"Editor Etiquette"

by Marcia Amidon Lusted

When I joined the editorial staff of a children's magazine publisher, not only did a get a new job, I also took a huge leap to the other side of the editorial desk. Instead of seeing things from a writer's perspective, I was now also seeing things from the perspective of the editors who deal with writers day in and day out. After two years and more than a few unnerving conversations of my own with writers, I've arrived at some basic do's and don'ts when it comes to the etiquette of dealing successfully with editors.

DO educate yourself about the publishing business today, how it works, and how professional writers query and submit their work. You need to know what to expect and what is expected of you if you want to have a career in writing.

DON'T have attitude. It doesn't help to be snippy or self-righteous about your submission and/or rejection, or claim that you deserve better treatment than any other writer simply because you worked so hard on your submission. Don't we all? I've even had writers claim that if we were polite and sensitive we would respond to them within a more reasonable amount of time (like, two weeks instead of the usual 6 months). This will not help your writing career: editors and their assistants have long memories, and we do remember names.

Do bother to find out the specific editor's name for a magazine if at all possible. No editor likes getting the literary equivalent of a "Dear Occupant" query letter when their name is readily available on the magazine's website or in their guidelines.

DON'T forget to put your name and contact information on your query letter and on your submission, and not just on the envelope. You'd be amazed at how many good ideas get tossed because there's simply no author name or any way to get in touch with that author! And don't forget that SASE: without one, many magazines won't respond to you at all.

DO research the magazine, even just a little, so that you're not sending a cute fairy tale about fairies and leprechauns to a themed nonfiction science magazine.

DON'T send a 2000 word story or article to a magazine that only uses articles of 800-1000 words, and tell yourself that the editor will trim it down for you. They usually won't, and there are plenty of good writers out there who can meet those word count guidelines right out of the gate.

DO pay attention to guidelines and response times. I've fielded phone calls from authors wanting to know about a submission they sent a few weeks ago, when the guidelines clearly state a four to six month response time. Responses almost always take longer than indicated, and most of the time, if many months have passed without a response, it simply means No, thank you.

DON'T call or email an editor to ask about the status of your submission, especially if the guidelines state that unused queries will not be returned or acknowledged. Remember, editors don't enjoy being pestered unnecessarily (especially with attitude: see #2), which is why the guidelines exist in the first place. These days, no news usually means No, pure and simple.

DO be professional. Don't send a half sheet of torn notebook paper, with a penciled scrawl saying that you need a "writting" job and how much will you get paid? Find out how to write a professional query letter: there are plenty of resources to show you how.

DON'T expect an editor to make suggestions for improving your writing if they reject you. They only do this with writing they intend to publish or are serious enough about to request a revision. There aren't enough hours in the day as it is, and certainly not enough time to teach writing.

FINALLY, remember that both editors and writers are working for the same goal: to create great magazines and books for kids. It's not an "us versus them" relationship. Present and conduct yourself as a writing professional, and you'll have the best chance of making a sale. And don't give up: if you have great ideas and write well, sooner or later you'll succeed!

Article used courtesy of the Institute of Children's Literature, www.institutechildrenslit.com

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Updated: 11/7/09 05:08 pm
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