How Long Submissions Take to be Approved | Teen Ink

How Long Submissions Take to be Approved

December 6, 2009
By Anonymous

It seems that when you submit something, it takes weeks, perhaps even months for it to be approved. Everything is always published on the website, is it not? Has anyone ever received a letter saying your article was not approved and will never will be? I don't think so. Why not just post everything up right away so we no longer have to wait and wait to see our work up online.


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This article has 421 comments.


on Jun. 8 2018 at 4:24 pm
Davianna BRONZE, Ionia, Michigan
1 article 1 photo 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
Reading is a conversation. All books talk. But a good book listens as well. -Mark Haddon

Agreed!

Greenleaf GOLD said...
on Feb. 10 2018 at 12:09 am
Greenleaf GOLD, Oakville, Ontario
10 articles 8 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Oft hope is born when all is forlorn." --J.R.R. Tolkien

To add on: I understand that the site's administrators likely have thousands of submissions to go through which could understandably slow the process, but I guess what I'm boiling down to here is that I wish there was more transparency about how they conduct their approval process. In the meantime, I feel there are many other writing-based sites which - though admittedly without having Teen Ink's wider audience - make better and more accessible platforms for posting one's writing. Wattpad is a classic, as is Fictionpress. Archive of our Own, though primarily a fanfiction site, also has an "original fandom" category for original works, if anyone is interested in trying it. Otherwise, good luck to everyone with submitted works currently pending!

Greenleaf GOLD said...
on Feb. 9 2018 at 11:58 pm
Greenleaf GOLD, Oakville, Ontario
10 articles 8 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Oft hope is born when all is forlorn." --J.R.R. Tolkien

I honestly feel this? I'm a new member, but heard about Teen Ink long before I joined. The whole "approval" process seems rather exclusive to me? I've never before joined a writing website where you had to actually wait for your work to be moderated and approved before being posted. I also can't tell if they're just making sure that there's no """inappropriate content""" in submissions or if they're flat-out refusing submissions that they don't think are "good enough" to be posted. I don't know. I want to be optimistic about this website, but whenever I hear about there being rules of "approval" before submissions are posted, I start to worry about censorship, and what kinds of rules against "inappropriate content" are being instated. (What even is this site's definition of "inappropriate content", anyway? I can't help but be reminded of when YouTube's policies expanded to include any and all LGBTQ+ content as "mature" or "18+", which is patently untrue.) And being rejected so many times from even just the website itself, as I'm seeing more and more of among writers' experiences on this site, can be so profoundly discouraging to young writers just getting started with their creations. I am incredibly skeptical about this system, and there's not a peep from the people who run it. They just publish articles about people complaining about this very thing, like they're saying "Look! We care about the voices of our members!" while not actually responding or doing anything to address this concern.

on Jun. 11 2017 at 8:53 am
HereSheIs BRONZE, Wellesley, Massachusetts
3 articles 0 photos 187 comments

Favorite Quote:
"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light." -Plato

I feel you, sanfranciscowriter. My first piece took a weekend to go up, but I submitted a (kinda long) story two weeks ago and it's still pending approval. I think they want to be nice to their new members so we'll stay. I mean, as much as I hate the wait, and wish that they would give us an estimated time so we wouldn't have to keep checking obsessively, I love TeenInk and won't quit because of it. Your advice is good, though, and I'll try to do it.

DJRAVS BRONZE said...
on Oct. 2 2016 at 1:50 pm
DJRAVS BRONZE, London, Other
3 articles 0 photos 4 comments
ill try that thanks

on Jun. 27 2016 at 5:08 am
Littlemustangfilly BRONZE, Mesa, Arizona
2 articles 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
If you hear a voice from with in say "I cannot paint" then by all means paint and that voice shall be silenced -Vincent Van Gogh

Excuse me I meant to say content w/ more mature themes.

on Jun. 27 2016 at 5:06 am
Littlemustangfilly BRONZE, Mesa, Arizona
2 articles 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
If you hear a voice from with in say "I cannot paint" then by all means paint and that voice shall be silenced -Vincent Van Gogh

