You should also save any notes or comments from an editor even if he or she is commenting on why they did not like your piece. Recording these comments can help you later when you analyze your records to look for patterns in responses to your material. Using a spreadsheet is one of the easiest ways to keep track of various aspects of a writer's job, such as finances and deadlines. One of the advantages in using a spreadsheet is that once you have the data entered you can then sort it instantly by submissions date, title or any other category you have created. Good spreadsheet software includes Microsoft Excel, Corel Quattro Pro or similar software packages.
Many writers use index cards, simply using an index card for each submission that was sent.
Then the writer can flip through the cards to reference his or her submission dates. Small plastic boxes that can hold several hundred index cards can be easily obtained anywhere that you can buy office or school supplies. When you get a response to your query or submission, you can then record the result on the back of the index card. Different colored cards can be used if you want to distinguish between types of submissions such as queries, manuscript submissions and book proposals or if you want to distinguish between the genre of the submission such as non-fiction, fantasy or mystery. Filing Filing is also necessary for keeping up with outgoing queries and manuscripts.