reprint grace period

[Listener]

If I've had a story published, what is the appropriate grace period to wait before submitting it to other publications?

What I mean is: let's say I have a story coming out on September 1. The contract says I can have it reprinted after one month -- so, October 1. Should I wait until the story is actually published before sending it out for reprint sales? Should I wait until the grace period is over before sending it out? Or, if it's a "big" enough publication (Analog, Strange Horizons, Clarkesworld, etc), is that enough for it to stand on its own merit and possibly get it accepted as a reprint at another market (with the caveat that Market 2 doesn't publish it until the grace period is over)?

Corollary for any editors reading this: how long after initial publication + grace period would you wait before reprinting the story that came out on 9/1 and could be reprinted 10/1?

[Scattercat]

I've always assumed that the editors at the original publication presumably don't mind once the grace period is over, since they set the grace period when they did up their contract.  Personally, I'd be leery of submitting prior to that and hoping that the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly enough to avoid embarrassment, but I am fairly cautious in that sort of thing.  (I hate being gauche.)

[DKT]

Personally, I don't care if it's a reprint that originally ran a month or a day prior at another magazine. Just as long as you mention when it's eligible to be reprinted, that's cool. We have/will run stories a month or two after they were originally printed, to a week. I'm not sure, but I tend to think most podcasts are generally pretty cool with this.

Online magazines, or other magazines that accept reprints sometimes feel differently. Those you just have to kind of feel out guideline-wise.

Hope that helps!

[Listener]

Personally, I'd be leery of submitting prior to that and hoping that the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly enough to avoid embarrassment, but I am fairly cautious in that sort of thing.  (I hate being gauche.)

Yeah. The market I have in mind is about a 3-4 month RT, so even if I sent it in July, it wouldn't have a chance of being published until November at the very earliest.

Personally, I don't care if it's a reprint that originally ran a month or a day prior at another magazine. Just as long as you mention when it's eligible to be reprinted, that's cool.

Unfortunately it doesn't meet Podcastle's guidelines, but I'll definitely keep that in mind for the next (make that "first") true fantasy piece I sell. Thanks for the insights.