All right, us writers have a hard row to hoe. How do we determine where the lines are drawn? How to think about furthering our careers, being frank and forthright without alienating the exact person who can do us some good? Your advance check hasn’t arrived, and you just want to scream…don’t. Your publishing company has dragged you through the wringer, and you want to blast the whole company with an acidic email…oh, please don’t! Read below and find tips to help smooth your path.
You might find some of these things challenging at times, but with a bit of patience, thoughtfulness, and a very professional demeanor, you can carve a path that lets you be seen as even-tempered, dependable, and professional…all things you assuredly want to be seen as when publishing traditionally.
Photo by Pierre Bamin on Unsplash
So step right up and start at the beginning. If you want to be loved by editors and publishers, one of the best ways is to meet your deadline early. Don’t rush to the point of screwing things up, but shock and surprise your editors by getting your work in ahead of schedule. Strive to produce your best work in a dependably timely manner.
Find a way to balance your finances without being on a hair-trigger, awaiting a check. If you’re just beginning your writing career, you probably already have a full- or part-time job in addition to your writing. And that may well be for some time to come. So be a good money manager. Hounding an editor or agent for your missing check won’t get it to you any faster, and you come across as desperate. Worse, you may be perceived as an irritant. Naturally, if it has gone past the date promised/expected, inquire, but do so briefly and with a professional air. Nagging and pestering are no-nos.
Photo by Jason Rosewell on Unsplash
This is important. Work on your voice. Speak aloud in the privacy of a closed room if you need to, but listen to yourself. Don’t let your words come across in a high-pitched scream or whine. Imbue your voice with confidence (not arrogance). Keep your voice in the lower ranges and speak in a friendly, measured manner, not a staccato babble.
Move away from the phone. Just because you have one and your editor has one doesn’t mean you have to use it. Don’t call unless you’ve already got clearance or a request. The best way to communicate is a quick email or if it has been agreed to, a text. It’s easier to dash off a few words back to you, and it can be handled when they have time, thus being less intrusive.
And about that email. If you’re exceptionally pissed off about something, slow down and think. Draft your letter in a Word document, not the email. Then save it and let it percolate. Don’t send it until it reads the way you intend and you’ve cooled down. Emails, as I think we’ve all learned, can take on a terrible life of their own. Don’t let it happen to you (again?)
Be old-fashioned. Write thank-you notes. Yep, you’ll truly endear yourself to your agent, editors, and everyone in the business if you take a moment to write a thank-you note when it’s appropriate. Don’t think “Oh, they know I appreciated it”. Well, they probably do, and after all, it’s a business too. BUT, doesn’t everyone like to be thanked when they go out of their way, go a little beyond the call of duty, or just do an everyday fine job? Take a moment, write the note. Oh, and be specific about what you’re thanking them for so it comes across as genuine as you are.
Do your own research. Editors are busy. Don’t go bugging them for things you can find on your own. Check out magazines you want to write for, read them, study the masthead for your contact. Google what you need to. If it’s a book you’re pedaling, check out publishers and their guidelines. Just knowing the writer’s guidelines will make an editor want to smile and shake your hand. You would not believe how many queries and submissions they receive that are totally inappropriate to their publications.
In Conclusion –
Those are the suggestions for the day. Interwoven through them all is, be professional, be civil, be polite, and be patient even when it’s excruciatingly hard to do so. This is your career we’re talking about here. Don’t self-sabotage. No yelling and screaming, literally or in print. It will get you nowhere. Be patient, always. Scream in the closet if you have to, but bring that firm, professional demeanor back to your encounter. If you do yell and scream or pester, you’ll probably get even less help than you imagined you were getting before.
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