How do you know when your work is "ready" to be submitted?

[whizzy]

I've been reading all the posts in Bragging Place and I'm interested to know how people gauged when to begin submitting work for publication. Did you go on feedback received when posting LO's? or were you approached by mags?

cheers, Glynis
p.s. noticed my LO using Lauren's page kit — is just short of 1,000 views, that's exciting for me !!! :)

[Margie]

well i'll tell you very honestly that i submitted wayyyyy before i was "ready"!! *BUT* they ended up publishing my third ever digital page and it really stunk! (not faking modesty here, it really did and good friends were able to say so) and another was chosen that was less than good too. so you never know what they're looking for. but i just submitted away for a year, hearing nothing, figuring i wasn't ready, but why not try? now i'm having a bit more luck, though now they always seem to pick pages where i'm trying to scrap in someone else's style, so i'm getting a big hint about what they think about "my" style!! :D but submit, try, go for it! they're kind enough to not say no if they don't choose it, so you don't even have to deal with rejection!! :D i suggest www.scrapsubmit.com as the mags like it, the calls are all there, and it's easy to use. i had one page chosen the day after i submitted it there. (btw, i've also had pages chosen almost a year after submitting, so you just never know!) Ü

[whizzy]

Okay, so for example, would you contemplate submitting my "Moments in a Day" LO if you were me? (seeking appropriate permissions of course)

Glynis

[Margie]

well heck yeah i would!!! (of course any page published using dsp products that gives our link in the credits gets a free month of club digital too!) but as the most viewed page in the gallery, it's certainly worthy! no more thinking, just submit! Ü

[Lauren]

Ive got to say too that of the pages I have had accepted for publication - they REALLY arent my best work - for some reason they dont seem to want what I think is good!!!!

[Emma]

I asked Amanda how she goes about getting so many layouts published, and she said she submits everything! Unless it's a complete scraplift or super boring ie rectangles on a solid color page (which she doesn't do!) she emails them off. Good plan for getting published a lot.

I sent a bunch to Simple Scrapbooks call that was posted last month, never heard back. Oh, well! From what I hear I ought to submit my junky ones, and they'll get chosen! :D Apparently SS publishes a simpler style, hence the name! So I probably should have sent in my less graphicy pages, but I didn't know.

So submit a whole bunch, frequently. I need to go learn to use Scrap Submit and just get lots of stuff out there. The published layouts aren't necessarily the best, but it's the "scatter lots of seeds an maybe one will grow" approach.

Good luck!

My problem is that for specific calls, I never know what to submit, what fits. So I read the call and nothing pops to mind, so I just don't bother. How do you choose appropriate layouts for each call?

[whizzy]

Well, I checked out Scrap Submit and I'm thinking like you Emma, — how do you choose appropriate layouts for each call? :confused:

[Margie]

you're over thinking it! :D just sit back, check a bunch of the boxes and send! if they don't like it, they'll delete it. doesn't hurt to try, if they sound the least bit like your page, check them. if not, don't. but always include each of the general magazines at the top too. click!! now!! :D

[elizabethlmccoy]

Whizzy,
I think alot of what people like is thinking out of the box...you know if the topic is girly what is your interpretation? It could really stand out to them? Just my two cents!!!

Liz

[Emma]

check a bunch of the boxes and send! :D

I think I misunderstood the process, you can check several calls for one layout? I thought I had to individually send each layout to each call, and repeat if I wanted multiple layouts to one call.

I need to go back and look again...sounds easier to use than I first thought. Any more tips, Margie?! :P

...publishing newbie
:rolleyes:

[Margie]

oh noooo! :D i don't do things unless they're simple! just check as many of the boxes that are relevant, always including the main mags at the top. and they will send emails to each of the mags for each of the calls. each mag will receive the appropriate subject line too with your layout and info.
and tips? try it! that's my tip! when you finish a layout and upload it here, then just go there and submit it while you're at it and have the credit info handy. Ü