Professional Courtesy 101

[Harlean Carpenter {★}]

An article I posted over on my blog...

~~~~~~~

Print-on-demand magazine publishing has created a fantastic opportunity for creative people to get their work on paper and into the world.  It’s like the Internet equivalent of a wealthy benefactor; you invest your time and creative energies in a project, and someone else picks up the tab.

 

Unfortunately, unlike an actual wealthy benefactor, print-on-demand publishing requires no real accountability and, as a result, professional conduct is falling further and further by the wayside.

 

I’m speaking as someone who has been on both sides of this equation.  I’ve been an editor in the past, and am currently working on a new project that has put me back in the editor chair.  I’ve been a contributor, as a writer and a model, published by both print-on-demand and traditional publishers.  And some of the things I am seeing lately, from both print-on-demand publishers and hopeful contributors, just make me want to cry, throw things, and consume far more chocolate and tequila than I can reasonably consider healthy.

 

Lack of money changing hands anywhere in the process does not give any parties the right to not behave like professionals.  These are a few things I’m seeing a lot of that are just not okay:

 

1) NOT REPLYING TO CONTRIBUTORS

 

I don’t care how well-established an artist or model might be, it takes guts to submit work to a complete stranger, and to just leave people hanging by not acknowledging submissions is not only grossly unprofessional but frankly downright thoughtless.  I have seen more than one publisher cite the number of other things they have going on in their lives as their reason for not replying to every submission, they “just don’t have time”.

 

Really?  You open the emails to look at the contents, don’t you?  If you don’t want to use the contents in your magazine, how long does it actually take to click “reply/paste/send” with this message (which I will happily allow you to copy & paste)?

 

“Thank you for your interest in our magazine.  Unfortunately, your submission does not meet our needs at this time”

 

Because if you really don’t have time to do that, 3 seconds of time to acknowledge a contributor as a human being and treat that human being with the basics of common and professional courtesy, do you really have any right to be asking people to put themselves and their work out for you to turn into something YOU will ultimately be profiting from?  No news is NOT good news in this scenario.  A swift “no, thank you” is infinitely preferable to just leaving people hanging indefinitely.

 

2) REPLYING TO CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS WITH SCAVENGER HUNTS

 

A call for submissions is exactly that; a call for you to submit work.  Replying to such a call with “Here’s 12 links to places you can view my work on the Internet, go look and see if there’s anything you want” is not appropriate.  If you want to submit work, submit it.  If, in that submission, you want to say something like “Here are 3 poems/photos for consideration for your magazine.  More of my work can be viewed at YesIAmAwesome.net.”, that’s fine.  But asking an editor to chase down your work online and look through multiple portfolios isn’t okay.  I have a form letter for that, too, if you’d like it:

 

“Thank you for your interest in our magazine.  Please visit this page for complete submission guidelines and instructions: DoItRightOrDontDoItAtAll.com”

 

3) NOT READING SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

 

When an editor takes the time to write down specific and detailed submission guidelines and instructions, there’s a reason.  It’s so contributors know what work to send and how to send it.  For example, I recently received a submission of political and 9/11 tribute poetry in response to a call for love poems, with the poems in the body of an email after I had specifically requested they be sent as an attachment in .doc or .rtf format.  And the contributor got rather belligerent when the poems were not accepted, because he hadn’t read that we weren’t looking for political and 9/11 tribute poetry.

 

Editors ask that things be done certain ways for a reason.  And that reason is usually because doing things that way allows them to review a greater number of submissions in the time they have to review things.  A lot of magazines won’t even bother looking at your submission if it isn’t sent in the way they’ve asked for things to be sent in.  So do yourself a favor, read the guidelines and FOLLOW them, you will stand a much better chance of your work being accepted.  And if you have questions, ask them before you send your work in.  The people who write guidelines aren’t any more perfect than anyone else, if you have a question it’s probably because they forgot to specify something in their instructions, and they need to fix that.  So you’re doing everyone a favor by asking those questions upfront.

