The Etiquette of Wait Times

Ink-Stained Wretch

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Hello, everyone! I hope I have not put this thread in the wrong sub-forum. I have a question, especially for experienced magazine editors: what is the proper time to wait for a response regarding a solicited inquiry, before an obscure freelance writer might write to ask?

Here's what I mean: in January I published a political op-ed on a certain newspaper's website. The next day, I was thrilled to get an email from the managing editor of a rather prestigious monthly magazine, introducing himself and asking me to write him an op-ed on the same topic; I'd be paid X dollars if they ran it, and a kill fee of about 25 percent of that if they didn't. The op-ed, if they buy it, is to run in the April issue.

The due date for the column was February 21. I sent the completed column about a week before that, and I know the editor got it (as opposed to it getting snagged in his spam filter) because I did my usual bit of sending a plaintext announcement immediately after sending the full email filled with links and attachments and whatnot. The editor responded to my plaintext announcement, saying he got my column but it would be awhile before he got to it, since of course he's busy with other things.

And that's the last I've heard. Of course I'm dying to know what he thinks of my column (if indeed he's thought of it at all), but I have this instinctive fear it would be very unprofessional for me to send him an email asking about it. For that matter, I don't know if the magazine is even in the habit of letting writers know beforehand; maybe I'm just supposed to wait until I get a check in the mail, and see if they paid me the kill fee or the publication fee? Or maybe they only tell writers if they killed the piece, so "not hearing anything" is a good sign?

As I type this, it is two weeks after the deadline, three weeks after I sent the column, and presumably less than three weeks before the completed April issue goes on the newsstands.
 

happywritermom

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Many magazines work on very tight deadlines, especially if they are news magazines. Chances are the editor won't even look at it until the last minute. That's just the way it goes.

I would wait one more week and then send an email asking whether the editor has any questions or whether he/she needs anything further from you.

Hopefully, you'll get a response that will indicate one way or another whether the magazine intends to publish it.
 

Ink-Stained Wretch

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I would wait one more week and then send an email asking whether the editor has any questions or whether he/she needs anything further from you.

Hopefully, you'll get a response that will indicate one way or another whether the magazine intends to publish it.

I hope so too. The middle of next week would make one month since I sent the completed column; I doubt it would be seen as unprofessional nagging to send a question then.