Summary

The content outlines an editor's perspective on the challenges faced while managing submissions for ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications, emphasizing the importance of writers adhering to guidelines and respecting the editorial process.

Abstract

The article provides insight into the demanding role of an editor at ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications, who faces a daunting queue of over 180,000 drafts. The editor, also a writer, highlights the necessity for writers to follow established rules, such as proper photo hyperlinking and one submission per day, to facilitate the publishing process. Frustration is expressed over writers who disregard guidelines, make unreasonable demands, or fail to understand the editor's responsibility to maintain publication standards. The editor stresses that following simple rules like using Grammarly, a dictionary, or a style guide can significantly improve the efficiency of the publication process and urges writers to familiarize themselves with the submission guidelines to avoid publication delays.

Opinions

The editor feels that writers should not give orders or make demands, as it is disrespectful to the editorial process.
There is a clear expectation that writers should read and adhere to the onboarding pack and Medium's guidelines to ensure their stories meet the publication's standards.
The editor is exasperated by writers who argue about following basic rules, such as including copyright-free images with proper hyperlinks.
The article conveys that submitting multiple stories in one day is inconsiderate and disrupts the editorial workflow.
The editor believes that writers should take responsibility for the quality of their submissions by using tools like Grammarly and adhering to a style guide.
There is an underlying plea for writers to understand the editors' dedication to maintaining high-quality publications and to cooperate with the established processes.
The editor points out that both editors and writers share common goals, such as writing and earning through the Partner Program, and that following the rules benefits all parties involved.

As a Writer, You Think You’re Special, but You’re Not, and You Have No Business Giving an Editor Orders

Get with the program

Photo by Bruno Salvadori: https://www.pexels.com/photo/shallow-focus-photo-of-man-in-white-and-black-polka-dot-dress-shirt-wearing-black-sunglasses-2269872/

I sat down in front of my trusty Surface Pro. I took a deep breath and dived into the Queue. I’m a volunteer editor for ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications supporting over 24K writers. As I’m struggling trying to comprehend some of the stories. I have to leave private notes for writers to make corrections.

Let me explain Illumination’s Queue. I woke up to 181,871 drafts in my inbox. If I don’t publish your story, the other submissions will bury it. I will not see your draft for hours, or days. If another editor edits your draft, I won’t see it at all.

Here is what is expected.

After you make the corrections, you just have to wait

It never fails. I will receive a message on our Slack channel. Someone wants to know when I will publish their draft. Some people make demands that I publish immediately. Really? Do you think you can give me orders?

Read the Onboarding Pack, Follow the Rules

I don’t have time for nonsense. ILLUMINATION has an extensive onboarding pack explaining all requirements in detail. Writers are also expected to follow Medium’s guidelines as we don’t publish harmful content. Whining to an editor because your story wasn’t published serves no purpose. Editors will follow the rules no matter what you believe.

It’s the Editor’s responsibility to uphold the rules

Owner Dr Mehmet Yildiz and the 145 volunteer editors care about our publications. Is it too much to ask that our writers care as well?

I find myself arguing with writers over simple things. Photos, for example. Photos must be copywrite-free and captioned with a hyperlink. It’s a Medium policy, and it’s in ILLUMINATION’s guidelines as well. We developed this policy in 2020 and thousands of writers learned how to handle images and ware are still doing it with patience daily.

Editors can’t make exceptions if you wrote the story on your cellphone and can’t add the link. Don’t argue; add the link as we asked. I don’t know what writers want to accomplish. “can’t add the link, publish my story.” Or some variation is often the response I get.

Filling the Queue with Multiple submissions in one day is rude and obnoxious

Illumination has a rule of one submission per day. The rule is a necessity. Too many multiple submissions clog the Queue and delay the publication of stories.

Some writers bombard the Queue with several submissions a day. Some submissions get through, but when we catch them, we send a private message reminding the writer of the rule.

The editors are tired of our messages being ignored. You can save the stories for another day, or submit them somewhere else. Stop clogging the Queue.

Hyperlinking a photo is a simple thing to do

No, it's not happening. You need to hyperlink the photo. The last thing an editor wants is to not publish a story, and we don’t want to waste time arguing. The maddening thing is that hyperlinking a photo is the easiest thing you can do. Two clicks of a mouse and you’re done.

I focus on photos because that’s the biggest choke point. Writers would help editors a lot if they used Grammarly or bought and used a Dictionary. A Style Guide would be useful as well. The Queue would clear faster if a few more writers cared.

Summation:

Your Editors are busy and stressed. We are also writers. We also want to write and get money from the Partner Program. We want to clear the Queue as fast as possible so we can write. I suggest that you follow the rules and hyperlink your photos.

Use a dictionary and Style Guide and the free Grammarly APP if you don’t want to get with the program. You have no business complaining if your story isn’t published promptly.

And one last thing: don’t give an editor an order; it’s annoying and is not helpful.

If you are a new writer, you may check out our updated submission guidelines for relevant publications before sending your first story. Each pub has a different purpose. Here are the links.