COVID-19 RESOURCES
LIT CAMS (200 Free Tokens)ADULT TOYSVOD MOVIES

A volunteer editor ghosted on me after I sent him the manuscript for editing

S

sweetdreamssss

Really Experienced
Joined
May 22, 2018
Posts
117
I put a notice asking for any volunteer editor .. one of them responded ( name withheld for privacy) he talked to me while describing himself and asking for me..I let that slide and asked if he would edit my story ..

He said yes anf I sent it via email and after that he didn't respond to any of my emails..

I seriously don't know what to do now ??

Any suggestions...
 
sweetdreamssss said:
I put a notice asking for any volunteer editor .. one of them responded ( name withheld for privacy) he talked to me while describing himself and asking for me..I let that slide and asked if he would edit my story ..

He said yes anf I sent it via email and after that he didn't respond to any of my emails..

I seriously don't know what to do now ??

Any suggestions...
Click to expand...

Did you try PMing him? Did you use the correct email? I had someone edit using Google Docs. I did a stupid and failed to check my Gmail. I don't normally use Gmail but Google Docs does.
 
We had an e-mail conversation of about 5 to 6 emails before I sent him the manuscript.. once he got it ..he ghosted and didn't reply after that...

I sent him several reminders but no replu yet..
 
sweetdreamssss said:
We had an e-mail conversation of about 5 to 6 emails before I sent him the manuscript.. once he got it ..he ghosted and didn't reply after that...

I sent him several reminders but no replu yet..
Click to expand...

How did you send the reminds? PMs?
 
sweetdreamssss said:
He was ready to offer services..maybe he was using it as a excuse to hit on me and when I was so serious in editing, he ghosted ..
Click to expand...
Sounds suspect to me. If he's not replied with a completed edit job in a couple of days, you could always name and shame him here. If he's done it before, others might jump in. If he's genuine, he can provide an explanation - but I can't imagine a genuine editor would do what you have described.
 
electricblue66 said:
Sounds suspect to me. If he's not replied with a completed edit job in a couple of days, you could always name and shame him here. If he's done it before, others might jump in. If he's genuine, he can provide an explanation - but I can't imagine a genuine editor would do what you have described.
Click to expand...

Unless life happened, of course. Who knows, maybe his mother died or he got hit by a truck and is in the hospital. That's always a possibility.

Have to agree that the situation does sound a bit suspicious, though. Not that all my contact with other writers that I edit for is strictly business, but... When that happens it's usually that we keep mailing while I'm editing and start a conversation not strictly about my editing work. Only happend once or twice though. Sometimes it just clicks, but it does sound a bit one-sided in your example... If worse comes to worse, keep an eye out for your story on this site. I'm not saying he stole it, but you can't rule that out entirely. Keep your emails/PMs just in case you need to prove he got the documents from you, that might prove handy if he did actually steal it. Hoping that's not the case of course, but you never know.
 
I'd report it to Laurel by PM to see if she will do anything within the program. If not, I'd report the editor by name right here. That could go one of two different ways that are better than maybe feeding someone coming here a manuscripts to swipe and peddle as their own. (There are zero controls on who can sign up as a volunteer editor here.) Either the issue will surface here and the editor will have an acceptable story on what went wrong where that everyone can see or other writers can learn of a claimed editor to avoid.
 
Just to play devil’s advocate ...

A volunteer editor who gets a manuscript that is just trash might well just disappear rather than spend a ton of time trying to rewrite it while simultaneously teaching the would-be author the craft. Personally, I vet authors’ other works before agreeing, but eager beavers might not. Rude, yes, but welcome to the internet.

I once suggested to an author that he/she would be better-served by a writers’ workshop and got called every name in the book — in bad English. Fuck that, and yes, I took a hiatus after that.

Too bad. So sad. Find another free editor if yours disappears.
 
A legitimate editor would not disappear without a close-out message, no.
 
KeithD said:
A legitimate editor would not disappear without a close-out message, no.
Click to expand...

True, but we're all volunteers here. I agree that it would be very rude, though. I think I've once or twice rejected stories that I had previously accepted, once because of a burnout and the other because the writing was a lot worse than I expected, and I just didn't have the time to spend that long on it in that moment. Both received a proper message explaining the situation though.
 
ThisNameIsntTakenYet said:
True, but we're all volunteers here. I agree that it would be very rude, though. I think I've once or twice rejected stories that I had previously accepted, once because of a burnout and the other because the writing was a lot worse than I expected, and I just didn't have the time to spend that long on it in that moment. Both received a proper message explaining the situation though.
Click to expand...

You're volunteering to do a function. That doesn't excuse you from performing the basic responsibilities of that function. This is only about the communications closing a transaction or process out. It isn't about whether or not you continue with the edit. The issue was "just disappearing."
 
I'm with Keith - once you have volunteered and accepted the responsibility for anything the only excuse for falling off of the map is jail, hospitalization or death. It's just proper manners to drop a quick email saying "sorry - life events prevent me from continuing".

However the same responsibility to manners fall on the author, if you get comments back that you don't like you can't just ghost the editor who just spent eight hours of their time working on your manuscript because you disagree with their comments.

-Emmeran


KeithD said:
You're volunteering to do a function. That doesn't excuse you from performing the basic responsibilities of that function. This is only about the communications closing a transaction or process out. It isn't about whether or not you continue with the edit. The issue was "just disappearing."
Click to expand...
 
This actually works both ways. I have spent hours editing stories, returned the edited file to the same email it was sent from. Never had an acknowledgement of receipt and the story never published.

Once I have agreed to work on a story and give out my email address, I always reply to acknowledge receiving the file and give an indication when I will start and an estimate for completion.

Unfortunately real life kicks in unexpectedly and delays me. I will then let the author know of the delay.

Ghosting is never nice whenever it happens but unfortunately real life events do happen that trigger the event and there is often no chance to pass on messages.

Reading your posts, I suspect there was an ulterior motive to his agreeing to edit for you, but when you didn’t take him up, he decided to walk.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
ghosted by prospective editor: what next?
Replies
18
Views
671
Jay626
J
Socock98
Looking for an editor (Gay Sex series)
Replies
2
Views
245
lavendersilk
lavendersilk
M
a tip or two for self editing.
2
Replies
36
Views
2K
ColinPiper
ColinPiper
F
Looking for an editor
Replies
4
Views
617
Todger65
Todger65
Edey
Non-native in dire need of an editor for gay male/crossdresser romantic story, consensual anal sex
Replies
2
Views
277
Edey
Edey
Back
Top