Editor Interviews
Members' Area: You are not logged in. You need to
log in to access this feature.
Sign up if you haven't already. All new accounts start with a free trial.
Read all the editors' answers to Duotrope's interview question: What is a day in the life of an editor like for you? Learn more.
Free Preview
Here is a small sampling from our recent Editor Interviews. We have interviewed over 2,300 editors.
Q: What is a day in the life of an editor like for you?
A: Initially, we send out response emails to let the submitter know that their work has been acknowledged (or not, if sent in the wrong format or not following submission guidelines) and we will let them know of any rejection or submission in due time. Then, we will look over all submissions and make decisions, and send back an email if you have been rejected or accepted.
A: Ravi Kiran our editor is very thorough and responds to every submitter within a given time
A: Apex is pretty transparent - there's a flow chart for both processes on our website - but in general it's first reads, second reads, tiebreakers, and editor reads. Two down votes at any stage of the process gets the story returned to the author. Lesley Conner and Rebecca Treasure have final say on short stories and flash fiction respectively.
A: We receive submissions almost daily, and I make it a priority to check Submittable regularly, reading as efficiently as possible. As a writer myself, I understand the frustration of long waits, so I strive to provide both timely responses and prompt publication dates whenever possible.
A: I suspect like most editors, my day is busy. In terms of a behind-the-scenes sneak peek of the submission process: Picture a dishevelled English woman with a cup of strong tea sitting at her computer, surrounded by books, with a view of a bucolic English landscape, a dog pestering her to be taken for its walk, reading your writing, and thinking carefully about it.
A: I work an unrelated job and moonlight as a book publisher. We are a small indie press.
A: Email, email, email! I try to set aside a Friday afternoon to actually read submissions. I look at what we already have in the works, share the material with my staff, sometimes put it aside to reconsider when I'm less stressed. Most often, I'm sending (hopefully not to depressing) emails declining the submission.
A: We limit the number of submissions we receive since it costs money for me to send him the poems. We also have other projects we're working on, together and separately, and don't want to be inundated with submissions. So, I don't have to check the submissions every day, but when I do, I sit down and read all of those I haven't seen so far. I'm able to see poets' bios, but I don't send them to my co-editor, so technically, he reads them blind and I do not. My choices are based on what I like and not what the poet's publishing history is. For all of the poems I choose to send to George, I input the titles and poets' names into a spreadsheet. I use TextBehind to send him each batch of poems (about 50 cents for every 10 pages), which he can see on his tablet and receives a printout of. Then, he texts me his top 5-10 poems per batch via the GettingOut app. I then use color coding in the spreadsheet for his choices and mine. It costs him 2 cents per minute to text me and to read my texts; every text I send him costs me 25 cents. We also talk on the phone a couple times a week ($1.60 per call), so we might spend some time talking about bramble and our choices for the next issue. Communication isn't cheap for prisoners and their friends and family! But it's part of our process, and I wouldn't have it any other way. :-)
A: We use Submittable, so we leave comments for each other in there. I will pop in and out and scan for who has been reading what pieces. If there is division I will jump in to be the third eye over a story. I also like to check on our new readers - because we need to trust their judgement. So I will dip in and out of the pieces they are looking at to see what they are labelling and why. Ultimately, I am focused however on pitches, commissions and working with the non submitted authors to curate the final collection. This is in tandem with our submissions, especially if we can see a theme emerging.
A: We both work busy, full-time jobs when we’re not doing editorial work for Frozen Sea! Reading submissions usually happens during whatever time we can make it happen, and it’s a joy to see what work comes through. We’ve felt a much stronger connection to the literary scene as a whole since we’ve started Frozen Sea, and it’s always great to discover new work we’re excited about.
A: We read every submission package through carefully. We close submission windows when we are booked quite far ahead, and open them again when we are ready for another flow of readings.
A: When a submission is received, I log the person's information and check for compliance. If any points are missing, I will contact the individual. Then I prepare the document to be shared with the reading committee. I read the item once for content and decide if it is generally appropriate for our audience. Subsequent readings will review for technical issues and overall readiness for publication. The reading committee meets to discuss the merits of each submission before deciding if an item will be accepted as is, returned to the author for some revision, or declined.