Why on Earth would anyone do that?

Pitch as many as you think might be right for the article. If more than one responds, you just tell the latecomers that you’ve changed your mind…but how about an alternate article?

Since you cannot control the speed of an editor’s response, it is foolish to sit on an article while waiting. And it is unrealistic for any editor to insist (as though they have any control over it) that freelancers should do so.

Since freelance pay — at least for consumer magazines — has changed almost not at all over the past 20-30 years, freelancers who want to make money at the game have to use simultaneous submissions.

However, if you have an ongoing relationship with an editor, it would probably be smart to give her first refusal. And if you do have that relationship, your email will probably bubble to the top of her must-read list if she knows you’re going to produce top-notch work.

I have no real sympathy for the poor overworked editors with their bulging inboxes. Do they think they’re the only ones with that problem?

But thanks for the info on that website. Anything that can help editors and writers find each other is a good thing, indeed.