tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post7880473594574918584..comments2024-03-28T01:11:53.559-07:00Comments on Electric Spec Editor Blog: formattinglesleylsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14872977902924014581noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-89507708274040123902011-06-21T11:41:14.585-07:002011-06-21T11:41:14.585-07:00The vagaries of word processing programs make it p...The vagaries of word processing programs make it possible for your perfectly formatted document to end up a mess when the editor opens it, especially if (a) you are using different versions of the software, or (b) using "compatible" programs. For example, Word Perfect can open Word documents, but quite often the format is completely trashed. And different versions of Word cause problems. <br /><br />I'm not sure why more editors do not accept PDFs initially. There is no argument about format when working with a PDF version.John S. Barkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-78422785319300321982011-06-21T06:50:14.678-07:002011-06-21T06:50:14.678-07:00One of my favorite stories we published did nearly...One of my favorite stories we published did nearly every thing on submission wrong. The story was that good.<br /><br />I do find it annoying, though, to be cranking along on slush and have a story turn up that's difficult to read. But I usually just let the writer know and invite them to resubmit if I can't read enough to hold or pass on the story.ssashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15527483283426518167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-37287744728719966812011-06-17T05:00:09.264-07:002011-06-17T05:00:09.264-07:00If it makes it unreadable, fair enough, but if THE...If it makes it unreadable, fair enough, but if THEY'VE done something at their end to convert it from one format to another, then thay have a problem.Martin Willoughbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05605554706836638988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-12714646546807816422011-06-16T17:33:43.316-07:002011-06-16T17:33:43.316-07:00I had an editor claim my formatting was wrong beca...I had an editor claim my formatting was wrong because I didn't use italics for character's thoughts. I never saw a rule that said you had to do that. In fact, many authors these days dismiss it as a passe convention.David E. Hugheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15562347731539228314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33599441.post-80560265950241084362011-06-15T08:33:51.862-07:002011-06-15T08:33:51.862-07:00This happened to me once as well, but I blamed the...This happened to me once as well, but I blamed the e-mail program. You see, this particular magazine requested all stories be "pasted into the body of the e-mail." <br /><br />Apparently, somewhere between my sending the e-mail and their receipt of it, the format changed. I'm still not sure why.<br /><br />I'm not opposed to editors rejecting a story if the formatting is so messed up that it's hard to read. If, however, it's just one or two little slip ups, a rejection is overkill.Anthony Rapinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11581208296144295224noreply@blogger.com