Don't be this guy...

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Buffysquirrel

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Wow, that publisher gave generously of their time.
 

Silver-Midnight

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jjdebenedictis

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Great story, but it's pinging my BS detectors a little.

Why is the guy referred to as a client? He was never engaged in business with the publisher.

What is a "head publisher"? If it's a small publishing company, I guess that would be synonymous with "the owner". I'm not sure a larger company would refer to him/her that way.

So...they let a distressed author in off the street to talk to a publisher in person? That doesn't happen.

The request to see first pages, plus one engaging scene, plus the ending, is odd, although I think I've seen it once where a publisher ask for the first pages or the best scene.

If the author left the whole manuscript, why did the publisher even read it if it was only 100 pages? It would obvious, by heft alone, that was too small.

The second conversation, with the five reasons for rejection, was taped? Really? What forethought, for the publisher to have a microphone set up and to be familiar with the local laws on recording conversations with people.
 

Brickcommajason

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How the heck did he get in your office? Fire your security guy...or write a hilarious short story about how he ninjad past him.
 

Undercover

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Great story, but it's pinging my BS detectors a little.

Why is the guy referred to as a client? He was never engaged in business with the publisher.

What is a "head publisher"? If it's a small publishing company, I guess that would be synonymous with "the owner". I'm not sure a larger company would refer to him/her that way.

So...they let a distressed author in off the street to talk to a publisher in person? That doesn't happen.

The request to see first pages, plus one engaging scene, plus the ending, is odd, although I think I've seen it once where a publisher ask for the first pages or the best scene.

If the author left the whole manuscript, why did the publisher even read it if it was only 100 pages? It would obvious, by heft alone, that was too small.

The second conversation, with the five reasons for rejection, was taped? Really? What forethought, for the publisher to have a microphone set up and to be familiar with the local laws on recording conversations with people.

I was thinking the same thing. I've read other stories about people walking off the streets and talking to an editor directly....maybe in years and years past you could do that, but that never happens now.
 

Chase

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Nobody is this guy...

JJ was too kind. The story was a poorly contrived fake--as were two previously posted hokey conversations with annoying customers.

Not saying many writers and customers aren't full bore pains in the rear, but give us who write regularly a smidgen of credit for not suspending every shred of disbelief.:Wha:
 

Tazlima

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You guys are probably right about it being a fake. I just thought it was fun to see a writing-related story.

As far as the other stories go. I've seen enough during my own customer service days to believe a good percentage of them. People are frequently stupid and often downright bizarre.

A couple years ago my husband worked for the IT department of a bank. One day he got a call because there was a fire in the building (nothing major, it got put out with minimal damage). They actually called the help desk rather than 911. He had to tell them to hang up and call the fire department. If I put that in a novel, no one would believe it. After all, nobody's that stupid right? Especially not someone who's paid to handle other people's money. There's just that pesky little detail of it having actually happened.
 
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CrastersBabies

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It sounds kind of like a combination of every bad writer/publisher story (or urban legend) that's out there.
 

Chase

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It sounds kind of like a combination of every bad writer/publisher story (or urban legend) that's out there.

Yep. Exactly. My sister-in-law keeps me well informed on the most stupid and bizarre urban legends, which she fully believes despite logic and Snopes. :D
 

Little Anonymous Me

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A couple years ago my husband worked for the IT department of a bank. One day he got a call because there was a fire in the building (nothing major, it got put out with minimal damage). They actually called the help desk rather than 911. He had to tell them to hang up and call the fire department. If I put that in a novel, no one would believe it. After all, nobody's that stupid right? Especially not someone who's paid to handle other people's money. There's just that pesky little detail of it having actually happened.

:Wha:

I am both amused and depressed by this. :ROFL:
 

asnys

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I saw that and was actually just trying to decide whether or not to post it...

And I'm not saying it's real, but I'm pretty sure the NotAlwaysRight people edit the stories submitted to them a lot - I know at least one other submission-based gripe site does. So the original might not have included some of the red flags (referring to him as a "client", walking in off the street, etc.).
 
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G. Applejack

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If this is at all true, I suspect the man is more than dyslexic. He probably has a few mental problems.
 

Chase

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If this is at all true . . .

The stories--or something similar--indeed may have happened. The point is they're written as if to readers exceedingly gullible and slow on the uptake. It's as if the truth is best told as clunkishly as possible.

Years ago in a creative writing class (yeah, I realize it can't be taught), many a student tried to excuse crappy writing with: "But, it's the truth!"
 

Phaeal

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I was confused by the "client" part also. I've never heard a publisher refer to her authors that way. Well, unless it was a pay-for-play company, in which case why would the publisher turn any MS down?

Anyhow, I'm afraid the bad-writer behavior is the believable part of the post. Anyone who lets it be known they write (especially if they've been published at all) is likely to have an acquaintance or acquaintance's family member press a story on them for comment. In such situations, any comment other than frothing admiration will often trigger a speshul-snowflake meltdown. ;)
 

Roxxsmom

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Great story, but it's pinging my BS detectors a little.

Why is the guy referred to as a client? He was never engaged in business with the publisher.

What is a "head publisher"? If it's a small publishing company, I guess that would be synonymous with "the owner". I'm not sure a larger company would refer to him/her that way.

So...they let a distressed author in off the street to talk to a publisher in person? That doesn't happen.

The request to see first pages, plus one engaging scene, plus the ending, is odd, although I think I've seen it once where a publisher ask for the first pages or the best scene.

If the author left the whole manuscript, why did the publisher even read it if it was only 100 pages? It would obvious, by heft alone, that was too small.

The second conversation, with the five reasons for rejection, was taped? Really? What forethought, for the publisher to have a microphone set up and to be familiar with the local laws on recording conversations with people.

This. It's possible, I suppose, that it's richly elaborated, or it's possibly an amalgamation of several weird encounters this editor has had with would-be writers over the years.
 
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veinglory

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One of the reasons I stopped ready "Not Always Right" is that too many of the stories seemed made up. For a while every second story involved the victim and heroic staff person getting married.
 

asnys

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This. It's possible, I suppose, that it's richly elaborated, or it's possibly an amalgamation of several weird encounters this editor has had with would-be writers over the years.

I know Clients from **** edits their stories creatively, because I saw somebody complaining in the comments about how their submission had been changed. I wouldn't be surprised if Not Always Right does as well.
 
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