There are very few markets these days that still allow paper submissions, still fewer that require them. Sometimes I forget why I’m so glad about this. But yesterday I submitted a flash fiction story to a market that only accepted paper, snail-mail submissions. What a chore! First, since the story was a one-page print-out, I folded it in thirds to fit into a number 10 envelope. But, the creases kept ending up in places that made the manuscript harder to read when it was opened up. So I did the re-folding four times before I got the look I wanted. Then, the number 10 envelopes I was preparing kept getting ink smudges on the back and I had to toss several of them out. It took me a while to realize I was laying them down on a page of ink-jet printed labels that had not quite dried. Sheesh. I finally got it all together and had to make a trip to the Post Office to drop it in the slot. No way was I going to trust any other form of drop-off for something as important as a manuscript. But then I worried: Gee, that address label seemed a little loose at the corner. Would it fall off before it got to its destination? At least this, being a one page submission, only needed a regular stamp. At least I didn’t have to stand in line at the PO to have it weighed for correct postage. The whole experience was a good reminder of why I’m so grateful that these days we largely deal in electronic submissions. I guess it’s sort of like “roughing it” in the wilderness from time to time. It sure makes one appreciate the comforts of the modern world.
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I agree Lida! And what we’d be spending in postage. This electronic world has spoiled me on the submissions process.
Good luck with your entry!
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And, heck, I even forgot to mention how we had to keep track of what we spent on postage, envelopes, etc. for the IRS! Yeah, I’m spoiled, too. But it’s all good. Lida
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Lida, I feel your pain. I had to send a full manuscript (93,000-word novel) to an agent last year, and after I trucked it to the PO, I relaized I hadn’t changed the font to TNR 12 from 14 which is easier for me to read on the screen, so there were more pages, which made it heavier. And then the agent explained what I should have done. Then she rejected it.
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That sure beats the heck out of my woes with only a one-page paper submission. But at least we writers can commiserate with each other. Lida
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