Tips for Keeping Submissions Organized Using Google Sheets

Jul 6

Last year, I started submitting to literary journals and magazines to help keep my mind busy during the pandemic. What started off as a random submission here and there quickly increased to a dozen or so submissions every month. This year, I challenged myself to up my submission goal and collect 100 rejections by the end of 2021—and hopefully a handful of acceptances along the way.

I quickly realized last year that I needed a better way to stay organized, especially when it came to submitting to places with emailed submissions (as opposed to Submittable or Duotrope, though non-emailed submissions like this can be in the tracker as well). So I Googled a few templates and eventually landed on a submissions tracker setup that, while not overly fancy, has helped me stay organized and efficiently withdraw pieces when needed (and celebrate acceptances when they came in). I hope it helps you when it comes to your own submissions!

Tracking your submissions via Google Sheets

I’ve found Google Sheets to be a great way to track submissions. Currently, I have nine columns set up in my tracker, with the following headers: Piece, Date, Journal, Status, Follow-Up/Query Time, Simultaneous submissions accepted, Submit again, Submitted via, and Notes (note below that there are two separate screenshots, but all nine columns are one right after the other in the actual Sheet).

Each component helps me stay organized and focused on my goals (and ensures, most importantly, that I don’t forget to withdraw a piece if it’s accepted elsewhere). Here’s how it looks and how I use each column to keep everything in order:

Piece

Here’s where I’ll list the title of the piece I submitted, including it every single time I submit it to a new journal/magazine. That way, if it’s accepted, I can do a simple SEARCH function and figure out from which places I need to withdraw the piece.

Date

This is, of course, pretty self-explanatory but this is where I’ll list the date on which the piece is submitted. I tend to use the color gray to differentiate between different months (so all of May’s submissions will be in a lighter gray, and then I’ll put June’s into a darker shade so it’s easier to see how many pieces were submitted month over month (years are sectioned off with a columns-merged header). The date also helps me figure out when it’s appropriate to follow up with a magazine/journal so I know whether it’s too soon or not.

Journal

One of the most important components of the tracker is the journal/magazine to which you’re submitting. The only thing I’ll put into this column is the name of the place I submitted to, whether that’s a magazine or a contest. I’ve already recently started bolding the names of places that charged a reading fee to submit so I can be sure to not go overboard with those types of submissions in a given month. If it was free to submit, I’ll just list the journal/contest name.

Status

This column only ever has four words and each has a different color association: ACCEPTED, REJECTED, WITHDRAWN, or SUBMITTED. As soon as I submit a piece, I’ll write “Submitted” and highlight the cell in yellow. If it’s rejected, I’ll type that word and highlight red, if withdrawn I’ll do the same but highlight it in lavender, and if accepted, indicate it as such and highlight it in green (though for acceptances, I’ll generally also highlight everything to the left of Status so I know that piece should no longer be included in future submission packets. I’ve also since created a dedicated tab for accepted pieces titled “No Longer Available” where I’ll post the title, journal name, and a link to it once it goes live.

Follow-Up/Query Time

Here’s where I’ll list when it’s appropriate to follow up with a lit mag. Most magazines will have their usual response time stated in their guidelines and when it’s appropriate to query them if you haven’t heard back within that time. For example, some places will say they’ll try to get back within 30 days, but if you haven’t heard back after 45 days have passed, you can reach out to them and query about the status of your submission. Note that every place is different when it comes to response times and some don’t list a follow-up time at all so always be sure you’re following that specific site’s guidelines.

Simultaneous submissions accepted

Depending on whether a journal accepts simultaneous submissions, this is where I’ll put a simple “yes” or “no”. This helps to determine whether a piece can only be submitted to that one unique journal or if you can submit it to as many places as you want. Just be sure to withdraw a simultaneously submitted piece if it’s accepted elsewhere (most places will indicate in their guidelines how they want you to do this).

Submit again

If a journal has specific guidelines on how often you can submit, this column is where I’ll put the specifics. For example, some places will indicate if you’re accepted, to not submit again for six months. If rejected, sometimes they’ll ask you to wait a couple months.

Submitted via

Submitting to a large variety of lit mags can get confusing. Some only take email submissions while others have their own specific online portals and you don’t want to forget how you submitted to a given place. In this column, I’ll list the method of submission—Submittable, Duosuma, an online portal, Google Forms, or email.

Notes

The last (and, personally, my most-recently added) column is Notes. Here’s where I’ll indicate any particular notes that were given in a submission response, like whether I got a tiered rejection or if I was encouraged to re-submit during their next submission window. This helps me stay encouraged and remember whether a certain place indicated they may have been particularly interested in seeing more work in the future.

How do you stay organized when submitting? Comment your tips below!

submit your worksubmissions

Erica Abbott

Erica Abbott (she/her) is a Philadelphia-based poet and writer whose work has previously appeared or is forthcoming in Serotonin, FERAL, Gnashing Teeth, Selcouth Station, Anti-Heroin Chic, and other journals. She is the author of Self-Portrait as a Sinking Ship (Toho, 2020), her debut poetry chapbook. She volunteers for Button Poetry and Mad Poets Society. Follow her on Instagram @poetry_erica and on Twitter @erica_abbott and visit her website here.