Organize your list of publications
As you find niche, trade, and/or international markets that interest you, create an organizational system to search and locate submission information easily, alleviating the need to do tons of market research every time you have an idea you want to query. An easy example of this is an updated spreadsheet with column titles such as:
- Name of publication
- Topics covered
- Website URL
- Editor’s name
- What to send (i.e., query, full article…)
As your list grows, update and organize it by name, topic, etc.
When you begin submitting pitches to editors, it’s a good idea to create a new tab (or an entirely new spreadsheet) to keep track of your submissions and follow-ups. You might include:
- Name of publication
- Topic of query/article you sent
- Editor’s name
- Editor’s email
- Date sent
- Follow-up date
- Response from editor
