What are simultaneous submissions?

You’ve probably come across this phrase before, and have a general idea of what it means — but it can still be a head-scratcher. Especially with the term ‘multiple submissions’ to confuse it with. Fear not – this article will hopefully eradicate any confusion! 

Read on to find out what simultaneous submissions are, some of the rules surrounding them and some general guidelines you may want to be aware of. Reader beware — this isn’t a fully exhaustive explanation, as many publications will have differing rules, so it’s always best to do your own research!

Simultaneous submissions explained

The phrase ‘simultaneous submissions’ refers to the same piece of work being submitted to multiple publications at the same time. A poem you’re confident about might fit multiple submission calls, or you might send a short story along to multiple places as you desperately want to see it in print. Sending your work far and wide is a great idea to get loads of eyes on it, but you have to be aware that you still have to abide by a publication’s rules.

If you’ve written a great piece of work but are struggling to find a home for it, submitting it to more than one journal at once saves you time, rather than waiting for a rejection first before sending it off somewhere else. Sending them off in batches can also be a great morale boost, as well as increasing your chances of getting published!

Are there rules around simultaneous submissions?

Many publications have a staunch policy against simultaneous submissions. Sometimes, they alone want exclusive rights to a piece of work, meaning that it can’t have been published anywhere else, even if you self-published it on your website or social media. It can sometimes seem like a massive faff, but be patient — your work will find its home somewhere! Don’t give up hope if you get a rejection, or read through a publication’s entire guidelines to see ‘NO SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS’ at the bottom – it means you get to try elsewhere, instead.

Some publications will allow you to send in simultaneous submissions, but they’ll specify their criteria. Often, they’ll be more than happy to consider your work with the knowledge that it’s been sent somewhere else too; but you might have to let them know if it’s a simultaneous submission. Depending on how lax the publisher is, you may only have to let them know it’s been submitted elsewhere if it gets accepted by them, or the other place you sent it to.

The most important thing to do when submitting simultaneously is to stay polite, and use common sense. You should definitely notify all of the journals you sent it to that it’s a simultaneous submission and be hyper-vigilant about the status of your submissions, so you can let them know if you got accepted elsewhere. Above all else, treat it like a normal submission: check its date, and keep in the loop of any updates from the editors.

What if a simultaneous submission gets accepted?

Although waiting for your writing to get the green light is a nail-biting scenario, it’s important to treat it like any other submission — don’t pester the publisher with emails, especially if your submission hasn’t passed the time frame yet. By all means, send a follow-up if it’s been months since you heard anything back, but usually, it will take a while for a decision to be reached. 

If more than one publication accepts it (you lucky thing!), you get to choose which one you’d like to house your work. Sometimes, both journals will choose to publish your work. They might choose to put in a note that it was also published elsewhere, or they might not. This is a rare outcome, but not impossible! It all depends on the publishing rights, so double-check! 

Should I start submitting simultaneously?

Short answer: not without caution! Some journals won’t allow simultaneous submissions, purely because it creates more work for them — they might have considered your piece, accepted you, formatted it correctly for publication, found images to use alongside it, refused others due to space issues; all to find out they won’t be able to use your work in the end. 

Often, it comes down to your own discretion. Although it generates plenty of controversy on both sides, at the end of the day, it’s up to you whether you submit your work to more than one place at a time. They have no reason to have an issue with it as long as you follow the rules, and if you manage to get it down to a fine art, your only trouble should be choosing between the journals who want to house your work. Each publication will have their own guidance on their submissions page, so make sure you read those instructions carefully before submitting.

Simultaneously superb!

Simultaneous submitting means sending the same work off to multiple places at once. Make sure you read a publication’s guidelines carefully to make sure they allow simultaneous submissions. Lastly, it’s common courtesy to notify editors if your work gets accepted by another publication, so do the right thing!