Editorial Op-Ed | A Day in a Life
Illuminating the Editor’s Dilemma: What We (Really) Do and How We Can Do Better
We have struggles too. We are here to serve our readers and writers to the best of our ability. And there are times where we sail into the headwind.
As writers, we shudder in fear each time an email notification from this platform flashes on our smart devices.
We have just submitted our best work to the publication of our choice, and we wait anxiously for acceptance.
The email is finally here. You anticipate bad news because it does not start with Congrats!
Instead, the message starts with A private note was added to (Your story title).
You take a deep breath before opening up that email to read the details.
And, maybe, at the back of your head, you are thinking:
“What a pain in the ass.”
Or, even.
“What a jackass.”
Your Work Deserves Respect and We Do not Engage in Personal Attacks
One thing all editors share. We are writers.
The other thing all editors share. We are readers.
The next thing all publications share. We are responsible for our reputation, ecosystem, and every person who places their faith in us.
But misunderstandings exist. That is normal because we are only humans, and better communication can always get better.
We strive to do our best each time we chip away the ever-growing publication queue. ILLUMINATION receives hundreds of submissions each day. I am pretty serious when I say we handle each submission respectfully.
Case in point: We do not hit the reject button unless after long deliberation.
ILLUMINATION’s orientation is clear. We work with writers of all levels. Novice requires a different form of attention compared to those who use their pens as magic wands. If only every writer is Esther George!
Because of our orientation, we publish a diverse spectrum of topics so long as they are presentable, well-researched, ideas well-developed, and comes with a neat conclusion.
Ending the story with a bang isn’t what we look for, although I work with Esther for copy-edits to further polish her work.
We respect your work.
Take, for instance, simple formatting tricks. We come across scrolls and scrolls of writing that can be further enhanced by using software features.
For me, I will move on to do the necessary, hit publish, and then drop a private note. Many of our readers are appreciative. See the image below.
We seldom slap a private note with a blanket statement along these lines.
“Thank you for submitting this story. We are going to pass on this one. Thank you for thinking about our publication!”
No, not us.
If we send you private notes before publication, we believe your writing can be chiseled to a higher quality. And that is upon your willingness to update.
We can fix simple, 3–4 issues on a story. However, when the publication queue stands at 100+ drafts that day, we will focus on publishing those copy-ready ones and send those requiring additional work back to writers.
It is important to note that sending private messages does not mean automatic rejection. Your story is still in the queue.
This is a symbiotic relationship. We work with our writers and want our writers to work with us too.
Hey people, your work quality and our reputation are one and the same. For the purposes of clarity, please allow me to repeat.
Hey people, your work quality and our reputation are one and the same.
Nothing personal.
Rejections Come from Deliberate Consideration
Because we aim to be supportive, we deliberate when contentious stories come along our path at the individual and the peer group level.
Yes, we use tools to supplement our work and judgment. It is necessary because we run through 10 stories each day per editor. We need help the way writers do.
And we are not silly enough to allow colored lines to dictate our publication process. Red and yellow lies appear when writers submit work written in British English. I check for consistency in that branch of the English language, disregarding what Grammarly suggests.
When it comes to plagiarism, we do our part to uphold the requirements of this platform.
People. There are rules in life. We play soccer in teams of 11. Does the referee allow you to continue when you have 15 in your team and each carrying a baseball bat?
Respecting the rules of the game is respect.
We reach out to writers with suspected plagiarised work and request clarification. Again, I have to be crystal clear on this point.
We reach out for clarification without direct rejection.
We want to know if the original work belongs to you, if you own the copyright, whether you have made updates on other people’s work. This is performed so we can help and suggest better ways to present your work.
Using hyperlinks, blockquotes, pull quotes, giving credit to original content creators are ways we can work with you to write better.
This is not done to torture writers. The reverse is true. We torture ourselves.
Again, we do this respectfully.
And we try to explain our work respectfully too. Now and into the future.
Summary
Editors aren’t riding a high, holy horse. We write, and so we know how it feels to be rejected.
But do us a favor too. Before fighting back and butting heads with our private notes, do consider the following:
- Read our inputs written in the private note(s).
- Digest them.
- See if they polish your work better.
- Check if they are intended to prevent turning you into a plagiarist.
- Above all, understand how incorporating these points help your future submissions.
We do our best and demand the best from our writers because Illumination is reader-centric.
The best shot for publishing a viral article starts from well-polished writing.
From that perspective, writers, you have to do your job.
Same for editors.
Dr Mehmet Yildiz Liam Ireland Maria Rattray Terry L. Cooper Karen Madej Carol Price Tree Langdon Britni Pepper Dr. Preeti Singh Agnes Laurens Claire Kelly The Maverick Files John Cunningham Geetika Sethi Noorain Hassan, BMS Zen Chan Editor of Technology Hits Josh Balerite Acol
As a content contributor, I write my observations from daily life and my business exposure. Because our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.
