22 December 2008

Read-Only

I've gotten a couple of Read-Only files lately. Frustrating. For one, it indicates a lack of trust and professionalism (akin to noting copyright on your manuscripts.) But mostly, I read stories with my fingers on my keyboard. I often make little fixes and word switches, insert punctuation. In other words, I edit stories as I read. It keeps me engaged and lets me explore the amount of work a story will take to bring it to publication. I don't save these edits, but it's my little quirk as an editor. I do this more intensively during our voting process.

Plus, if we do take the story, you're going to have to send me another file before I can edit it. In my experience, those exchanges take a few days to complete and can set me off-schedule.

Indulge me in this. Send us regular .rtfs please. We aren't interested in stealing stories; we're interested in buying them.

9 comments:

lesleylsmith said...

Editor, Betsy, I'd guess these read-onlys are inadvertent, or possibly a quirk of your email software? I doubt authors consciously chose to give you a read-only.

Of course...you are pretty shifty, so maybe I'm wrong. :) Ha ha.

Happy Holidays everyone!

ssas said...

I don't know. All the emailed files I've sent back and forth between critters and I only see read only's out of my slush. I'm thinking it's on purpose.

Luke said...

What's happening with slush at the moment? It's been way longer than the 30-40 day response time for me... are responses on hold until after the Jan. deadline?

David E. Hughes said...

The oldest sub I see in any of the Editor's in boxes is November 1. So, if someone sent us a sub before it then there was probably an e-mail that went astray.

Anonymous said...

I'm guilty of being behind! But I see my oldest is November 22.

Thanks for asking. It's always good to check.

ssas said...

Oops. Make that the 11th.

laughingwolf said...

takes all kinds... still

season's blessings to you and yours, incl fellow eds ;) lol

Luke said...

Oldest is Nov 1st? In that case I'm OK, since mine was sent on election day.

lesleylsmith said...

I apologize. I've been slow this fall. My day job has been ...challenging and cutting into my free (editor!) time. I'll try to do better in the future.