How Not to Piss Off an Editor
From the Upod Yahoo group I belong to, writer Bill Becher shared a great little capsule based on some recent experience of his, which he generously allowed me to share here:
After a few months on the other side of the fence editing the LA
Weekly‘s OUT THERE adventure travel section, I’ve learned a bit about
being an editor and thought I’d share a few observations with
podsters. And yes, I try to respond to emails in the same decade they
are sent.
Don’t:
- Send in a “rough draft.” I only want to see your best,
finished work.
- Send me a complete ms when I ask for queries (pitches) only.
I can scan a pitch quickly and tell if it’s of interest and not
something we’ve already done or already have in the works. I don’t
have time to read the entire story to figure this out.
- Send me a 1,200 word ms when I’ve asked for 650 and suggest I
cut it.
- Show AND tell. If you show a guy applying product and
carefully parting his hair and then rubbing wrinkle cream to his
face, you don’t need to then say he’s vain. We get it.
- Nitpick editorial changes when I send a story to you for a
backread. I expect you to spot any errors I might have introduced in
the edit process and stand up for important stuff, but we don’t have
time to argue every comma.
- Miss deadlines.
Do:
Write clean, sharp, compelling stories.
By the way, for those interested, another “do” for Bill is to send him edgy outdoor and adventure travel stories for OUT THERE (like exploring the killing fields in Cambodia or sex and surfing in Bali).
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