Any Changes I Should Know About?

[CieleEdward]

I'm returning to CC after a hiatus of several years. I had a good thing going here for quite some time. Occasionally I would have an editor send something back for a minor error that I'd managed to miss during my paranoid proofreading, but everything was mostly peachy. I'm a niche writer, so I never picked up requests, but I had regular clients who often purchased my work as soon as I posted it.

Then one day I get a legal piece kicked back by an editor with a note that said something to the effect of "Don't be formal. Be informal for the everyday reader." That made the request impossible. If I changed the article to match the editor's request, my clients--who were mostly attorneys and other legal professionals--would not be interested in purchasing the work. If I explained this to the editor and resubmitted the article as is, there's a good chance it would have been rejected outright.

The whole thing put me in a sticky situation because I wasn't writing everyday articles. I was writing mostly legal pieces, and it's almost impossible to discuss statutes, federal acts, legal precedents, etc while using a "Hey buddy!" tone. I wrote what sold and I sold what I wrote. The idea that CC might be packed up and moving from a solid, professional editing process to the mystical netherworld of opinion brought on flashbacks of Demand Studios. I couldn't just keep doing what worked and bank on only rarely encountering this particular editor. I submitted work very frequently, and I was under the impression that there were only a few editors here.

I've done some reading on the forum, and I will do more, but I'm sure there have been editing changes over the past few years that I am not aware of. I want to believe that the editors here are far more professional than those at DS and that an explanation of why I am doing things the way I am doing them would be understood and respected. Is that the case? Does anyone use a disclaimer and find that it helps you avoid miscommunication with the editing staff? Have there been any other major changes over the last few years? I really would like to come back, but I put too much time and effort into my CC articles to strip them down, rewrite them all in a different voice and lose regular buyers as a result.

I'd appreciate any info anyone can share, and I apologize for my lengthy post. Thanks!

[HiredGun]

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Editing is quite slow lately as the lead editor is/was on holidays and they're apparently short editors at the moment. It depends which editor you get as to what is and is not allowed. I have sometimes placed a short note to the editors at the beginning of the short summary with an explanation (which most editors remove prior to placing the article up for sale), but some editors don't like writers using the short summary box as a place to message them. It's worth trying though, maybe with a message like 'this submission is written in formal tone specific to the target market of lawyers'.

[cmcmahon66]

I think HiredGun has the right idea. Some editors reject an article if it has an overt editor note in the short description, but you can "bury" the note in your description and get your message across to them as well as the potential buyer.

I always write my short summaries so that the last line is a little "pitch" - "This article is intended for a blog, newsletter, or other publication about X topic area(s) with an audience of Y reader type(s). So, "This article is intended for a blog, newsletter, or other publication covering diabetes prevention or general health and wellness topics for a general audience."

If I write something more formal, I mention that it is for a "specialized" or "professional" or "B2B" audience; if my tone is more like a typical "mom blog" or business-to-consumer blog post, then I say "general audience" or "interested layperson". When it's something a doctor, dentist, or lawyer might use to help educate the general public, I sometimes run it through reading-level software and make sure I can say that it's written at a "X grade reading level" as well.

[CieleEdward]

I think HiredGun has the right idea. Some editors reject an article if it has an overt editor note in the short description, but you can "bury" the note in your description and get your message across to them as well as the potential buyer.

I always write my short summaries so that the last line is a little "pitch" - "This article is intended for a blog, newsletter, or other publication about X topic area(s) with an audience of Y reader type(s). So, "This article is intended for a blog, newsletter, or other publication covering diabetes prevention or general health and wellness topics for a general audience."

If I write something more formal, I mention that it is for a "specialized" or "professional" or "B2B" audience; if my tone is more like a typical "mom blog" or business-to-consumer blog post, then I say "general audience" or "interested layperson". When it's something a doctor, dentist, or lawyer might use to help educate the general public, I sometimes run it through reading-level software and make sure I can say that it's written at a "X grade reading level" as well.

That is absolutely brilliant, and there is no way I would have thought of that on my own. Thank you!