WRITING: Submission Responses

Well no, they haven’t read the stories yet, but they did respond…with a submissions request of their own to subscribe to their lit journal.

I suppose that it’s only good business sense (although they didn’t bother to look up whether I already am a subscriber or not) to solicit off names of submitters, and it is better I would think to get this request before rather than after a rejection, but it does tickle the consciousness with suspicion.  Are they going to wait to read until I send them my acquiesence and a check?  Should I have included a subscription renewal form with my submission?  Is this why there is a four-month response period because submissions go through the subscription department first?

My volley?  I’m going to let each story stand on its own.  But I vow that if I am accepted for publication, I will indeed subscribe–and insist my friends all subscribe–to that "winning" publication.  Unless, of course, their payment consists of a paid subscription.