That’s really good news! One step closer, right?

Last I heard the editor said the timing was the only thing in question right now – she couldn’t start assigning until she knew what the publications dates would be. She was being proactive in getting our ideas in ahead of time.

Exactly! And it’s a mistake plenty of people make, too. They let the clients lead and are nervous about pushing back (or they don’t know it sounds canned).

Sometimes we get good editors like that, don’t we? You were smart to suggest multiple angles — that can lead to a good dialogue. Sorry it didn’t work out because of the virus. 🙁

I’ve revised queries and LOIs now and then, too. It never hurts. A few months ago, one editor actually asked me to refocus an admittedly broad pitch (I showed her multiple directions if could be taken in case she had a specific gap to fill). She seemed to like the second one, and said the coronavirus has pushed back assigning for that issues, but she’d be in touch.

My most recent pitches were to editors I’ve worked with before, so I was able to be less formal, thankfully.

Wow. In-person meetings right now? That’s just irresponsible and thoughtless to even ask you.

Yes, way too many people trying to scam. I’ve had a few who sounded legitimate, which is a bit more disturbing than the obvious ones.

I don’t even want an initial conversation if either one of those demands are being made.

I can’t believe how many people have contacted me recently wanting in-person meetings and on-site work even though we’re still on stay-at-home. No.

Or say “we can’t tell if you can write in our voice without a test sample.” One: read my portfolio. It has numerous voices. Two: if your reading skills aren’t up to it, I charge $x for a sample.

Too many people trying to scam.