My Dilemma

I received a message from the editor at Silver Boomer Books this morning. She would like to include a patriotic poem I'd submitted for their new anthology A Quilt of Holidays. 


It's always nice to find news of an acceptance. But this one left me with a decision to make. The Flag Day poem I submitted is 51 lines. The editor would like to reduce it to 11 lines by using only the opening and closing stanzas.

My first thought was that is like eating a sandwich with no meat in the middle. She wants to cut 41 lines of my precious words, lines I'd labored over.  No writer likes to give up words, so a decision needs to be made.

I must decide if the pluses are greater than the minuses. Who do I hurt most by either withdrawing it or allowing it to be published as is? It's not a great scholarly work by any means, but it's my piece and so it's important to me. I've read the version the editor wants to use. It does work, although the first verse is 6 lines and the second one only 5. That bothers me. In the full poem, there was a mixture.

Editors sometimes hold out the carrot on a stick, ready to pull it back pretty fast if the writer is not in agreement with the proposal. The writer can make a choice, but it's the editor who has the upper hand. Still, I can also negotiate a bit with the editor. Because editors are of varied personalities, just like writers, we don't know if they are even willing to have the back and forth conversation needed. Even so, i'ts worth a try but needs to be done with some finesse and without the writer acting defensive. It's difficult to be objective about our own writing, but we'll get a lot farther in negotiating if we are.

As for my situation--I think I am going to try to add one more line to the second stanza so that the verses are more balanced, then present it to the editor. If she likes it, then I'll sign the contract. I still have the lengthier poem that can be submitted elsewhere and I'll be published in more anthology. I think I just solved my dilemma.

Sharp Words Can Be A Wake-Up Call

Once, a doctor sent me a note along with some test results that showed higher numbers than is desired for glucose. "I want this number below 100!!!!" he wrote. Not exactly the movie script type of kindly, country doctor. Those four exclamation marks at the end of his directive made me aware of the situation I was in. If I didn't get the number down I was headed for diabetes, only pre-diabetes at this time, but now was the time to do something. And I did, thanks to my doctor approaching me with a strong statement and those glaring exclamation marks.

Last week, I received sharp words from an editor which turned out to be another wake-up call. This particular editor has published several of my articles that deal with the craft of writing. I sent her a new article that dealt with seven ways to sell herself as a writer. The editor wrote to me saying she fully expected to buy whatever I'd sent her as she knew I was a good writer. That had me preening my feathers a bit, at least until I read further. She chastised me in no uncertain terms saying that the article was 'muddled' and covered two topics. I'd be interested in seeing an article that....... she concluded. An invitation to resubmit in her statement.

I have to admit that those sharp words made me feel like a child being scolded by her mother. They hurt. The article had been through a critique session at my online critique group. None of those who critted it saw what the editor pointed out at that time. Part of the article dealt with selling yourself as a writer to editors and part of it was directed at selling yourself to readers. I stewed over the whole thing for a few days, sent the article back to the wac group for another objective viewpoint, and finally agreed with what the editor had told me.

Lots of other things going on kept me from answering the editor's message for over a week, and perhaps that was a good thing. Had I fired back an answer that first day, it might not have been the same one I sent yesterday. I'm glad I took some time to consider her words and to take a good hard look at the article before revising it. I wrote to her yesterday to let her know I was willing to revise the article and resubmit it.

Last night, I worked on the article, slashing parts and adding others. I wanted it to sit overnight before I sent it as sometimes things that look good at the time of writing can appear fairly lame the next day. When I opened my e-mail in-box this morning, there was an answer to my message I sent to the editor yesterday. It's a good feeling when a writer and editor can have a positive working relationship. I'm hoping she'll like the revision better and will buy it. Stay tuned!

Once again, I have reason to be thankful for sharp words that opened my eyes. If the words sting, take some time to step back and look at whatever it is as objectively as possible. You'll grow as a writer and just might sell more articles.

Can You Pester An Editor?

In a perfect world, a writer sends a submission to an editor. The editor writes back immediately that she'd love to publish the piece, contract attached, the article is published immediately, and everyone is happy. But sometimes there are glitches in this perfect world. I had one that has lasted nearly a full year.

On December 5th of 2008, I sent an article to an editor of a writing website. She e-mailed me that she'd like to use the article and would probably publish it in January of 2009, but then said she didn't promise it would be January. I happily returned my signed contract to her and began to watch for the article to appear. Months went by and no sign of it, but I wasn't overly concerned.

Finally, in August I e-mailed her asking if she still planned to use the article. My thinking was that if she had decided against it, fine, but I'd like to be released from the contract so that I could market it elsewhere.
No answer.

I waited a couple more months and wrote her again. I didn't want to be a pest and be put on a list of writers editors avoid, but I didn't want the article to lie in her files and grow moldy with age either. No answer.

Last night, I decided to give it one more try. The old "third time's the charm" theory. I wrote a short note and pasted the second letter below that and attached a copy of the article. Within a very short time, I had an answer. She apologized and said that the article would run later this month.

The question is can you pester an editor? And if so, how much? And how? Yes, I think you can make contact with an editor when you're concerned about the status of your work. The most important thing to remember is to do it in a mannerly mode, even if your anger is simmering and nearing the boiling point. Angry letters often receive angry responses. State the situation in a civil way, add any other correspondence at the bottom so the editor doesn't have to go searching through files. For the same reason, attach a copy of the submission you'd sent in the beginning.

When do you become a pest? I'd say you've reached pest level when you send your inquiries too close together. If you send three within one week, the editor will remember your name forever, and it won't be with favor. Use common sense. Give them time to consider the situation, determine if they are still going to use the piece or not. Keep in mind that yours is not the only submission the editor has to deal with. More often than not, if you follow those good manners your mother taught you, you'll come out a winner.