If you’re a busy writer, who sends off several manuscripts a week, then you need a way to keep track of your submissions. I’ve found creating a submission log is the best way to keep track of the large amount of material I send out.

Record the name of the article/or story, whether it is a query or complete manuscript, the day you mailed it, who you mailed it to, the day you received a reply and the response you received from the editor or publisher. Your submission log is also a handy place to record payments. You can easily set up a submission log on your computer or organize your submission log pages, in a three-ring notebook.

There are many ways to set up a submission log. Here’s how I set up mine:

SAMPLE SUBMISSION LOG:

Article/Story Title:__________Query:___Manuscript:___

Date Sent: Editor/Publisher: Reply Date: Comments:

1. ________ ________________ __________ _________

2. ________ ________________ __________ _________

In addition to setting up a log on every submission, I also keep a hard copy file. In each file I keep a copy of my query/cover letter, and/or manuscript, which ever the case may be. I want a record of exactly what I’ve mailed out, and to whom.

A submission log will give you a quick reference tool to the queries, articles and stories you’ve sent out. It certainly would be embarrassing to send out a duplicate letter or story to the same editor or publisher. Once you’ve been writing for a while you will craft a submission log to meet your writing needs.