Richard is taking me on a romantic getaway this weekend and our oldest son, Zach, will be caring for the boys…and the new puppy. Even though Coco’s crate (I call it her hidey-hole) is very large, we’re going to put it in the back of the truck, and deliver it to Zach with the boys. Coco sleeps very well in her crate at night and we don’t want that to end…
I received an email from a writer who wrote seven articles for a website. She stopped at that point. She wanted to wait until she got paid for those before starting on more. And, she waited, and waited. It’s now four months later and, not only has she not been paid for the original articles, but the publisher already published her work, and, according to the writer, has now refused to remove her articles from his website…
I was very interested in the question by “Paid But Angry,” who had submitted an article that was then rewritten and published under his/her name with errors. A similar situation happened at my workplace about 15 years ago, when the company decided to start a newsletter. A co-worker and I wrote an article about our boss in a witty, gently teasing tone. We ran it past her before submitting and she said it was great and had made her laugh.
When the newsletter was distributed, we were horrified to discover that the editor had added a badly-written, long paragraph at the end of the article extolling the virtues of our boss in a syrupy, cloying tone and had also somehow managed to insert 22 (yes, twenty-two!) typographical errors into our formerly pristine work.
Needless to say, my co-author and I were furious and embarrassed; over 300 employees would read this dreck and think we had written it. I wrote an email to the editor requesting a retraction/correction. The next day, I was called on the carpet by my boss’s boss, who said I had “hurt his (the editor’s) feelings” and that if I didn’t let it go, I would be written up!
All these years later, I still get angry just thinking about it! So I can definitely feel the pain of “Paid But Angry” and understand exactly how s/he feels. I wish I had been brave enough back then to pursue getting the retraction and I hope s/he has a more satisfying outcome.
– L.
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POD Authors Need To Hire Editors
Writers are dealt a tough hand. We see little early correlation between effort, talent, and profit; we slave over details until our eyes water, just to expose ourselves to criticism. Small wonder that Googling “writers as masochists” returned more than 3 million results.
But, are you more of a masochist than necessary? Are you criticizing yourself more than the critics, demanding more of yourself than any editor would?
I’ve been freelancing for more than thirty years. I’ve replied with job applications to hundreds of ads for writers posted online. Over the last decade and a half, I’ve nailed freelance jobs with AOL, Arthur Andersen, Forbes Investopedia, and many more print and online publications.
Some of the editors at those publications told me that hundreds of qualified writers applied for those gigs. Why was I selected for the job rather than some other writer?
I was told they hired me because they liked my cover letter, clips and resume…
The out of town guests have left, the Christmas decorations have been taken down, and the boys are back in school (homeschooling). I’m raring to get back on my regular schedule…
I much appreciate all you have done and the understanding and friendliness projected from (BookLocker’s) cover designer, Todd. (You) have all been so nice to me! How you rally together in harmony to make a book is just great! 🙂
Mary Francis
HERE
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BookLocker Did An Excellent Job!
It’s a problem that plagues a lot of new freelancer writers and many are unsure about how to tackle it. Fortunately, there are ways to deal with an unresponsive editor.
I recently received a copy of a magazine that contained one of my articles. It was unrecognizable. Parts of it were mine but it was overworked by the editor to such an extent that my voice was lost. Worse, she inserted errors! My name is on the article and it’s awful. What can I do? They did pay me.
THE PUBLICATION’S OFFICE WAS ALSO FIREBOMBED BACK IN 2011
At least 12 dead in Islamist terror attack at satirical French publication
“Black-clad gunmen shouting ‘Allahu Akbar!’ stormed the Paris offices of a satirical publication known for lampooning Islam Wednesday, killing 12 and injuring as many as 15 before escaping, French officials said.”
RELATED:
Prophet Mohammed in cartoons: a history
“Following deadly Paris attack on Charlie Hebdo, the satirical magazine which published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2011 and 2012, we round up recent controversies over depictions of the Prophet in cartoons.”
SHAME, SHAME, SHAME ON HARPERCOLLINS!!!
Publisher pulls atlas that omits Israel
“The Tablet, a London-based Catholic weekly, had reported that Collins Bartholomew was citing ‘local preferences’ for leaving out Israel from the ‘Collins Primary Geography Atlas For The Middle East.'”
THE SAYS THE STORY ISN’T THE REASON HE LEFT. YEAH, RIGHT…
Rolling Stone Libel Lawyer Leaves Wenner Media
“As Rolling Stone
