I started entering all my stories and markets into that submissions tracker that I linked to yesterday. I am rather excited about it because it's pretty darn easy. I submit to a lot of the same places and it's as easy as scrolling down the markets menu and filling in submission/response received dates. And it calculates the response time for you, meaning at the end of the year when I post my response times for this year I just have to copy it rather than calculating it.
The only down side so far is that I'm starting to see just how many markets I've subbed to that have closed down. I'm not planning on adding markets into the database that are now closed or defunct unless I've sold something to them. There doesn't seem to be much of a point. I've entered 5 of my stories into the database and I've hit seven defunct markets already, not including Cthulhu Sex, which gets added because I've sold two stories there.
I'm also not sure if I'm going to put agents I've submitted novel queries to either. That's a lot more work, and it's a different situation. I'm less likely to type “I want to break in here” in the comments of an agent profile. Shorts are a different product than novels.
And speaking of agents I found another agent listing website. I like this one because you can keep track of your submissions through the website which means other people get to see how long the agent response time is. You can all comment on the agent listing and it lists the agents clients on their profiles as well, which is darn helpful because honestly it's not easy sometimes to find the agents of the writers similar to you.
Here's pimpage for that site:
Announcing the launch of LitMatch.net, a free online resource with cutting-edge features designed to help writers of all kinds connect with the agents who are best able to help them get published.
More than just a listing of literary agents, LitMatch features a unique submission tracking system that allows writers to record and manage their queries online.
When a user records a submission, LitMatch keeps track of key information, including when the query was sent, whether it was sent by mail or email, and which agent it was sent to. When the user gets a reply, LitMatch keeps track of any follow-ups and reports back on how agents are responding to his or her work.
Users can also compare response times against those reported by other users, and use reported statistics to determine which agents they want to approach next. Users can enter information for multiple titles and LitMatch will track and report on each one independently.
Other features include:
A robust, up-to-date database, featuring over 1600 literary agents and their respective agencies.
A matching search that lets writers quickly find the agents who will be most receptive to their work.
Comment functions that allow users to share their experiences with specific agents with other users, and record private notes for reference purposes.
Hotlist functionality that allows users to bookmark agents and agencies for future reference.
Full-text and targeted searches that let users quickly find agents by the authors they represent, the genres theyʼre interested in, their professional history and more.
An intuitive, easy-to-use interface.
LitMatchʼs listings are the most complete and up-to-date on the Web, and each entry is carefully reviewed before inclusion in the LitMatch database. It is LitMatchʼs policy to not list agents or agencies that charge up-front reading fees, ensuring that users can confidently submit to only the most reputable agents.
LitMatch was created by Christopher Hawkins, a Chicago-area writer and web developer. Nearly a year in development, LitMatch is the culmination of over a decade of experience building, managing and promoting websites for magazines and online retailers.
For more information, visit us at www.litmatch.net, or contact us via email at admin@litmatch.net.
And finally, since I'm organizing and looking through submissions, and because I usually get good comments about seeing statistics, here's my rotations right now.
Stories Circulating As of today: 22
Stories “Trunked” or set aside for major editing: 5
“First draft” novels: 2.5
Stories/Novels set aside for light editing: 4
Stories Written this year: 9
Stories not submittable due to being contracted: 3
Projects without a finished First Draft: 2
Stories I'm genuinely thinking of giving up on: 1
You know, at some point I'm going to sell several older stories at once and it's going to look impressive. 79 submissions isn't at all bad when you consider this year I've submitted 31 different projects.
New! Check out my review Blog:
Book Love
| WriYe: 97,920/100,000 | WC September: 6,939 |
| Subs: 79/50 | Accepts: 4 | Rejects: 66 |