 

Okay, there’s my rant ;)  Anyone have anything to add?

[Poisoned Apple Photography]

I agree that there are several magazines that do not treat the people who submit work to them in a professional manner. I also agree that there are some magazines that lack a level of taste as well as experience. However, I would like to point out that there are quite a few that do conduct themselves in a professional and respectful manner, and some of those people happen to use print on demand. The taste level is always... well, a matter of taste of course. It scares me to see new magazines popping up that just ask for submissions without a publisher, photographer, model or anyone else who has experience with print or photography running the show. I think this is where print on demand can go wrong. I am a new editor, my business model is a bit different than most who use print on demand, but I stand behind my work. Print on demand is not ideal, there is very little room for profit and a bit of a stigma attached, but good work is good work period. If you have a publication that relys on other's work, respect all who submit. If you want to submit your work, respect who you submit to. I don't mean to just show them respect, I mean make sure you respect their work. Don't sell your art or your publication short.

[Harlean Carpenter {★}]

I absolutely agree, and I certainly didn't mean to imply that ALL print-on-demand publications are automatically lacking.  The project I'm working on now will be print-on-demand for the first year, until we're established, just because that's the business model that's going to work for what we're doing.  But that doesn't mean I'm going to compromise in the slightest on quality and professionalism.  My point was that the lack of financial investment upfront has unfortunately also created a lack of accountability, and that lack of accountability has subsequently caused a great deal of slacking in  respect and professional behavior.

 

Respect is the key word; respect for your magazine, respect for everyone who helps you make it happen, respect for the fact that behind every piece of work is a person who deserves to be treated as such, not just an anonymous email.

Poisoned Apple Photography said:

I agree that there are several magazines that do not treat the people who submit work to them in a professional manner. I also agree that there are some magazines that lack a level of taste as well as experience. However, I would like to point out that there are quite a few that do conduct themselves in a professional and respectful manner, and some of those people happen to use print on demand. The taste level is always... well, a matter of taste of course. It scares me to see new magazines popping up that just ask for submissions without a publisher, photographer, model or anyone else who has experience with print or photography running the show. I think this is where print on demand can go wrong. I am a new editor, my business model is a bit different than most who use print on demand, but I stand behind my work. Print on demand is not ideal, there is very little room for profit and a bit of a stigma attached, but good work is good work period. If you have a publication that relys on other's work, respect all who submit. If you want to submit your work, respect who you submit to. I don't mean to just show them respect, I mean make sure you respect their work. Don't sell your art or your publication short.

[Poisoned Apple Photography]

Oh yes. Agreed.

Harlean Carpenter {★} said:

I absolutely agree, and I certainly didn't mean to imply that ALL print-on-demand publications are automatically lacking.  The project I'm working on now will be print-on-demand for the first year, until we're established, just because that's the business model that's going to work for what we're doing.  But that doesn't mean I'm going to compromise in the slightest on quality and professionalism.  My point was that the lack of financial investment upfront has unfortunately also created a lack of accountability, and that lack of accountability has subsequently caused a great deal of slacking in  respect and professional behavior.

 

Respect is the key word; respect for your magazine, respect for everyone who helps you make it happen, respect for the fact that behind every piece of work is a person who deserves to be treated as such, not just an anonymous email.

Poisoned Apple Photography said:

I agree that there are several magazines that do not treat the people who submit work to them in a professional manner. I also agree that there are some magazines that lack a level of taste as well as experience. However, I would like to point out that there are quite a few that do conduct themselves in a professional and respectful manner, and some of those people happen to use print on demand. The taste level is always... well, a matter of taste of course. It scares me to see new magazines popping up that just ask for submissions without a publisher, photographer, model or anyone else who has experience with print or photography running the show. I think this is where print on demand can go wrong. I am a new editor, my business model is a bit different than most who use print on demand, but I stand behind my work. Print on demand is not ideal, there is very little room for profit and a bit of a stigma attached, but good work is good work period. If you have a publication that relys on other's work, respect all who submit. If you want to submit your work, respect who you submit to. I don't mean to just show them respect, I mean make sure you respect their work. Don't sell your art or your publication short.

