20
votes
Do editors rewrite?
The editor is there to make sure the publisher is happy with what they're publishing. This doesn't always coincide with what the writer wants to say, but the reasons for this will include many that ...
19
votes
Is it true that stories get rejected simply because the stories are not appealing enough and not because of the quality of the writing?
Those are two different questions!
Yes, stories get rejected because the stories are not appealing enough.
No, if the writing is bad, the story premise probably doesn't matter, the writing will be ...
- 104k
18
votes
Accusing private figures of crime in print
Although you have the right to tell the truth, that is not defined by what you just know must be true. The truth must be verifiable. What proof do you have to publish, or to back up what you publish (...
- 104k
11
votes
Do editors rewrite?
It changes from editor to editor and from writer to writer.
There are stories where the original manuscript was completely turned upside down by the editor. A very famous case in Italy had the young ...
- 3,837
10
votes
Why aren't literary magazines more honest in their rejections
There is nobody who would write an obviously poor quality story and then throw a tantrum when kindly told that it isn’t perfect.
This is incorrect for two reasons. First, people who write stories don'...
- 56.5k
9
votes
Do editors rewrite?
I'd also say it is worth seeing what "light editorial" is about.
It might be worth asking what is driving them to change, I'd ask about a few (three) specific changes you see as critical that are ...
- 104k
8
votes
Why do literary magazines insist on cover letters?
You're only half right. You seem to have forgotten these people are in business to make money by selling works, so the cover letter does two things for them that have nothing to do with your story in ...
- 104k
7
votes
Do literary magazines often value an author's reputation over the actual quality of his story?
Yes. Authors with proven appeal are much more likely to place a story, if only because it's much more likely for their stories to get a fair read by the editors. Unknown writers go into the "...
- 56.5k
6
votes
Do editors rewrite?
An editor should NEVER rewrite. What they should do is make suggestions on how to improve the writing. The writer will not always agree or even want to make changes. And I say this as someone who has ...
- 552
5
votes
Accusing private figures of crime in print
The editor of a small college magazine really, really ought to have legal counsel readily available. If the magazine has some official affiliation with the college, then the college's lawyers may be ...
- 259
5
votes
Accepted
If magazine submission guidelines say nothing, are they expecting Standard Manuscript Format?
No, but yes
There are a few things that you can do that will improve your chances. Since the editor (most likely) sees a lot of them:
Remove all funky formatting like headers, columns, tables, and ...
- 1,878
4
votes
Do editors rewrite?
I think there might have been a miscommunication here.
The editor has given you a list of suggested changes and you read it as a list of demanded changes.
As you clearly know, you have the power to ...
- 1,079
4
votes
Accepted
What do magazines mean when they say they don’t accept reprints?
If they do not accept reprints, that means they are seeking first publication rights -- they're only looking to buy a story if they can be the first to publish it.
The thing is, any sufficiently ...
- 28.3k
4
votes
Accepted
Accusing private figures of crime in print
If a newspaper/magazine were to receive information relating about a crime committed by a member of the public and are considering publishing this information, then the section on Privacy in the BBC's ...
- 7,763
4
votes
Is it true that stories get rejected simply because the stories are not appealing enough and not because of the quality of the writing?
@DPT has given an excellent suggestion of a pitch event. I wrote a YA sci-fi that was very different and, like you, was concerned about spending a lot of time on a tome that would have no place in the ...
- 9,923
3
votes
Accusing private figures of crime in print
Newspapers do tend to have a very cautious attitude towards defamation, in many cases tending towards a reflexive inclusion of terms such as "alleged", even when it's somewhat redundant (such as "...
- 651
3
votes
Which are the fastest-paying literary magazines?
This link at All Freelance Writers - Markets lists not only markets, but (when possible) their turnaround time on pay.
https://allfreelancewriting.com/writers-markets/
With the "Fiction" limiter ...
- 4,642
3
votes
Why do literary magazines insist on cover letters?
Asimov's is one of the best-known, most-respected magazines in the SF genre.
Their volume of submissions is immense (I don't know precise numbers, but e.g. F&SF very recently got 192 submissions ...
- 28.3k
3
votes
Literary magazines with the fastest turnaround rate?
Try using The Submission Grinder. Go to the Advanced Search page & enter parameters. Eg, I just searched F and SF markets, entered Minimum Pay of 5c per word, Max Average Response Time of 10 days ...
- 991
3
votes
Is it possible to pass down the privilege for choosing articles from teachers to students for school magazine?
What you suggest can work as long as the a teacher has a veto: nothing offensive or of low quality can go through. You have to take responsibility for that.
The problem is that the students you get ...
- 7,924
3
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to pass down the privilege for choosing articles from teachers to students for school magazine?
Who are the readers of your magazine? The students?
Imagine then, that you get a subscription to some journal. However, instead of providing you with carefully selected, edited and reviewed content, ...
3
votes
Accepted
Advertisements for The Economist: what do they mean?
1.
In the actual advertising, the quote is attributed to a "management trainee, aged 42":
The idea here is that if that person had read The Economist, he wouldn't still be a trainee at such ...
- 321
2
votes
Advertisements for The Economist: what do they mean?
The pregnant pause. Make sure you're not the father.
This one's easy, I think. Pregnant and father. Rather as an accident than on purpose.
Pregnant pause. When someone stops talking, and everybody ...
- 137
2
votes
Why do literary magazines insist on cover letters?
I read submissions to a literary journal. I never look at the cover letters. They probably matter to the editors if the piece gets accepted, but not to us, the initial readers. Keep them brief. ...
- 4,077
2
votes
Accepted
How does re-posting someone else's article/column/blog work
Copying someone else's work wholesale, without attribution or compensation is plagarism/theft, while quoting or summarizing small pieces of a person's work with proper attribution is fair use. In ...
- 56.5k
2
votes
Are there any online literary magazines that provide feedback regarding work that they turn down?
Most magazines are understaffed, and the staffers they have are overworked --print media is a difficult career, these days. Combine that with the ease of submitting work via email, and you reach a ...
- 56.5k
1
vote
Accepted
Literary magazines that publish surreal/absurdist fiction?
This post may help you: What journals publish surreal fiction?
As is mentioned in a comment on that entry, I also recommend Duotrope as well as Google search. Duotrope will let you select genre, ...
- 1,822
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