Editors Speak: 4 Reasons They Secretly Hate You

Communication is crucial when it comes to working with an editor.But when it breaks down, then editors begin to wonder if they made a big mistake taking a chance on a new writer.

Considering how many eager writers there are who would jump at a chance to be published, frustrated editors won’t hesitate to drop writers who refuse to reply to emails, miss deadlines, make common spelling and grammar errors and don’t research the audience they are writing for.

Here are some examples of the most irritating mistakes writers make — that they often don’t even know they’re making — and how to fix them:

1. Blindingly pitching ideas

Every publication has its own agenda and spin on its content, whether it’s a straight-forward science news blog or a humorous entertainment magazine. The more writers understand what works for the magazine, the more prepared they are when pitching new stories to an editor.

“The one thing writers should do before pitching articles is easy for me — read the publication you’re pitching to,” Time Magazine‘s Techland Editor Graeme McMillan said. “It’s not just asking yourself, ‘Is this story I am pitching appropriate for this publication,’ but also ask ‘Has the publication already published a variation on this story?’ And if so, what makes your pitch different, and hopefully better. It’s the research that you have to do in order to look intelligent and not waste everyone’s time before pitching.”

Another mistake writers make in the pitch process is underestimating the time it takes to prepare, interview, and transcribe notes into a well-written article. “I think writers don’t often consider their subject’s time before they decide to write an article about them,” Giant Robot magazine Editor Eric Nakamura said. “The idea of interviewing a subject and then pitching it with the full chance of it never being picked up anywhere seems like a pointless exercise.”

2. Promoting Friends

Pitching a story just because it sounds fun to write or because the writer wants to give their friends some press is a bad idea and can damage the writer’s reputation as a credible and professional journalist.

“Know the subject and consider the reason why they’re interviewing or writing about them,” Nakamura said. “Is there a motive other than just being interested in the subject? Is it their best friend? Is it going to help the writer in some odd way? Is it so the writer could get into an event free?”

3. Being too finicky

There’s a reason “dead” is in the word “deadline.”

Articles die without pity if an editor doesn’t get the work in on time. It takes an entire staff of people besides the editor to publish your article. Everyone from the art director to the ad sales team is affected if a scheduled article they were depending on suddenly doesn’t appear as planned. When writers don’t keep their editors in the loop about missing a deadline, it can create a level of mistrust and disappointment that’s difficult to correct.

“There are times when I’ve had writers blow deadline even by only a couple of hours in order to get something ‘just right,’ but by that point, it doesn’t matter how perfect their prose is — it’s too late, and not only will I not be able to use it, but I’ll have had to come up with something to take its place at the last moment, which is hassle that nobody needs,” McMillan said.

4. Big Egos

Writers have a right to be proud of their work, but when their egos get in the way of a good story, editors might think twice before hiring someone who wants to turn their articles into makeshift memoirs.

“Some writers also like the sound of their own voice a little too much,” Nakamura said. “A joke that’s just too personal or funny doesn’t work. A great quote that doesn’t fit shouldn’t be forced to fit. The writer should never be as big as the subject unless that’s what you’re paid to do — which is rare and exceptional.”

“I just like thorough work that is written without too much ego and that is also thoughtful,” he added. “It’s a difficult balance that most can’t understand right away. A writer is sort of a filter for a subject.

You’re servicing others: the subject, the audience, and the publication — and you should be the last person in line at the end.”