[Edson Carlos]

"Respect is the key word; respect for your magazine, respect for everyone who helps you make it happen, respect for the fact that behind every piece of work is a person who deserves to be treated as such, not just an anonymous email."

 

/thread

[Ama Lea Photo]

Others have already said it but I'm going to repeat it as someone who makes 90% of their living from editorial work (ei magazine photography). If you submit your images to a print on demand magazine and they are used in any way shape or form- i don't care if it's only a 1/4 page bio shot- you should be sent a FREE copy with a thank you note (doesn't have to be personalized) from the editor. I don't care if your publication is making less than nothing- there is an old adage "you gotta spend money to make money". It's professional courtesy and every real publication I've ever worked for does it. I am beyond offended when a POD publication sends me a pdf or a link to any online copy. If I'm giving you images for free you can spend the $5-$10 to send me a damned copy of your publication. It shows integrity, respect, and also a sense of pride in your own damned work. I don't care how good the articles are written or how expensive the paper your print on is, your blooming publication would be nothing without the pretty pictures that make people want to purchase it.

 

Also as a side note- I really wish POD magazines would hire a graphic artist!!! Or at the very least take some classes. You can take tutorials on youtube.com  in how to use text. I'm so sick of seeing ten different ugly downloaded fonts all over the covers of these things. Look at all the big mags- Vanity Fair, Maxim, Glamour, etc. They all use at the very most 3 main fonts in an entire issue and usually they're sans serif. Keep it simple stupid!  

 

 

[WhitneyB]

Rules to live by! Thanks Harlean!

[Rockabetty Bags !!]

Glad I don't deal with magazines...wish you much luck guys & dolls xo

 

[East Coast Pinups]

I agree with all you posted. I will also add my own $.02

 

Some of these POD and even some traditional publishers, post these calls for submissions which is all well and good. However, many of them are unaware, or simply do not care about intellectual property laws and guidelines. I've had several instances, where work I did for a client/customer, was submitted by the customer to some of these POD publications. If I were a publisher, creator of one of these publications, my first concern would be "whose works, images, etc.. are being submitted, and does the submitter have the proper usage rights from the creator" This should be posted in the publishers guidelines when they are posting their calls for submissions. Many models are unaware of intellectual property guidelines and laws as well. I don't want my work being published in anything but high quality, traditional offset printed magazines. I ask my clients to at least extend me the professional courtesy of asking me first, before they submit work I've done for them all willy nilly. The reality is that as a photographer, you've got a 50/50 shot, that people will respect this request. When they don't, sometimes they need a smack on the snout with the rolled up newspaper, and so do these so called "publishers". With the advent of these "online" publications, policing your work and where it ends up is sometimes a necessary evil.

 

The same old response of "Well I paid you for the work you did, so the images are MINE" is not correct, and some people are seriously misguided when it comes to intellectual property. 

 

That's my measly input :)

[Retro Lovely Magazine {★}]

This is a great post and one I nearly think I should stay away from for political reasons...  

 

But here I am typing.

 

Mainly what I want to mention, is a bit of the view on our side of submissions coming in. Largely as I wish I had the time to personally respond to each and every one.  But... that would be a full time job in itself. Once you engage someone in a dialog you instantly multiply your email traffic. Though I have in place several resources for artists who submit to review I can also say many simply would not take the time to absorb that information and you end up with a lot of instances of "you don't like my work? Why not?" and you elaborate which then resulted in the party sending more samples, then they'd want to know why you didn't like that work.  I had to resort to a "slip it under the door, if I see something that strikes me I will be in touch". Many artists who I was in contact with early on with Retro Lovely will no doubt know how much of a shift has occurred in the ability to actually make timely contact.  It was pretty instant back then.  These days....  I can only seem to manage to reply to 30% of the email that comes in. And among those we're talking important things such as getting copies of an issue to a model or artist who needs them for a show and have deadlines etc... or something to do with staging our issues...  on respect, we require the artists to review our layouts and approve them, they KNOW, what will run... no surprises.

