Well, first of all I am a physicist, so I like keeping lists and records. Way over the top/overkill, but having statistics and things is nice. Since stories evolve over time, I assign each story a version number so I can keep track of who has gotten what version/length of a story.
I could use a big spreadsheet or even an Access database, but I just use a big Word file. Each entry gets a checklist for that market -- word count, format, postage, when sent, replies, etc. For example, my WOTF story listing starts out like this:
• 143 • Writers of the Future Quarterly Submissions 1 April - 30 June 2007 THIRD QUARTER XXIVth Contest
A Man in the Moon Version 1.60.14 / 14,151 words [Word 95]
Finalist In Progress (05 September 2007 • Phone Call) • One of EIGHT Finalists, still judging
Finalist no 161 (40-115-6) (06 November 2007 • Web) • No Prize, but get published?
Accepted no 161 (40-115-6) (05 January 2008 • Phone) • Will Be Published In 24th Anthology
LAST UPDATE: 01-05-2008 Sa SUBMITTED: 06-29-2007 Fr
[xx] Story LOCKED • HP LaserJet 4ML (home) MAN-160-14.dox.doc
[xx] Deadline Involved – Fiftieth Contest Entry
[xx] SFWA Qualified Market
[xx] No entry fee
[xx] Prose up to 17,000 words
143rd story sent out, 161st result recorded, with 40 wins, 115 rejections and 6 no calls at that point.
I then have a bunch of tables which track story size, estimated due dates for returns, days out for each submission and averages for each market, any way you might find it interesting to look at your data, plus a date log for each submission/result. Then I have a list of each story sent to each market -- so I know where each story can go -- and a list of where each story has gone, so I know where it can go next.
Really, it's whatever you deem useful. You could also go with a card file, with a card for each story and each market.
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branchandroot
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Date: Monday, 14 January 2008 19:20 (UTC)I could use a big spreadsheet or even an Access database, but I just use a big Word file. Each entry gets a checklist for that market -- word count, format, postage, when sent, replies, etc. For example, my WOTF story listing starts out like this:
143rd story sent out, 161st result recorded, with 40 wins, 115 rejections and 6 no calls at that point.
I then have a bunch of tables which track story size, estimated due dates for returns, days out for each submission and averages for each market, any way you might find it interesting to look at your data, plus a date log for each submission/result. Then I have a list of each story sent to each market -- so I know where each story can go -- and a list of where each story has gone, so I know where it can go next.
Really, it's whatever you deem useful. You could also go with a card file, with a card for each story and each market.
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