QUESTION: WAITING FOR RESPONSES

Q - I have written two separate queries to a particular Christian magazine for articles I want to submit. How long does it take for a reply? Do I only get a reply if the editor is interested? Should I write to the editor again to find out after waitng a few weeks? How do I handle this?

A - Typically it takes longer than you think to get a reply. This is something I ask publishers so I can include it in the listing for each publisher. It will tell you how long they typically take to reply--and it varies quite a lot. There are a few publishers that indicate they only respond if they are interested, but they are in the minority. Their listing will say that. As far as following up, note in the guide how long they say they take to respond, give them a couple more weeks grace period for mailing time, etc., and then definitely follow up. Just send an e-mail (if they indicate they take e-mail queries)or a brief letter telling them what you sent and when, who addressed to, etc.,and asking politely what the current status of your manuscript is. It is possible that they still will not respond. If you can get no response from these notes, you can try calling. If even that gets no satisfactory response, then you may have to send them a letter indicating that since they have not responded, you are withdrawing the manusript from their consideration and will be submitting it elsewhere.