Editor question

[CJs_Hubby]

Is anyone else having problems with editors agreeing to edit stories and very responsive at first, until I send the story and then can't get them to respond again. It has happened three times now in about a month. Just wondering if they are like the anonymous critics and just wasting our time agreeing to edit story with no intend to do anything.

Just wondering if anyone else is having similar issues.

 

[snoopercharmbrights]

Is anyone else having problems with editors agreeing to edit stories and very responsive at first, until I send the story and then can't get them to respond again. ...

Ouch! I can't imagine why that would happen, short of the editor dropping dead just after you send the story, and the chances of that happening are low; so low that three times in a month is just not possible.

 

[PacoFear]

I feel for you, CJ. It stinks to have your hopes dashed.

The usual advice for folks in your situation is to avoid the volunteer editor list entirely and instead post a request for editorial help here on the forum. Describe the kind of story you have, it's length (in word count), the kind of editing you need, and how quickly you need it done.

On your question as to why you're getting ditched after sending someone your story: one possibility is that it's in really rough shape. Have you tried to edit your piece at all? Have you run a spell checker over it?

An editor might back away from a job that's bigger than they realized. It's poor form to chicken out like that, but this is entirely a freebie thing so you get what you pay for.

Hope this helps,

PF

 

[sr71plt]

It could be just a reader who wants to see stories before anyone else does (or to submit them somewhere in their own names before they are posted anywhere). There are no controls here over who can claim to be an editor or not or who really will edit or not.

 

[PacoFear]

It could be just a reader who wants to see stories before anyone else does (or to submit them somewhere in their own names before they are posted anywhere). There are no controls here over who can claim to be an editor or not or who really will edit or not.

SR speaks true; anything is possible. These are reasons it's best to seek help from the folks who participate regularly here on the forum. They're more inclined to have a larger stake in their rep here and are also more likely to have their own material they're trying to exploit without looking to hijack someone else's.

 

[Cruel2BKind]

Depending on the time, (you said you've tried three times in one month) you could just be jumping the gun.

When I edit, it takes a while, depending on any other responsibilities I have that take precedence over editing erotica, and how badly the writer wrote their story. An author once sent me a ten-page story that took me over five days to finish. I only have some time during the day to edit, and the guy barely did any proofreading before sending it my way. Other people might have higher priorities and even less time to edit.

There's also the possibility that you were forgotten, or that you're story was bad enough that they didn't even want to try. Although that reflects more on the editor, and not you.

 

[snoopercharmbrights]

Depending on the time, (you said you've tried three times in one month) you could just be jumping the gun.

When I edit, it takes a while, depending on any other responsibilities I have that take precedence over editing erotica, ...

There's also the possibility that ... you're story was bad enough that they didn't even want to try. ...

In either case it would be common courtesy to send an email saying real life has intervened and the editor won't be able to edit the story in the foreseeable future.

 

[LazzieLace]

I feel so naive now. I just picked an editor from a list and sent it off to him. It worked fine for me. Got good feedback. I plan on using him again next time I am submitting a story.

Real life does get in the way and it can often take longer to edit than you think it would. I do editing and critiquing on other sites. If you want I can give one of your stories a quick read through and see what I think.