The editor-in-hiding strikes again! Had a brief email conversation with a former interview subject. I sent him the story I’d worked on, and out came his red pen! “No wonder that magazine didn’t print it–that beginning is awful! Here’s how you should fix it…” Mind you, “that magazine” had gone out of business, hence the reason the story didn’t print. But it didn’t stop this dude from giving me unsolicited, and very much unwanted, advice.
Don’t get me wrong–if you’re an editor, you have my undivided attention. I’m all for making the story a better story, and if you have suggestions, I’m open to them. But if you’re a plumber, accountant or any other profession that is not involved in writing, your advice is unwarranted and unwelcome. I’m sorry to take such a hard stand, but many’s the time I’ve had to fend off critiques and the ever-popular “This is what you should be writing instead” from interview subjects and public relations people and anyone with an opinion that’s just burning up inside.
In almost every case of what I call The Attack of the Non-editorial Editor, the advice has been off base or just completely wrong. In this case, the dude didn’t like that I started the article with part of a group’s manifesto he took offense to. It “assaulted” his sensibilities, so it didn’t belong, he said. Little did he know that the editor assigning the piece wanted that manifesto mentioned, and that the shock value did, in fact, make readers want to know more. No, this dude was suddenly a better editor (and a better writer) than either my editor or me.
How do you address this? Simple–thank them for their opinions. Don’t make promises to fix or to talk sense into your editor. Just simply state “I appreciate your feedback” and move on. Sometimes interview subjects take a sense of ownership of the piece because they have contributed. While their contributions are very much welcome, their editorial advice is out of line. Perhaps these people also tell others how to perform their jobs. If so, the problem is certainly one you cannot cure, nor should you be trying. You owe them thanks for the interview, not total control over the piece.
The majority of the people you will deal with or interview will be terrific. Just remember that for those other few, control is not something to be handed over lightly. In many cases, it may not be yours to give up. Keep a professional attitude and guard your territory, and that of your editor, like a hungry, albeit polite, bulldog.
One more thing I have to address–the request for prior approval. In most cases, publications do not want someone outside the editorial department to have any say in what has been written or how it has been presented. Unless you’re working for a magazine that specifically requires that the interview subject/company checks the work for errors or corrections, never agree to it. In fact, if you have those requests/demands, go back to your editor and ask what the magazine’s policy is. I know in a few cases, I’ve worked with publications that allow that, but only because the interview subjects hold a particular expertise or are members of the association the publication addresses. In most cases, letting the interview subject, his company or his PR rep approve copy is like handing the keys to your house to a stranger. Unless the editor okays it, or unless the interview subject is signing your paycheck for that article, don’t do it.