I think that if they are concerned about content then they should have a button you can hit (like when submitting to deviant art) that indicates that a story is not suitable for younger audiences. This is a platform for teens to share their work and because we are at an age where we are transitioning into adults we should be aloud to share content with more mature content. If they want to keep it real simple they should make a rule saying that we have to warn about mature themes in the beginning of our books' synopsis that way our books can be available immediately and anyone who doesn't follow that rule can be given a warning to correct the mistake.

on Apr. 26 2016 at 2:09 pm
StephanieMichelle98 SILVER, Syracuse, Utah
6 articles 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The prettiest smiles hide the deepest secrets. The prettiest eyes have cried the most tears. And the kindest hearts have felt the most pain."
-Unknown

@HaliBug same.. they wouldn't post mine because it wasn't appropriate for all ages

on Mar. 2 2016 at 9:11 pm
HaliBug PLATINUM, Apopka, Florida
31 articles 1 photo 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Everything seems impossible until it's done," - Nelson Mandela

I've been rejected before because the editors thought the content was inappropriate for the website.

K,J,K, said...
on Sep. 20 2015 at 8:54 pm
Awesome poem Rachel!
Very inspiring words and wonderfully written.
Ps....K

on Jul. 30 2015 at 6:42 pm
SomeoneMagical PLATINUM, Durham, New Hampshire
22 articles 1 photo 259 comments
I agree! You should not have to wait...I personally have never been in a situation addressing the fact that the work is not going to appear on the site. They should just put it on. But I guess in order to give awards (editors check, etc) you would need to read it over. But the magazine badge appears after something is added to the magazine. The waiting, I don't understand though. Great for you for addressing this issue and I hope they consider taking measures to fix it.

on May. 31 2015 at 6:29 pm
Maggie Babson, Lexington, Massachusetts
0 articles 3 photos 1 comment
how long does it take to be notified if your work gets published in the magazine?

simmone BRONZE said...
on May. 6 2015 at 4:44 am
simmone BRONZE, Karachi, Other
3 articles 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life Itself Is A Life Time Opportunity

Actually my friend recieved an email that her poem won't be published

on Nov. 2 2014 at 10:26 pm
bourgeoisiehater GOLD, Weaverville, North Carolina
13 articles 3 photos 19 comments
I just somehow deleted something from my iCloud and I can't get it back. But it's on teen ink (or at least I submitted it) but i can't get to the file. Is there a way to get to something I've submitted before it is posted?

on Jun. 11 2014 at 12:43 pm
Oh yes, the art of patience :P

on Apr. 15 2014 at 2:59 pm
Regoneth SILVER, Ilford, Other
9 articles 1 photo 36 comments

Favorite Quote:
“Driver picks the music. Shotgun shuts his cake hole.” - Dean Winchester, Supernatural.

Patience is ultimately, my enemy. But, I see how hard it must be for the editor to go through hundreds of submissions a day. I shall use the time it takes for my first piece of work to get published to get to know Patience a bit better.

bay_JP SILVER said...
on Apr. 7 2014 at 11:54 pm
bay_JP SILVER, San Francisco, California
5 articles 1 photo 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
Be yourself. Everybody else is already taken.

My first piece got approved within 2 days, but the two I've submitted heven't made it on in a week. Submit multiple works and they shuold find yours :)

on Feb. 5 2014 at 6:39 pm
AudreyAKAThatWriterGirl GOLD, New York, New York
11 articles 0 photos 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
"But sometimes it's 9am on a tuesday morning and you're standing at the kitchen bench waiting for the toast to pop up. And the smell of dusty sunlight and earl gray tea makes you miss him so much you don't know what to do with your hands." - Scanlan

I wasn't sure if you were saying that the website forgot to bleep out a curse word of yours, but I know that in one of my pieces there are bleeped out curses and one was not bleeped.  Maybe there are words they find appropriate even though they're curses?

Hms1214 BRONZE said...
on Jan. 6 2014 at 12:24 pm
Hms1214 BRONZE, Cochranton, Pennsylvania
2 articles 0 photos 13 comments
Mr .Susol sorry typo  

Hms1214 BRONZE said...
on Jan. 6 2014 at 12:23 pm
Hms1214 BRONZE, Cochranton, Pennsylvania
2 articles 0 photos 13 comments
i submitted a educator of the year like two months ago and it's still pending approval is it just me or does everyone have to wait this long Mr. Suso has my hand written copy