Simultaneous submissions
A simultaneous submission (sim-sub) is the same piece sent to multiple magazines at the same time. For short fiction, poetry, and essays, sim-subs are now the norm — response times are long enough that single-market submission would keep a piece tied up for a year or more. But conventions still vary by magazine, and the etiquette matters.
Why sim-subs exist
Magazine response times for short work commonly run three to nine months, and sometimes longer. Submitting a piece to one magazine at a time means that over the course of a single year, a piece is out to maybe two magazines, total. Most writers have many more target magazines than that for any given piece. Sim-subs let you submit to a dozen or more simultaneously, and dramatically increase the chance of any given piece finding a home.
Magazines have, broadly, accepted this. The vast majority of literary magazines allow sim-subs explicitly in their guidelines, on condition that you notify them immediately if the piece is accepted elsewhere.
What to look for in the guidelines
Always read the magazine's submission guidelines before sending. Four possible statements you will encounter:
- "Simultaneous submissions welcome, please notify us immediately if accepted elsewhere." Standard. Most magazines. Go ahead.
- "We accept simultaneous submissions, but please note this in your cover letter." Same as above, with a small disclosure obligation. Add a line to the cover letter.
- "No simultaneous submissions." The piece must be exclusively with them while under consideration. Some prestigious magazines still require this. Respect it, or do not submit.
- "Please wait for a decision before submitting the same piece elsewhere." Same as "no sim-subs" with a kinder phrasing.
When the guidelines are silent, assume sim-subs are acceptable and disclose them in the cover letter. When the guidelines explicitly forbid sim-subs, honor that. Breaking a no-sim-sub policy is noticed and remembered.
How many is too many
There is no formal rule. In practice, sending a single piece to 25–40 magazines simultaneously is common and reasonable. Beyond that, you start to lose track of where the piece is out, which is how accidental etiquette failures happen. Send in batches of ten to twenty, keep a record (the submission tracker is designed for exactly this), and add new markets as rejections come in.
One caveat: if a magazine has an especially short reading period or charges a reading fee, be thoughtful about including them in a large sim-sub batch. Their return rate for fee-paid submissions is an economic question, and placing the same piece in dozens of paid submissions at once is not a great use of your money.
Notifying on acceptance
When a piece is accepted by one magazine, you need to withdraw it from every other magazine you sent it to — immediately, the same day if possible. This is the single most important etiquette rule in sim-subs. Two ways to do this depending on the submission portal:
- Via Submittable or similar: Most portals have a "withdraw" button on each submission. Use it. Some prompt you to include a note; a single line ("This piece has been accepted elsewhere — thank you for your time") is sufficient.
- Via email: Reply to the original submission email or send a new email to the submission address with a short subject line ("Withdrawal: [Story Title]") and a one-paragraph message.
See withdrawal etiquette for templates and more detail.
What counts as accepted "elsewhere"
A formal acceptance email or contract, with intent to publish. A "we like this and want to hold it for consideration" note is not an acceptance. A personal rejection with a request to see the piece again after revision is not an acceptance. An editor's expression of interest without an offer is not an acceptance. Don't withdraw from other magazines until you actually have the offer in hand — and if you're unsure, ask the editor whether their note constitutes an acceptance.
Special cases
- Contests. Contests typically forbid simultaneous submission. If you submit the same piece to a contest and to regular magazines, and the piece is accepted by a magazine before the contest decision, withdraw from the contest — and expect your entry fee not to be refunded.
- Featured or solicited submissions. If a magazine has invited you to submit (an editor reached out), they usually expect exclusivity on that piece for a reasonable window. Ask if unclear.
- Poetry packages. If you submit three to five poems and one is accepted, you typically offer the magazine all of them and they select which to publish. You withdraw the entire package — not just the selected poem — from other markets.
- Novel excerpts or sections from a larger work. Be clear with magazines that the piece is excerpted and whether you've agreed to exclusivity for some time window around the book's publication.
What happens if you break the etiquette
Two common failures:
- Submitting to a no-sim-sub market without disclosing. If they find out (which they may — editors talk, and accepted pieces sometimes appear in another market before theirs publishes), the magazine will remember. Most don't formally blacklist; they don't have to.
- Failing to withdraw promptly after acceptance elsewhere. If a magazine offers to publish a piece, then learns it was accepted elsewhere weeks ago and you didn't withdraw, that is a meaningful breach of etiquette. In the worst cases, the first magazine may rescind their offer. Always withdraw the day of acceptance.
The practical system
Keep one record — spreadsheet, tracker tool, whatever — of what you have where, when you sent it, and the magazine's status. When an acceptance arrives, your job is straightforward: reply to the accepting editor, withdraw from every other market that has the same piece, update your record, and move on.