Just wondering if sending a piece to multiple publishers is always haram, or only when it is explicitly stated on the submission guidelines. I've seen it written on the submissions guidelines page before, but haven't for the magazine I'm trying to get published in, so was wondering if I could go ahead and send it to some more publishers. Thanks.
There's a major Pro and Con to the practice. Pro: It allows a writer to throw a net out there and receive answers from a multitude of magazines in a short amount of time, which prevents the writer from waiting months before moving on to the next magazine. Con: You will undoubtedly piss a few editors off, if, and only if, some fall in love with your piece, especially if their guidelines state explicitly they do not accept multiples. You will be turned into a mental note, and the editor will more than likely not take your next submission seriously. A better solution? Wait 'til you have multiple pieces finished, then submit them all at the same time to different magazines. That way, you're still increasing your chances, staying professional about the matter, and freeing yourself up to work on another set of stories in the meanwhile. Better to listen to what magazines prefer than what they say they're okay with, because you make it apparent you're taking their time into consideration.
If a magazine doesn't say anything about it, I would say simultaneous submissions are OK. But if possible, it would be better to contact the magazine and ask them.
Many of the folks I know who regularly submit short stories do simultaneous submissions, even if the magazine says not to. If one magazine accepts, they withdraw it from the others. Yeah, they admit it's a bit risky, but it simply takes too long to go one by one, and especially if the magazines have very low acceptance rates, they view it as better (and more efficient) to cast a wider net. Of course, you have to decide for yourself what you feel most comfortable doing.
i would never advise anyone to cheat... aside from the moral issue, editors who know each other have been known to put the word out on a writer worth ignoring, due to his/her ignoring submission guidelines... if you want to simsub, do so for only those mags that allow it... and send other pieces of your work to those that don't...
Usually, I've found that "multiple submissions" means sending more than one piece to the same market. "Simultaneous submissions" generally means sending out the same piece to more than one market. As a general rule when it comes to simultaneous submissions: if they say not to, then don't. Here's something from one of the people behind weekly sci-fi ezine Strange Horizons, explaining why they choose not to accept simultaneous submissions. It's pretty illuminating: http://www.strangehorizons.com/fiction-info/2010/05/dont_send_us_si.shtml