diff --git a/app/routes/submissions/new.js b/app/routes/submissions/new.js
index 53e0eba3..b4908bff 100644
--- a/app/routes/submissions/new.js
+++ b/app/routes/submissions/new.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import CheckSessionRoute from '../check-session-route';
 import { inject as service } from '@ember/service';
 import { set } from '@ember/object';
 import { hash } from 'rsvp';
+import { fileForSubmissionQuery } from '../../util/paginated-query';
 
 export default class NewRoute extends CheckSessionRoute {
   @service('workflow')
@@ -64,13 +65,7 @@ export default class NewRoute extends CheckSessionRoute {
         sort: '+performedDate',
       });
 
-      files = this.store
-        .query('file', {
-          filter: {
-            file: `submission.id==${newSubmission.get('id')}`,
-          },
-        })
-        .then((files) => [...files.toArray()]);
+      files = this.store.query('file', fileForSubmissionQuery(newSubmission.id)).then((files) => [...files.toArray()]);
 
       // Also seed workflow.doiInfo with metadata from the Submission
       const metadata = newSubmission.get('metadata');
diff --git a/app/services/submission-handler.js b/app/services/submission-handler.js
index 85ad470e..5d538a79 100644
--- a/app/services/submission-handler.js
+++ b/app/services/submission-handler.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import ENV from 'pass-ui/config/environment';
 import { task } from 'ember-concurrency-decorators';
 import { get } from '@ember/object';
 import SubmissionModel from '../models/submission';
+import { fileForSubmissionQuery, submissionsWithPublicationQuery } from '../util/paginated-query';
 
 /**
  * Service to manage submissions.
@@ -255,19 +256,20 @@ export default class SubmissionHandlerService extends Service {
     }
 
     // Get submissions for this file
-    const files = await this.store.query('file', { filter: { submission: submission.id } });
+    const files = await this.store.query('file', fileForSubmissionQuery(submission.id));
     await Promise.all(files.map((file) => file.destroyRecord()));
 
     const publication = await submission.publication;
 
     // Search for Submissions that reference this publication
-    const subsWithThisPublication = await this.store.query('submission', { filter: { publication: publication.id } });
-    if (subsWithThisPublication.length === 1) {
+    const submissionId = submission.id;
+    submission.deleteRecord();
+    await submission.save();
+
+    const subsWithThisPublication = await this.store.query('submission', submissionsWithPublicationQuery(publication));
+    if (subsWithThisPublication.length === 0) {
       publication.deleteRecord();
       await publication.save();
     }
-
-    submission.deleteRecord();
-    return submission.save();
   }
 }
diff --git a/app/util/paginated-query.js b/app/util/paginated-query.js
index bf18c752..56268ad3 100644
--- a/app/util/paginated-query.js
+++ b/app/util/paginated-query.js
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+/**
+ * Centralizing JSON-API queries are formatted using RSQL, which can be a bit awkward to write.
+ */
+
 /**
  * Paginated query for the submissions/index route
  *
@@ -105,6 +109,22 @@ export function grantsIndexSubmissionQuery(user) {
   };
 }
 
+export function fileForSubmissionQuery(submissionId) {
+  return {
+    filter: {
+      file: `submission.id==${submissionId}`,
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+export function submissionsWithPublicationQuery(publication) {
+  return {
+    filter: {
+      submission: `publication.id==${publication.id}`,
+    },
+  };
+}
+
 function filter(value, ...props) {
   if (!value) {
     return '';
diff --git a/tests/unit/services/submission-handler-test.js b/tests/unit/services/submission-handler-test.js
index a3ac6bc9..d5b5265f 100644
--- a/tests/unit/services/submission-handler-test.js
+++ b/tests/unit/services/submission-handler-test.js
@@ -447,7 +447,7 @@ module('Unit | Service | submission-handler', (hooks) => {
           // Get files for the submission
           return Promise.resolve(files);
         case 'submission':
-          return Promise.resolve([submission]);
+          return Promise.resolve([]);
         default:
           return Promise.reject();
       }