Many writers believe economic constraints and the realities of life and how business is done in most other industries, make it imperative that publications accept multiple queries and submissions and provide payment on acceptance.
In "the real world" of direct sales for example, people produce products and get paid for what the product is worth when it is sold, not when it is used. In order to sell the product, sales people see many prospective customers, most of whom won't buy, in order to find that occasional customer who will.
Discussions with writers indicate:
They no longer, if they ever did at all, believe the reasons for the policies,
Many no longer bother adhering to those policies. Several noted reluctance to submit work to those publications still adhering to those policies, and,
Many, who write professionally and full or even part time, are no longer willing to write for publications adhering to these policies.
"To the best of my knowledge it has not come back to haunt me."
"It's not out of any malice, but more of an informal attitude, that I have sent multiple submissions over past two years," explained freelance writer Herbert Hadad, from Pleasantville, N.Y.
"To the best of my knowledge it has not come back to haunt me.
"I think it's probably best to inform the editor that it's a multiple submission, it's fair to do. And if I want to appear in a magazine badly enough I would adhere to whatever policies they stipulated," said Hadad, whose work has appeared in Lear's, Parenting, Reader's Digest, and Writer's Digest and who recently had his first book published.
"And there's only one magazine in that category for me, The New Yorker. So when I offer them a piece, I offer it to no one else, in hopes of not jinxing my chances."
There are three types of writers - those who write for the sake of writing, those who write to earn a living and those who write to supplement their income.
Joan Davis, a Darien Ct. freelance writer, is one of the latter, she also substitute teaches. "When I get paid is not too important, as long as I get paid," she said. "I follow the writers' guidelines. Not being allowed to submit multiply takes longer to get something sold, but then I think it would be rather confusing as far as where you're at to have the same piece out at several publishers at once."
"I don't think it's ethical to do multiples in cases where the editors don't want them or without noting in your cover letter that the submission is a multiple one."
"I don't think it's right that editors forbid multiple submissions, but because I'm a scaredy cat, I don't do them." says Stamford, Ct. freelance writer Deborah A. Disesa.
"I don't think it's ethical to do multiples in cases where the editors don't want them or without noting in your cover letter that the submission is a multiple one.
"My experience is mostly with bigger magazines and most of them pay on acceptance. Payment for most of my work has been on acceptance," Disesa, who writes for Science Digest, Good Housekeeping and others added.
Magazine editors are also mixed in their opinions on both issues.
Arthur Stern, editor of The Rangefinder wants to know to whom articles are being simultaneously submitted because, "if it's to direct competitors, we don't buy the articles. However, if it's a general article going to non-competing publications then it's perfectly fine. We won't consider articles sent to our competitors."
The Rangefinder, a trade book for professional photographers, pays on publication. "I don't know why," Stern said, "it was set up for me that way when I came in here. I think it has to do with an accounting type of thing, to have it in one lump sum no matter who the payment is to so we can determine what money went into any given issue at a glance.
"I understand both sides of the payment issue," he added, "and am not really taking a stand on it in either direction. Both sides seem to make sense. I think there's a smart answer for either preference. Therefore there's no real answer it's a matter of company policy."
Company policy, and especially pre-existing company policy, is often cited for payment on publication. For example, Lydia Tucker, editor of the monthly MidAtlantic Antiques explained, "I could easily see the payment issue both ways, but that was the policy here before I came and the writers I've worked with have not expressed any problem with that. We pay on publication only in order to keep my monthly writers' budget in line.
"We may accept something for publication, but its actual print date may be five or six months down the road. I have a certain amount of money allocated for writers' pay per month so I have to look at that also as far as when an article is going to go in based on how much my budget will allow me to spend that month.
"One thing here," she continued, "is that a lot of our writers don't rely on writing as their sole income source. I think that may make a difference."
As far as multiple submissions and multiple queries Tucker has "no problem" with that concept. But she has run into the nightmare scenario most editors cite as a reason against accepting multiples.
"Last year, I ran an article that appeared on the cover of a competing publication in the same month. I had contacted the writer and arranged terms of payment, but the other publication had never contacted her, they just ran the article."
Some editors still hold onto the old traditions. But many are beginning to realize that perhaps multiple submissions and queries are very possibly the only way they are going to hold onto their current, and recruit the work of other, quality writers. Especially in hard economic times such as these.
For example at Ziff Davis' PC Sources, managing editor Peter E. McKie pays on acceptance "to compensate a writer for producing work that we deem acceptable for PC Sources," he said.
"The writer has fulfilled his responsibility once we accept the article, and it's at that point that we need to compensate him or her. I don't mind multiple submissions and queries; the theory is intellectually okay by me. But in practice what happens is that, because our magazine has such a narrowly defined audience, multiples often don't work," McKie noted.