Thanks, Gail. I'm still thrilled every time I see a poem of mine in print.

Hi Ruth, been away from my computer for a while. Just wanted to say, congratulations too.

I finely shared my first book of poems with my Father over the weekend. He says, keep it up.

It's always nice to be supported even in when we take little steps, and getting published is the biggie.

Gail A.

Thank you, David.

Yes! congratulations Ruth, it is great to see anyone who writes get published. (-:

And I check by poem title.

Well, for me, I look in the database and if there's already an entry for Ploughshares, I make a second entry called 'Ploughshares (2)', and so on. I can look in any of these entries and see what was sent and rejected already, or if there is a submission still pending.

Say you've decided to send to Ploughshares again. How do you check what you've sent before so that you won't send it again?

I use word and excel but I confess to a handwritten 3 ring binder working even better for me. I organize it by the poem- I have a page for each poem. Both my computer forms and binder are set up the same way-title of poem at top of page, then subheadings across-name of journal, date submitted, date accepted, returned or withdrawn (I do simultaneous submissions, so this helps me instantly know when to send notices to withdraw if a poem is accepted). I use the word return rather than rejected because it looks softer on the page-strictly a mental thing for me.

Excel works well for me.

I don't have Access, either.

MS Access is the answer to a database. I am enjoying the discussion on submitting I have to start practicing what I preach. submit submit submit. you dears are motivating me. Access has many features and actually can link to/work with your website if I remember right.
I like Ray's titles for the fields. Think I might try to get organized this summer b4 school starts again. I think when school starts I won't be participating as much, each year the classes I take seem to become more and more challenging.

I haven't used it since the late eighties, when I used it for lab results of some neuroscience researchI did with rats. (Enough bad karma there to get me reborn as an annelid worm.) I think Excel's basically a database, though. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway, it's sitting here on my computer, so I'll fool around with it and let y'all know how it goes.

I do have Excel, but I haven't used it since 1997, when I used it for figuring grades. I'd have to be learning it all over again. I don't understand how you can do a database thing in what's basically a numbers program.

Do you have Excel, Ruth? I think we might be able to do some of that on Excel. Any comments or suggestions from others?

Alas, I don't have Works. Sounds good, tho.

I use Microsoft Works Database to create a field for each publication I want to submit to. When I find a publication I'm interested in, I enter their information into my database: Editor, Address, Email address, Web Address, Country, Release, Submit Period, Special Requests, How many to Submit, Submission Method, etc... After these entries, I have another half-dozen for including how many I sent, the titles, the date I sent them, and then the date of their response, the response, whether the publiation was in fault or not, a large field for all my notes and any critique they might give, then a field for Rights Status, and my final outcome as to which poems are being returned to which folders (Accepted, reusable).

I use MS Word to create submissions, so when one comes back as, say, a rejection, I chart the response in my database, add in any notes I want to remember, and then cut/paste the poems in the submission into the appropriate file. For a rejection, all the poems go back into the reusable file and are then ready for a revision and the next possible submission at my leisure. Whenever I want to submit something, I open this file, a blank MSWord document, and the database for all the information to use in my cover letter.

It's an efficient system and saves me a lot of time. A database is the way to go if you want to keep track of many things at once.

I have a database system that I use for my own submissions and for my clients. I keep track of poems, chapbook, and full length book manuscript submissions as well as which journals/presses/contests are reading at any given time, culling information from many sources.

I have three separate files with tables in Word. One for Submissions, one for Acceptances, and one for Rejections. Under each place I submit I list when, what, and any particular bits I should know like estimated reply time, etc. When I get an answer I cut the row about that submission from the table and move it either into Rejections or Acceptances.

I keep a separate table with the title of all poems available for submission. One cell for each journal with the poems I sent there. When I hear from the journal I make changes in the Poems list.

It's too damn much moving things around.

Keeping track is part of my problem. I used a handwritten notebook for years. Half was tabs of journals, and half was tabs of poems. I'd write a page for each poem, with the name of the poem, where I sent it, whether I'd notified the editor that the submission would be simultaneous, the date it was sent, the date it was responded to, and whether it was accepted or rejected. In the other half of the notebook would go a page for the journal, with which poems were sent to it, whether it was a simultaneous submission, and dates of acceptance or rejection. Both journals and poem titles were alphabetized.

Unfortunately, since my back really gave out, I've been unable to manipulate these heavy notebooks and sit or stand to write in them regularly! I have yet to devise an alternative system for my computer. There are some online submission trackers out there, but they're either only for PC's or require you to store your data on someone else's server. I have a Mac, and I don't like not having sole control of my data.

The old system served me well. I could tell easily what was out where. When a simultaneous submission was accepted by one journal, I had only to flip to the page for that poem to tell me which editors I had to write to withdraw the submission elsewhere.

Since I now work almost exclusively lying down, I need a submission system that I can use on my computer. I also prefer these days to submit to journals that accept online submissions. Luckily, many of the print journals now do accept online submissions, and even some chapbook contests do.

How do the rest of you keep track of your submissions?

I started a thread under CALLS FOR WORK - SUBMIT, named SUBMIT, SUBMIT, SUBMIT. Do join us.

Ruth & Jan
Can I join you? I need help in keeping track of submissions. I started using a notebook, but forgot to write dates or my handwriting is terrible. I think I have 3 batches out right now. Not sure what. A batch of 3 (I always use 3- easier to remember) came back so I know those are good to go out again. How can you keep track of 20? Or even 12? I also joined that Passager Contest for poets over 55?60? so I can't use those. Also have a bunch in the PAD challenge. Wonder when they will be released? or have they already appeared on-line?
Thanks, Marian

Thank you Jan.. my latest book "Sinning on my way to Church" will be available in the following 2-3 weeks.

This sounds like the kind of prodding I need. I have been going fairly strong for the past three years, but in recent months have let the submission pile slide to about 8 to 10 right now. I would love to join. I will watch for the new thread. In recent months, I've found it a bit more difficult than in the past ... whether that is due to the poems I'm sending or the market tightening its belt a bit.

Let's start a thread just for that purpose.

Great, Ruth and Nina! I will try for your goal of twelve submissions in play, Ruth, but it's been a while since I managed that many. I'll see if I can do one a week from now on, and tell you two about them. If anyone else wants to join us, just say so!

Congratulations, Crow, how exciting!

My book Windows to my Past is now available via authorhouse.com, barnesandnoble.com and the soundtrack is now available on iTunes.com

This is a great idea, Jan! I tend to submit in spurts rather than in a steady fashion.

Ruth, you're right, many of the journals don't read over the summer

Lets do it. I used to make it a goal (not always achieved) that I would always have at least 12 submissions in play. I'd like to up that to 20.

Which means every time one comes back, I send out another. A little harder to do in summer with the university-sponsored mags all in hibernation, but things will open up in the fall.

Want to make a submissions pact, Ruth? Like, we'll each submit x number of poems to y number of periodicals per week/month/year, and record it here? Anybody else game?

Thanks, Jan. I should get more organized about submitting.

Ruth wrote: "My poem, Turn the Radio Off, appears in the Summer 2009 issue of Main Channel Voices:A Dam Fine Literary Magazine."

Congratulations, Ruth!

Thanks Wendy. I'm sorry I can't post a link to it. It's a print-only publication. They do have a website, tho.

http://www.mainchannelvoices.com/

Can you post a link to it or is it not on-line as well?
Congratulations!
Wendy

Thanks, Nina.

Congrats, Ruth!

My poem, Turn the Radio Off, appears in the Summer 2009 issue of Main Channel Voices:A Dam Fine Literary Magazine.