One year ago, I submitted a 4,000 word essay to a prominent national magazine. I liked the essay. I thought it was good, but I knew sending it to a magazine at that level might be a stretch. I was willing to take a chance. I wasn't willing to essentially be ghosted by the magazine. I realize that bigger magazines receive thousands of submissions and can often take six months to respond, so I waited. I had sent the essay through Submittable, so after six months, I went back there and sent the editor a note asking about the status of the essay. No response. I waited three more months, far more that is realistic for a response, and sent another request. Again no response. After three more months, I went to the magazine's website, found an email address for the editor-in-chief, and wrote directly, even though I know that is not generally acceptable. I finally received an email stating that my essay had been "lost in our system" and apologizing for "our ineptitude." The editor said he was sorry for the situation and hoped that I would submit again the next time I had an essay appropriate for his magazine. I waited a year for his response. He will have to wait a century before I will submit to his magazine again.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Photo by John Jancik
AuthorDr. Steve Gardiner is the author of nine books and over 1,000 articles. |