My Updated Submission Spreadsheet

A few months back I shared a submission spreadsheet that I created in Google docs to track when and where I submit my short stories. If you missed that post, you can check it out here for a full explanation of what this thing is all about.

Since then, I have finished other short stories and have started submitting those as well. As I tossed those stories into the mix, it quickly became apparent that the spreadsheet needed a face lift. And since I’m not the only one out there submitting short stories to journals, I thought I would share the new and improved submission spreadsheet with all my fellow writers out there.

You can download the updated submission spreadsheet here. 

And to help you make the most of it, here is a brief explanation of what each of the columns is for.

A. Status
This is usually “Submitted” or “Passed.” It sometimes says “ACCEPTED!” It is, clearly, the status of my submission. As a side note, I tend to grey out the rows with the status of Pass. It makes for easier scanning of the table as a whole.

B. My Rank
Generally I rank my submission priorities by circulation numbers (the way I figure, the larger a journal’s circulation, the more eyes will see my story). However, Column B is my acknowledgement that size isn’t everything. I use tiers and rank journals a 1, 2, or 3. So a journal that has a smaller circulation and would otherwise be low on my list, may still get a 1 because I really like it, or my story fits a themed issue they have coming up, or something.

C. Story Submitted
This is a key new column that I added when I started having more than one story out in the world at a time. You need to know what story you sent to which journal.

D. Date Submitted
A good thing to keep track of. Most journals don’t want to hear from you, but I feel like if it has been four months, it’s okay to drop them a line.

E. Name of Journal/Contest
Nuf said.

F. Submission Window
I found that while I was researching places to send my story I often came across journals that weren’t accepting submissions until, say, the first of September. So I make a note of the submission window.

G. Cost to Submit
The cost of submitting is something I’ve become hyper-aware of lately, as I am submitting more and more. This is simply for me to help budget future submissions. It’s also kind of depressing, and you can totally ignore that column if you want to.

H. Circulation
Not all journals list their circulation, but if they do, or if I can find it on Poets & Writers, I make a note of it. See B for my reasoning behind this.

I. Max Word/Page Count
Again, I found this useful as I started submitting more than one story at a time. I have some stories that are short (1,500 words) and some that are longer (15,000 words). Most journals have a range they’re looking for.

J. Prize or Payment
I tend to give priority to any journal or contest that actually pays cash money. Given how much I am spending to send things out (see G), it would be nice to be paid in more than copies.

So there you have it, the updated submission spreadsheet.

If you’ve made any modifications, or if you have your own method for tracking submissions, I would love to hear about them. This is, more than anything, an ongoing project and I am always looking for ways to improve on my methods.