Post-Submission FAQs
Post-Submission FAQs
A note from the editor
Thank you so much for submitting an essay to This Song Changed My Life! I’m so glad you took the time to share your story.
TSCML is a labor of love, and I am managing a high volume of submissions, so please be patient as I work my way through them all.
Also, please refrain from sending follow-up emails containing any of the common inquiries answered below. This helps keep the process moving as quickly and seamlessly as possible for everyone.
Thank you!
Grace Lilly
Editor-in-Chief
I’ve submitted my essay, now what?
If selected, you can expect to get an email from me within 4-6 weeks after submitting to let you know that you’re in the queue to be published.
After you receive that first notification, please sit tight until I email you again with an intended publication date. This part may take some time (see “When will I be published?” below), but if you’re in the queue I promise I will get to you.
In the meantime, if any edits or additional materials are requested, please provide them in as timely a manner as possible to keep things on track.
Finally, I will email you the week of publication with a preview link and additional information.
Will I definitely be published?
Not necessarily. While I can assure you that every submission is read in its entirety with an eye toward publishing, and TSCML takes pride in publishing a wide variety of contributors with diverse backgrounds, experiences, stories, and skillsets (i.e. you do not need to be a professional writer), submission does not guarantee publication. The decision is made at TSCML’s sole discretion.
Please note that the number-one reason you will definitely not be published is if you don’t follow the prompt (e.g. you write about an entire album instead of one song, you write about a handful of different songs and how you can’t decide on just one, etc.). Sorry! That’s a hard line. But you’re welcome to resubmit a new piece any time.
Also, anonymous submissions are not accepted.
And please do not submit multiple essays or versions of your essay.
What if you told me I’m in the queue but I don’t have a publication date yet?
If I’ve told you that you’re in the queue for publication, just hang tight.
Most writers get assigned a publication date approx. 8-12 weeks after submitting, but this can vary depending on several factors (see “When will I be published?” below).
I have a lot on my plate but I’m very organized, so if you’re in the queue I will not forget you. No need to send a follow-up email.
When will I be published?
We publish on a roughly rolling basis, which means that generally the earlier you submit, the faster you get published. However, the order of publication also depends on a variety of factors, including but not limited to:
Date, timeliness, and completeness of submission (priority may be given to people who proactively turn in pieces on time and in line with all submission requirements vs. those who miss deadlines, under- or overshoot length requirements, do not submit all requested materials at once, and/or require numerous follow-ups)
Subject matter (to provide readers with variety, similar essays submitted at similar times must be spread out)
Your song’s genre, era, and musician/band (same reasoning as above)
Seasonality, holidays mentioned
Strength of writing and/or amount of editing required
General responsiveness and courtesy (do you reply to emails in a timely manner throughout the process, are you respectful, etc.)
Depth of backlog (there are only 52 Fridays in a year and I receive many more submissions than that)
The timing is largely set to ensure that we share varied stories each week. It is also a matter of managing my workload; different writers require very different levels of attention, and some weeks are busier than others. Chances are it’s not personal (although your kindness goes a long way as opposed to impatience or a sense of entitlement).
Don’t worry — if you’re in the queue, you’ll hear from me as soon as I have a date for you.
Why did I have a firm deadline if I won’t be published right away?
First and foremost, your deadline is designed to help you complete the essay with minimal stress.
Life happens, so I’m generally very flexible with extensions and open to accommodating a timeline that works for each writer. However, in my experience, the longer the timeline ends up being, the less likely someone is to turn in a piece at all. Therefore, once you suggest or agree to a reasonable deadline, it’s important to stick to it.
Otherwise, it too often plays out like this: time passes, prospective writer gets increasingly stressed as a long-horizon deadline approaches, deadline is forgotten or deprioritized, I spend a meaningful amount of time doubling back in my database repeatedly to recall who the writer is and where they’re at in the process, I write numerous gentle follow-ups to ascertain status, previously enthusiastic prospective writer is now unresponsive, I get ghosted, and our mutual stress and effort ultimately go to waste. Deadlines help us both avoid all that.
Secondly, in regards to the lead time between submission and publication, please understand that submissions come in extremely unpredictably and I have to account for that in order to maintain the consistent publishing tempo that my readers enjoy.
Sometimes the most enthusiastic person will miss their thrice-extended deadline and then completely drop off the face of the planet, while someone I’ve barely heard a peep from will submit something near-perfect weeks early. I have no way of knowing in advance what I’m actually going to get or when, so I cannot count on publishing someone the week I’m supposed to receive their submission. Trust me, it doesn’t work. I have to build a healthy buffer of essays ahead of yours just in case.
Thank you
I value your time and effort, and I sincerely appreciate your patience as I work through every submission while balancing all of the other work required to keep this project chugging along week in and week out.
If you have a question that has not been covered here, feel free to reach out.
Warmly,
Grace Lilly
Editor-in-Chief