 

Harlean mentions something we do which is to include in our auto responder a link to our site's submission page.  It's always been pretty informative and we post that in a lot of places yet it's amazing how many times a week someone will ask "how do I submit?".  It adds up, it keeps us from being able to be more responsive as we're spinning on the same things over and over.  

 

Retro Lovely investigated print on demand.  The cost would not allow us to do what we wanted to do.  (When I say "we" or "our" it's because I think in terms of our contributors being part of this)

 

And on contests...  we just concluded one for the cover of our 8th issue.  Included in the prize was $1000 cash. $1000 in copies of the issue provided to the model plus $500 towards a photo shoot for that edition. And we did not resort to the annoying "vote for me" trends that make us itchy... (giving up all the social advertising that could have gone with something worth $2500) voting was first decided by our patrons, then a panel of judges.  So here those very patrons where that $2500 actually came from decided the finalists, not the 1000 friends of some model who never touched a copy of the publication. And the final determination by judges from a varied group so as to have it very balanced.

 

Retro Lovely also began shipping its first Special Edition in September where the photographer not only enjoyed full profit sharing but took advantage of the resource and will do far better with it profit-wise than the magazine itself.

 

This Friday we begin shipping our first Model Edition...  one full issue, of just one model, again full profit sharing.  She will receive from us over $2000 worth of copies. And later in the month our second Artist Edition will go to press.  I mention this mainly as a way to say thanks to those artists who in the past were happy enough with the comp copies and our making the product available to them at wholesale and on consignment vs. page rates as it was that consideration that has allowed these recent achievements to be possible.  And this is also a bit of self-assessment, a bit of a reality check to say "yeah, we wish we could get to reply to every single submission that comes to us... but you know, we only have so much time and we're actually doing some good work for those creating this art".

 

I want to close by saying I fully support anyone's artistic pursuits. If that's launching a zine, be it web, be it print on demand, heck we sell 3 other titles in our own store and recently helped fund and produce another zine in hopes of helping it do a bit better than POD can do for them. This is an open invitation to any publication who is moving 250-300 copies of their title to consider mass printing.  If you're moving that many copies, you could do far far better with an offset press.  We would be happy to help, granted it's a lot more than just a $20 proof copy to make it happen...  

 

Michael Bann

Publisher, Retro Lovely

[Poisoned Apple Photography]

I don't think anyone on this site is going to argue with you. Print on demand (shall I be the one to say the dreaded Magcloud?) is expensive for all involved and like I said before has a stigma attached. Mass printing does make more sense if you move alot of copies. I hope to move on to bigger and better things printer-wise myself. Retro Lovely has made obvious efforts to compensate the people who contribute content. People get all giddy at the thought of being published in Retro Lovely for a reason. Good reason.
I think that every publication needs to find their own way to show they value those that submit content. If you contribute to a publication that you do not feel valued by, stop and find the ones that do. No?
Retro Lovely Magazine {★} said:

This is a great post and one I nearly think I should stay away from for political reasons...  

 

But here I am typing.

 

Mainly what I want to mention, is a bit of the view on our side of submissions coming in. Largely as I wish I had the time to personally respond to each and every one.  But... that would be a full time job in itself. Once you engage someone in a dialog you instantly multiply your email traffic. Though I have in place several resources for artists who submit to review I can also say many simply would not take the time to absorb that information and you end up with a lot of instances of "you don't like my work? Why not?" and you elaborate which then resulted in the party sending more samples, then they'd want to know why you didn't like that work.  I had to resort to a "slip it under the door, if I see something that strikes me I will be in touch". Many artists who I was in contact with early on with Retro Lovely will no doubt know how much of a shift has occurred in the ability to actually make timely contact.  It was pretty instant back then.  These days....  I can only seem to manage to reply to 30% of the email that comes in. And among those we're talking important things such as getting copies of an issue to a model or artist who needs them for a show and have deadlines etc... or something to do with staging our issues...  on respect, we require the artists to review our layouts and approve them, they KNOW, what will run... no surprises.

