5 Don’t-Miss Advantages Of Summer Submissions

by | Submit Your Writing | 9 comments

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Deadline: Thursday, February 22nd

submit during the summerDoes this sound familiar?

Summer comes, and suddenly it gets a little harder to get excited about making submissions, to say “no” to that barbecue invitation in favor of butt-in-chair time at your writing desk.

It’s a classic case of the ant and the grasshopper (with the grasshopper lounging around all summer long, and the ant being busy as a bee).

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time.

 John Lubbock

Our friend Mr. Lubbock makes a great point: Summer’s a fantastic time for R & R. Sometimes, rest can rejuvenate the imagination.

But if you’re career-minded, summer is also a great time to keep your submissions on track.

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Here’s why.

1. Less competition. Let’s use a highly scholarly example from the business world to illustrate our point.

The old tongue twister tells us that Sally goes to the seashore to sell seashells, but actually, she’s probably just going to work on her tan (after all, why would you need to sell shells at the shore anyway? They’re already there!).

So while Sally and her kind are slacking off, you’ve got a competitive advantage. Move in, get the corner on the market, and make your sale.

2. Markets are open for business. Although there are always murmurings that the publishing industry shuts down for summer—and yes, some places are closed to submissions—many markets remain open.

So where does the myth that the whole industry closes for the summer come from? At New York publishing houses, some employees take part (or even all) of Fridays off during the summer. It’s a (fading) custom. And some academia-affiliated lit mags will not actively read when school’s not in session. But this doesn’t mean the whole industry is shutting down…and to get an advantage, neither should you.

3. Summertime was made for reading. When the fall season kicks back into full swing, life gets frantic. But in the summertime, literary agents will leisurely take their manuscripts to the beach to get them ready for the fall rush. Editors at lit mags will do the same.

We don’t know about you, but we’d rather have an agent or editor reading a submission while on vacation as opposed to while in a cubicle. It’s all about good energy.

4. The best time is always right now. Here’s a funny thing about success: If you keep waiting for the right time to go out and get it, you might end up waiting your whole life. There’s always some excuse you can use to NOT submit. But if you’re hoping to make a splash this summer (in something other than the wave pool), get focused and stay focused. You’ll be glad you did.

5. We can make it easy. Okay—we don’t mean this to be an advertisement. But our business was built to help writers, so we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention this. If you would rather be boogie boarding than researching markets for your book or poetry or prose, our A La Carte service is a one-time, inexpensive way to have Writer’s Relief do the research for you. You could get 25+ submissions out in three days—and be done with it when you go on vacay. That’s all we’re gonna say about that. Click to learn more.

Writer QuestionsQUESTION: Where are you going on vacation this summer? Will you be taking a book (to write or read) on the road?

9 Comments

  1. Julie

    I love the idea of editors reading some of my summer inspired pieces on the beach. Nothing better than working on your tan, maybe with a frosty drink in one hand, and a manuscript in the other? 😀

    Reply
  2. PJ

    Great advice! I am going to be traveling (mostly through the northwest coast of the US), and I ALWAYS bring a good book. As to the writing, if the inspiration strikes then it doesn’t matter where I am.

    Reply
  3. Trish

    I’ll be writing poetry and making submissions! Knowing the competition is less right now is actually what prompted me to make my first submissions ever. Ive been reading my rejections with delight because it’s proof that I finally did what I’ve been saying I’d do for the longest time. (But that first acceptance will still make me way happier of course!)

    Reply
  4. Bruce

    And let’s not forget the inspiration that a beautiful summer breeze can conjure! These are all great points; time to seriously get back to work. My novel isn’t gonna write itself, now is it? 😀

    Reply
  5. Amy

    Our family is going on a mission trip to a foreign country in a couple months. I’ve already submitted a query for an article on the experience, and it’s already been accepted!

    Reply
    • Writers Relief Staff

      Dear Amy, thanks for sharing your wonderful achievement! Being accepted in advance is no easy feat. Good luck writing your article and best wishes to you and your family on your mission trip!

      Reply
  6. Lori Orser

    Summer sounds like the absolute best time to submit! But my manuscript is not even quite ready to send to a pro editor! And won’t be by the 12th. Otherwise I’d jump on this. But I am getting the newsletter, and when I’m ready, maybe you’ll be ready too. Query letters stump me still. (put the story at the top? Introduce yourself in the first paragraph?) Address to one editor. Check. Include word count and genre. Half check. I’ve have word count, but hmm. Horror? Paranormal mystery with a hint of romance? Seems different agents use different terms, and I’m lost in between!

    Reply
  7. Kellie

    I wish I had my manuscripts edited enough to submit but it’s only half done. I am kicking myself now because it’s not done. Do theses opportunity come up often.
    Good luck to everyone I know what it’s like to get a chance like this Iv had the honor of having a short story published… It was an amazing feeling

    Go for it everyone and good luck

    Reply
    • Writers Relief Staff

      Dear Kellie, while summertime is a great time to submit, there is no wrong time to submit. We appreciate your enthusiasm for summer submissions, but submitting your work at any time of year is better than not submitting at all. We hope you’ll consider sending your work to our Review Board; we might be able to help you make submissions all year long!

      Reply

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