About nine months ago, I submitted a proposal for an article to a magazine. I’ve written them back occasionally over the past nine months to ask about the status of my article proposal, and each time they’ve told me that the article is still under consideration, and it could be a few months before they come to a decision.
Nine months plus seems like an unusually long turnaround time to me. Is this typical for magazine article proposals? For reference, this is a bimonthly magazine about a particular hobby, probably the number one magazine for this hobby in the US.
Also, if this thread is more suited for IMHO than GQ, please feel free to move it.
I’ve written a few articles for trade journals and it really does vary. I think the shortest I had was 2 months and the longest was something like a year and half.
These times are based on articles I’ve written and submitted…not proposals for articles that I would write. I’ve never written a proposal, I’ve only written articles and submitted them. There may be differences in your field and the type of magazines/journals I submit to.
Often magazines are waiting for a number of related articles that they can put together in a focused edition on a particular topic. That might explain the length of time. Or they just may not be that into you.
I would suggest writting the article and sending it in as opposed to just a proposal for an article.
The fact that you’re hearing back from them is important. Most of the time proposals disappear into an endless void.
What you don’t say is equally important. Can you send this proposal elsewhere if you withdraw it? Is the information timely so that it will be worth less if they hold it for another nine months? Is being in the number one magazine in the field worth the wait?
The only real question is whether withdrawing the article is worth more to you than letting it sit. There is no average how long that’s applicable to your individual situation.
For this magazine, they specifically ask for article proposals, not full articles. I sent a detailed proposal, which included all of the points I intended to cover, along with figures and a full bibliography. The editor I have been corresponding with initially seemed very excited about the proposal. So, I’m sure it’s not the difference between an article proposal and an article in this case.
The information is not time-sensitive. I’m just worried about being in limbo all this time and then getting rejected, when I might be able to get it accepted to another magazine (when I figure out what that would be.) I’m not in this for the pay; I’m just doing this as an outreach activity.