[pilonsc Posts: 106 Status: Offline Dream Big!]

If you have sent out a PB ms to a publisher and recieved your rejection, when is it okay to send a different ms to that publisher? Is there a certain time you should wait before sending off the new ms or can you send it as soon as you recieve the rejection, since chances are they won't remember you anyways and they won't read it for another couple months?

I'm just wondering because I have a new ms almost ready for submission and a few publishers I want to sub to overlap with where I sent my last ms.

Any advice would be great! 

[Franzilla Posts: 997 Status: Offline Gah!]

I always thought they wouldn't remember, after all if the slush pile is that big how can they? But apparently some do and they get peeved if they feel they're being bombarded with MS. Thing is, I imagine 'bombarded' is a very subjective thing. Plus some slush will be read by editorial assistants, or even interns, who may have rejected your first MS.

if you got a personalised rejection, then I would think it would be fine to send another story soon after. If not, it might be best to wait. But how long? I haven't a clue. Maybe someone else who knows editors can chime in.

[Kell Posts: 1,197 Status: Offline On the other hand]

If it took three or four months to get answer, you're probably OK to send another because it will be three or four months until they read. But if it was just a few weeks to an answer, best to wait a bit.

I could be totally wrong, but I think most of the time editors won't remember your name unless your stuff is really good and they liked it a lot, in which case they won't mind seeing more.

[JennaWren Posts: 1,754 Status: Offline]

I agree with the wait-six-months-between-submissions approach. This shows you've been working on your craft and striving to imiprove -- that you aren't just throwing out a ton of manuscripts to see what sticks. But, Kelly has a point about timing -- if you sub and three months later get a rejection, you might only have to wait a month or two before you send the next story.  Honestly, the PB market for unagented subs is so small that either they are inundated with subs, in which case yours might get forgotten in the chaos and a new sub won't even register, or in the small arena you might stand out (for better or worse), and a new, sudden sub might be off-putting.

Gah. So, yeah. Guess that wasn't really helpful!!