As an editor, I can tell you that one of my biggest pet peeves is when a writer "pesters" me every other day, or once a week, about his
(or her) submission. I don't mind if it's a valid question, but what I hate is when the writer's impatience takes hold and I feel
"squeezed" or “pressured” to give an immediate answer—as if the writer's pestering is going to make me accept his submission faster.
I think new writers, or writers with too much time on their hands, think that a little pestering will get their piece looked at faster.
Or perhaps they think a little pestering will keep them on the forefront of the editor’s mind so that when the editor does see their
submission, the editor will recognize the name and then buy the piece. And in a way, it makes sense. But what usually happens is quite
the opposite. The editor becomes annoyed with the nagging writer and decides to simply decline the article—often times before it has
even been read.
So if you’re inclined to pester the editor, why not do yourself a favor and do something more productive with your time, like: sending
out another query letter, writing another article on spec, or even better, journaling about your impatience in your very private
journal—not on your very public blog.
In the meantime, here are a few questions you may want to avoid asking an editor—at least before the official response period is over:
- "Can you tell me if you received my submission?"
Okay, honestly, I don't mind writers asking this question if I haven’t gotten back to them in a timely manner—like a week or two after
the response time listed in my writers’ guidelines. Because let’s face it, email (and even postal mail) have been known to be flawed.
But seriously, don’t ask only moments after submitting the piece.
- "How long before you publish it?"
This is one of those questions I get before I've even accepted the submission. New writers sometimes don’t understand that providing a
query letter or an article on spec doesn’t guarantee acceptance. In other words, just because you submitted the piece doesn't mean I'm
buying it. The piece has to fit a need. It has to reach the publication’s target audience. It has to be well written. And it has to be
something the publication has not already printed or already accepted. So before asking when your piece will be published, wait for that
acceptance letter.
- "When will you give me an answer?"
Read the submission guidelines. Most publications will give a timeline for acceptance/rejection letters as well as for publication.
- "I know your guidelines say you'll let us know within xx weeks of submission, but can't you tell me now? If you don't like what I
have written, I have another publisher that is interested."
This is often a follow-up email I receive just moments after I receive the submission—sometimes within a few hours. This screams of
desperation, not professionalism. If, on the other hand you truly do have another market that may be interested, send your submission
to that publication first.
- "What do you pay?"
Umm, read the writers' guidelines!
And let us not forget statements like:
- "I know this is not your normal style, but I really thought your readers would enjoy this."
Seriously, we have writers' guidelines for a reason. Please use them.
- "This is an original article."
In the past, editors had no choice but to take the writer at his (or her) word. But thanks to the Internet, it’s very easy to find out
if the article is indeed an original—even print publications are archiving their table of contents online. So do yourself a favor and
be honest. If you want the higher pay for an original, write an original piece because if you get caught lying, you’ll be black listed
from that publication and quite possibly others as well.
And by the way, your personal website, your church bulletin, your blog, and your very public, online critique group can qualify as
publication—making your piece a reprint, not an original. It all depends on the publication you’re selling your piece to.
- "What do you mean you don't like my submission? I told you how I was going to write the piece via my query letter."
It is very important that you deliver what you promised in your query letter. If a publication accepts your query and you provide an
article that doesn’t even come close to what the editor thought he’d receive, you are going to be asked to rewrite it. If you don’t
comply, you won’t get paid—especially if the publication doesn’t offer a kill fee.
Remember, pestering, nagging, and annoying the editor won’t get you published any faster. But writing a great piece might!
About The Author:
Alyice Edrich is the author of Tid-Bits For Making Money With E-books.
Learn how you can earn $10,000 a year or more selling information you already possess—from the comfort of your own home. Visit
http://thedabblingmumpress.com to order a copy today!
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