 

Harlean mentions something we do which is to include in our auto responder a link to our site's submission page.  It's always been pretty informative and we post that in a lot of places yet it's amazing how many times a week someone will ask "how do I submit?".  It adds up, it keeps us from being able to be more responsive as we're spinning on the same things over and over.  

 

Retro Lovely investigated print on demand.  The cost would not allow us to do what we wanted to do.  (When I say "we" or "our" it's because I think in terms of our contributors being part of this)

 

And on contests...  we just concluded one for the cover of our 8th issue.  Included in the prize was $1000 cash. $1000 in copies of the issue provided to the model plus $500 towards a photo shoot for that edition. And we did not resort to the annoying "vote for me" trends that make us itchy... (giving up all the social advertising that could have gone with something worth $2500) voting was first decided by our patrons, then a panel of judges.  So here those very patrons where that $2500 actually came from decided the finalists, not the 1000 friends of some model who never touched a copy of the publication. And the final determination by judges from a varied group so as to have it very balanced.

 

Retro Lovely also began shipping its first Special Edition in September where the photographer not only enjoyed full profit sharing but took advantage of the resource and will do far better with it profit-wise than the magazine itself.

 

This Friday we begin shipping our first Model Edition...  one full issue, of just one model, again full profit sharing.  She will receive from us over $2000 worth of copies. And later in the month our second Artist Edition will go to press.  I mention this mainly as a way to say thanks to those artists who in the past were happy enough with the comp copies and our making the product available to them at wholesale and on consignment vs. page rates as it was that consideration that has allowed these recent achievements to be possible.  And this is also a bit of self-assessment, a bit of a reality check to say "yeah, we wish we could get to reply to every single submission that comes to us... but you know, we only have so much time and we're actually doing some good work for those creating this art".

 

I want to close by saying I fully support anyone's artistic pursuits. If that's launching a zine, be it web, be it print on demand, heck we sell 3 other titles in our own store and recently helped fund and produce another zine in hopes of helping it do a bit better than POD can do for them. This is an open invitation to any publication who is moving 250-300 copies of their title to consider mass printing.  If you're moving that many copies, you could do far far better with an offset press.  We would be happy to help, granted it's a lot more than just a $20 proof copy to make it happen...  

 

Michael Bann

Publisher, Retro Lovely

[Harlean Carpenter {★}]

I absolutely hear what you're saying, and have to reply with a stance I've taken in the past that has made me quite unpopular before, and I've no doubt will make me quite unpopular again with some folks; don't engage those people.  That's where professional behavior and courtesy come into play from the contributor's side, in understanding that a rejection notice is NOT an invitation to begin a dialogue with an editor.  Unless that rejection contains a request for more information, or ANY indication that the editor is expecting a reply, you don't respond to it.  Rejections happen in any creative business, and you learn to accept them, that's just the nature of the beast.  If someone wants a better idea of what kind of content your magazine is looking for, they should read the magazine.

Retro Lovely Magazine {★} said:

This is a great post and one I nearly think I should stay away from for political reasons...  

 

But here I am typing.

 

Mainly what I want to mention, is a bit of the view on our side of submissions coming in. Largely as I wish I had the time to personally respond to each and every one.  But... that would be a full time job in itself. Once you engage someone in a dialog you instantly multiply your email traffic.

[Vintage Suits by Mary]

I agree completely! It's also more than a little annoying to be a paying sponsor (ie: having purchased advertising) and not get timely responses.