One aspect of being a writer is dealing with silence from editors. Silence can mean rejection, but often it does not.
Silent Editor Equals Writer Rejection? Let’s See…
Here’s an e-mail I received recently from a purchaser of my ebook Writing College Textbook Supplements who was diligently applying my advice on how to connect with editors at textbook publishing companies, but who has so far received only silence. While this deals with my specific area of specialization, the advice I give at the bottom of the post applies to all freelance writers.
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Hey John,
I have been contacted many sales reps and all are forwarding my information on to their editors. However, I have yet to hear from any editors –only silence. The sales reps have not given me contact information. Should I be calling these sales reps after a few weeks? That would seem pointless to me since I really need to talk to the editors. I want to be proactive about this but I think I need to get the contact information. Any tips for getting past the silent treatment?
My Reply: Explaining the “Silence of the Editors”
I know it’s frustrating. Most editors are very busy with many tasks, including many not related to supplements, and they often don’t follow up on communications from writers. They likely just took your info from the book reps and put it into files for the future.
And speaking of timing, this is typically a slow time of year for getting supplements work [March]. I’ve found it’s most prevalent from April or May through the end of the year, although I do have two projects that are finishing right now.
Back to the silence: I send out e-mails inquiring about work 2-3 times a year to editors I’ve worked with before, some on a dozen or more projects. Less than half write me back.
However, they do get communicative when they have projects, so it could be that out of the blue the silence ends and you get an e-mail asking if you are interested in working on a supplement. That’s how it’s been for me.
You can contact the book reps again and indicate that you haven’t heard from their editors. Ask for specific names, e-mails, and phone numbers. You may have some success with that approach. Also check the websites of specific companies; sometimes you’ll find contact info there.
It can take some time to get launched in this field, but once you do the work comes more steadily. And once you work for one editor, she’ll likely give you contact info for others within the company.
Hang in there and remember: Silence from the editor does not mean rejection of the writer.
Yours,
John
Silent Editors: Marketing Advice for Writers
1. Stay active with your marketing efforts and don’t get discouraged.
2. Editors usually wear many different hats, and just because they don’t respond to your queries, it doesn’t mean they are rejecting you; it likely means they are very busy with other work right now and will only be in touch when they actually need a writer.
3. It takes time to launch a successful career as a freelance writer, whether you specialize in writing college textbook supplements/ancillaries or in one of the many other hundreds of other potential specialties, so take that into account and make sure you have other sources of income.
4. Understand that some freelance writing niches have seasonality. For example, if you are a travel writer and you want to write about winter scuba diving in the Caribbean, you need to time your pitch several months ahead, like July. In my field, many textbook supplements are completed during summer and fall, so I need to be on editor’s radar then.
Your Take on Silent Editors
Any stories to share? What’s been your experience with getting editors to contact you about writing projects?
I stand on the side of the fence where “no response is a response” and move on and forget about it. I’m not a follow up type of writer. I have enough going on in my life than to spend time thinking about why one or ten people didn’t respond. My attitude probably has something to do with that old saying about don’t put all your eggs in one basket – and I come from a long line of chicken farmers!
I hear you, Cheryl, and I respect your approach. For me it depends on the potential client. Some I will only contact once, while I’ll follow up two to three times with ones that I think likely have high-paying projects for which I’m well-qualified.
John, I send out a lot of article queries, and a high percentage of them get no response at all. Interestingly, sometimes I get a response immediately, and from national publications (had a piece in WIRED UK recently, and that editor responded within an hour).
Editors are busier than ever, with reduced staff at publications across the board. Sometimes the pitch doesn’t fit their calendar, the slant/word count/tone of the article is a bit off, the editor published something similar recently—there are all kinds of reasons for rejection, and many have nothing to do with the quality of the idea.
I don’t resend queries to the same publication, but I do send them out to multiple publications, often over long periods of time. The WIRED piece was an old idea that finally found a home.
Congrats on the WIRED piece!
Good points about all the reasons why a pitch to a magazine editor may not be a good fit at that time. I definitely wouldn’t resend the same query to the same editor at the same magazine. I might consider it two to three years later if there was a new editor.
Hello, I am a French writer but for novels. The question is the same. Do not be discouraged when you do not receive an answer. You have to believe in it, work over and over again. Remember that every word on a sheet of paper helps you progress! Best regards!