I submitted an article to two different magazines at the same time. They did not say that they dislike/disallow simultaneous submissions so I figured I was ok, so long as I informed the other as soon as I got an acceptance. What I didn't expect was that they would both send me an acceptance within 30 mins of each other. How do I handle this tactfully and what is SOP for this sort of thing? Regards, Kyle
pick the one you like best [or that pays the best] and tell the other one 'thanks, but it's been sold' and you'll be happy to give them first crack at future material...
Only rational way out of this would be to tell the magazine with a lesser fanbase or pay that you're very sorry, but it turns out that you cannot publish your story after all.
Congratulations, Kyle. That's a nice ratio you've sigged. Some day, I hope to be plagued with similar problems.
Thanks everyone. The key is, apparently, to submit to several places you equally like, all at once. Then leave town for the weekend.
sorry, but that's not at all 'rational'!... a lie will almost always come back to bite you in the nether parts... and saying that you're not going to publish it, while doing that, is foolish to the max, since it'll be out there for anyone to see [and that includes the editor you just lied to]...
I only wish that this was my problem. Looks like you have the answer solved. Enjoy your sucsess, my friend!
That's a brillant and enviable situation to be in. The say you should submit to only one editor at a time for this very reason. Of course in the real world that's not feasable. Well done.
only if that editor specifies 'no simultaneous submissions' in the submission guidelines!... if that condition is not stated, you can submit to as many as you want, at the same time...