Spreadsheets for short story submissions

[J-WO]

So I was in a pub in London and happened to bump into Mr Ian Whates of this parish. He mentioned that he sends out lots of short stories and keeps track of it all by noting it all in a spreadsheet.

This struck me as a great idea (up til now I've been scribbling it all into a notebook), but I'm embarrased to admit my experience with spreadsheets (aside from a few at work that have been created by someone else) is scanty.

So I thought I'd put it to the floor- do you guys keep track of submissions with spreadsheets? How do you go about it? And how'd you go about laying out all the many and various magazines within said spreadsheet, given that not every story is going to be suitable for every venue (and vice versa)?

 

[Mouse]

Yep, I use a spreadsheet. Fancy I recommended using a spreadsheet for submissions before on the forum, tis very handy for keeping track of what's going on.

I have three workbooks* in my spreadsheet. One says what I have available to send (it'll say the name of the story, how many words it is, and what it is - story/poem/flash/novella etc.), then I'll have a 'submitted' workbook, which is where I move my 'available' stories to once I've sent them out. This has headings such as 'title,' 'type,' 'word count,' 'sent to,' 'date sent,' 'date chase can be sent,' 'date heard back' and 'result.'

Then I have a third and final sheet, which is called 'accepted,' where I move things which have been accepted. I keep everything that's been rejected in the submitted workbook so that I know who I've already sent it to so I don't accidentally send someone something I've already sent and had rejected.

Does that make sense?!

* are they called workbooks?! You know, I stare at spreadsheets for a living and for some reason that word looks strange.

 

[Ian Whates]

So I was in a pub in London and happened to bump into Mr Ian Whates of this parish. He mentioned that he sends out lots of short stories and keeps track of it all by noting it all in a spreadsheet.

It's the only way I could keep track, Jim. Three or four years ago I was sending out short stories constantly (more than 100 submissions in one particular calendar year). A simple grid with publications along the top and story titles down the side worked wonders.

Sadly, with the novel writing and editorial commitments, this has tailed off drastically in the last couple of years -- I've made just three short story submissions this year and two of those were commissioned pieces (both accepted, thankfully). Also, my latest computer refuses to open the old spreadsheet files, which doesn't help... But I still reckon the idea is sound enough.

 

[Hex]

Lordy. How do you write 100 stories a year? Or were they from a great stash of previously written ones?

 

[Ian Whates]

Lordy. How do you write 100 stories a year? Or were they from a great stash of previously written ones?

Ah, please note the careful phrasing... I made over 100 submissions, not all were of different stories. Yes, this did include earlier pieces as well as new ones.

I set myself three targets that particular year: to write at least one story a month, to make at least one sale a month, and to qualify for SFWA membership in the process. I exceeded the first two and succeeded in the third.

Basically, Ralan's website (which hopefully everyone here knows about by now) was my bible. I submitted only to those magazines and webzines that accepted electronic submissions, and was getting around one sale per eleven submissions (initially; this improved to about one in four by the time I stopped). As soon as a given piece was rejected, I would read through, perhaps tweak a little or polish again, then scour Ralan's for another likely market. It was very rare for a story not to be submitted somewhere else within 24 hours of a rejection.

So no, not 100 stories written in one year... just the 13, but more than 100 submissions.

 

[iansales]

You can track your submissions on duotrope.com as well.

 

[Hex]

Ah, please note the careful phrasing... I made over 100 submissions, not all were of different stories.

Sigh. I have no reading skills.

But that's still amazing. And inspiring too. I hope it will make the incoming rejections for my short stories less agonising now I know that everyone gets rejections (and lots of them). You wrote a (publishable) story a month, you say? Hmm.

I don't need a spreadsheet yet, but I'm paying careful attention to this thread since I hope I will need one in a few months.

 

[J-WO]

Thanks, gang! I must say, I'm very taken with Mouse's triple workbook set up (and I even like the term 'workbook'), though It may be some time before I'll create an 'acceptances' one. Ho hum.

But a 100 submissions? That's the spirit!

 

[Mouse]

Well I'm currently at work staring at spreadsheets and if I open a new one up apparently the things I thought were called workbooks are just called sheets. So I've no idea where I got workbook from!

 

[Ursa major]

The whole file is a workbook** and the sheets within it are worksheets***.









** - If you go to the Office Button and, in there, select new, it will offer you a blank workbook.

*** - If you hover over the truncated tab to the right of the last sheet, it will say "Insert Worksheet (Shift+F11)".

 

[Mouse]

Yes, like I said, my job is to stare at many, many spreadsheets! Just that the name went out of my head.

 

[Wulfen]

Has anyone considered Sonar, by Spacejock? It's built to the purpose, at least. I've not submitted anything yet, but I do enjoy using yWriter, so Sonar may be a good option, too.

 

[J-WO]

You need one of those eyemask things the innuits used so as not to go snowblind!

 

[Toby Frost]

I know a guy who works on a very precise system as to what he sends out to whom. He has had several wins in short story contests and is about to have his first novel published, so it clearly must work. Once again, the apparently contradictory talents of imagination and business acumen are required of the author!

 

[J-WO]

Looks like I'm doubly damned then!

 

[Anne Martin]

I have a spreadsheet, but I now track it on Duotrope instead. I haven't been submitting much lately, since I've been concentrating on larger forms.

 

[J-WO]

I see I'm going to have to check out duotrope. I'm more of a Ralan kinda guy...