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  • Tracking submissions
    by Mischa at 07:28 on 30 September 2006
    I'm interested to know of any tools people use to track submissions to agents, publishers, competitions etc. that allow you to quickly reference what was sent and to whom and when (and when to chase it). I have sent things off and forgotten about them before being rudely reminded by a standar letter. Maybe that's the best way...

    I have found the following website set up by a writer, which is free to use if you register.

    http://www.luminarypub.com/services/writersdb/
  • Re: Tracking submissions
    by Steerpike`s sister at 08:07 on 30 September 2006
    That looks quite useful, esp. if you need to keep a record of how much you've earned for tax purposes, or something.
  • Re: Tracking submissions
    by Grinder at 08:14 on 30 September 2006
    I just keep mine in a spreadsheet, with different colours for submissions in different states: It’s easy to spot which are still active, or pending etc…

    Grinder
  • Re: Tracking submissions
    by Colin-M at 08:43 on 30 September 2006
    I just keep a copy of every letter. I did keep a track of how long it took various agents to reply, but in the end it didn't really prove much as one of the fastest, who normally asked for a full script within three to four days took over two months to get back to me on my last submission.
  • Re: Tracking submissions
    by Account Closed at 08:45 on 30 September 2006
    I have novel submission spreadsheets, poetry ones and short story ones (though I'm not currently writing the latter genre). I do a new set each year. It's simple, but effective!

    A
    xxx
  • Re: Tracking submissions
    by EmmaD at 10:57 on 30 September 2006
    With novels I just kept copies of letters, and a list of the names with a note on them of exactly what I'd sent in the way of sample chapters, etc.

    With competitions and magazines - tho' I'm not doing that at the moment - I had a card index, because I couldn't persuade a spreadsheet to relate everything the way I wanted. To be able to look at a story and know where it was out, and look at a competition and know what I'd sent it, and a few other things as well would have taken a relational database, which for about eight stories seemed ridiculous.

    Emma
  • Re: Tracking submissions
    by Mischa at 09:57 on 02 October 2006
    I've found the following downloads as well, for those that want specialised software. Stuff for Mac & PC.

    http://www.sandbaggers.8m.com/samm.htm
  • Re: Tracking submissions
    by Colin-M at 10:21 on 02 October 2006
    I've got a big fat folder stuffed with rejections all the way back from 1984. If I'd used software I'd have to keep updating and copying from computer to computer. All I really need to do is look in the folder and pull out the letters.
  • Re: Tracking submissions
    by Nik Perring at 16:44 on 02 October 2006
    I just keep mine in a spreadsheet, with different colours for submissions in different states: It’s easy to spot which are still active, or pending etc…


    Pretty much the same with me. I also keep the hard copies of letters, with notes, dates and names penned on - and just to make triply sure, I enter a V. brief note in my computer's address book.


    Nik.

  • Re: Tracking submissions
    by Account Closed at 18:42 on 02 October 2006
    I keep all my rejection letters in a file (I showed some of them to sarah at BFC), and also a list of the subs status on my computer, with a little note over what the rejection said. It's a bit morbid in that file, but I like to think that one day I can look back and laugh. Or cry.

    JB
  • Re: Tracking submissions
    by Prospero at 05:44 on 03 October 2006
    I am completely hopeless. Send stuff out and then forget who I have sent it too. Write stories for competitions and then forget to send them. If wasn't for kind and generous editors I would have sunk without trace long since.

    Prosp.