How many stamps do I need for this?

I would bring it to the Post Office and have them tell you the best way.

What is the actual full sentence about self stamping? I’m thinking maybe they mean you have to pay for the postage. Not that you need to put 30 stamps on there. I would just go to the post office. USPS does have flat rate mailers also that might be best. The postal agent can help you decide.

@JLeslie Damn, I thought I had the response with me but I’ll have to wait until I go on lunch break to look at home. I just know that I did not use any stamps at all last time. And in my response letter they said to stamp it myself.

Yeah, I think they mean you pay. :) I don’t think they are referencing how you sent it last time. I could be wrong though.

But I don’t understand that either. How will they know that I pay for postage? I paid last time. . .but. . so. . do I have to tell the mail lady I will pay for postage or something and she’ll do something different? I’m confused now. A bit more.

I agree with @JLeslie I think last time you paid for the postage at the PO along with the envelope and that is fine. The magazine doesn’t care where or how you pay for the postage, just that you do.

I think they just are telling you don’t mail it COD, and that they do not provide a paid envelope for you.

so. ..if I don’t pay for it on delivery then I have to pay for it in advanced? Like online or something?

Go to the post office. They will weigh it, stamp it, and off it goes. :0)

Just go to the post office. They will help you. They will tell you how much it costs to send it. They will tell you the different options. First class mail (which is regular mail) or priority (2–3 day) or flat rate, or media mail (cheaper, but takes a long time to get there).

@ScottyMcGeester COD means that the receiver has to pay; not you. They want you to pay. Go to the Post Office.

Okay, wait I looked up the guidelines and they state “self-addressed, stamped envelope” (SASE). Of course I addressed it to myself in case something went wrong. But maybe. . do they mean then not to use the Ready Post utility mailer then and just a manilla envelope? I feel hesitant though because I get the feeling that it’s going to get bent or something.

@Katniss But that’s what I DID last time! And yet in the response letter they expressed some irk-ness about something being slightly off. I’ll have to look at the response again and post exactly what they said.

@ScottyMcGeester Ok. Good idea. :0)
Let us know what you find.

Self addressed stamped envelope does not mean you need to use little square postage stamps. Stamped also means when the post office “stamps” the price of postage on the package.

The post office has many envelopes and boxes for you to choose from. Soft, hard, bubble, everything. Sometimes sending priority is the same as sending it slower mail and also having to pay for the envelope. Priority the envelope is included in the price.

You can just ask the postal worker at the post office to help you. Tell them you want to be sure it doesn’t get bent or creased and what do they recommend.

@JLeslie Okay. . .thanks, that cleared that up. But again, I did that last time. So according to everyone I did everything normal the first time around. So then I wonder why they reiterated to me that I should do that “next time”, as if I didn’t do it right.

You said it was a guideline, which means to me it is like a form letter. Just standard instructions they give to everyone. But, I can’t know for sure, that is just my interpretation.

“Self addressed, stamped envelope” means they want you to put in with the manuscript, an envelope with stamps for them to put their response in to your manuscript. This would then be sent to you.

@Tropical_Willie Gosh, I guess that is possible. I can’t imagine they require that. People have to pay for the mailing of the response? Interesting.

@Tropical_Willie OOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

THAT.

MAKES SENSE.

I guess they just don’t want to pay for anyone’s submission. Even if it’s a response letter. I mean, it is a literary magazine after all, so I guess they try to save as much money as they can/avoid the hassle. Because when I look up the guidelines they say to “enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope.” I completely misunderstood that. I guess they mean that along with the story, just place an empty stamped enveloped addressed to me so that they deliver my response in there.

Oh yes – that is standard practice with submissions.

@Tropical_Willie Thank goodness you showed up. Seems you cracked the code.

I expect that what they meant was to include a SASE: Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope in order for them to return the manuscript to you. They had to pay to mail it back to you; many companies won’t do that. Without a SASE, they may file it, but they will more likely just shred it (if that) and throw it out.

I see now that this response is included in the list that I hadn’t read.

Enclosing an SASE (an envelope addressed to you, with sufficient postage to return your manuscript) has been standard practice for mailed submissions for decades, if not a century. Otherwise they will just discard your ms. At least a business-size envelope with first-class postage on it, addressed to you, allows for a mailed response. You were lucky to get a mailed reply at all if you didn’t enclose return postage. Most commonly you would just hear nothing.

@Jeruba Yeah I was gonna say. . then it was weird that they responded with their own letter sent to me rejecting me. They must be really decent people then to do that. Maybe they were like “Aw, he’s a n00b, let’s just give him off with a warning this time.”