Often too busy to read long manuscripts. Help them out by telling them all about your story in your cover letter so they can decide how much they really want to read it. Editing is a lonely profession. A phone call from an enthusiastic author to check up on the status of a submission is just the thing to cheer them up. If you can't reach the editor right away, be persistent.
Editors hate missing calls from new writers.
It's their way of insuring that you will keep sending more. By all means include a self-addressed envelope, but don't stamp it. Well, there you have it, my April tips to you. And when the contracts come rolling in, maybe next time I'll show you how to be firm and rewrite them to your best advantage.