So what's up with simultaneous submissions? Is it completely wrong to pitch an idea to various publications at once? It doesn't seem quite fair that if you have a time-sensitive idea, that you send it to only one editor, who in all likelihood will not get back to you before the idea is stale, when you could be sending it to a bunch of editors at the same time, thereby netting you a better chance of hearing a response. Right?

But then again, what if, by some chance, more than one editor accepts? You're not going to make any friends by rescinding the idea that they accepted because Magazine A already said yes. Even worse, what if Magazine A says yes but Magazine B offers you more money? What to do?

The easiest thing to do first is check. Not all, but some publications have rules on their submissions or pitch guidelines stating that they do not accept simultaneous submissions. So make it simple for yourself at the start and check their site or even employ good old Google along with the name of the publication and the phrase "simultaneous submission." You might uncover an interview with an editor where she says how she loathes the simultaneous submission.

In the spirit of not destroying relationships, do not pose simultaneous pitches to an editor with whom you have an established connection with because confusion over simultaneous submissions is a good way to destroy it.

A good rule of thumb, with any publication, relationship or not, is staggered simultaneous submission with notice. With a cover letter, state simply that if you haven't heard back from the editor in X amount of days, you will assume that they are not interested and will submit elsewhere. To ensure that a pitch hasn't been lost in the shuffle of email and time, a brief follow-up before you resubmit elsewhere can help confirm that the editor is not interested in your idea, and that it wasn't merely overlooked.

If however you absolutely cannot wait that long to get this story going, proceed at your own risk. However, you can attempt to cover yourself a little bit. If you have other ideas and think that you can spin them to make them particular and appealing to the various pubs you're submitting to simultaneously, you might save yourself if you tell an editor, "Sorry, actually somebody else is taking this story. But here's another great idea for you and only you." It might work. On the other hand, the editor might not trust you again.

Isn't that helpful?