You can’t seem to click with an editor, or maybe they’ve purchased one of your pieces but haven’t accepted anything else. We all know that tastes are subjective, and that’s why it’s so important for you to follow online the editors of any publication you want a byline in. By paying attention to editors on social media, you’ll see if they’ve moved on to other avenues, thus giving you an open door to make your pitch again. With that editor gone, you have another shot with a different one who may have a different view of your work.

Fortunately, I speak from personal experience, multiple times. I sold two essays to one editor at Startrek.com, but, after that, she wouldn’t accept anything else. I tried for over a year. Thankfully, I followed her on Twitter, and one day I checked her bio to discover she’d moved to another publication. I immediately submitted a pitch to the new editor who replaced her, and the proposal was accepted within two months. I submitted another pitch right after that one, and it was accepted within three days. I have another pitch under consideration as I’m writing this article.

Check the masthead, About Us, or Meet the Team section of a publication to find an editor to follow on social media as the magazine itself is usually listed separately on Twitter. For example, the literary journal, Chestnut Review has its own separate Twitter handle @chestnutreview, but if you review its masthead (https://chestnutreview.com/masthead/), you can find a list of its editors, many of whom have their own handle to follow.

But what if you choose not to use social media? Or, if you do, Twitter just isn’t your thing. Even though a lot of editors are active on Twitter, you can still work around your aversion to the micro-blogging site. You can use Google calendar or any online calendar to keep track of your favorite publications and their editors.

Set a reminder every three months to check the publication’s masthead. Though I am active on Twitter, I still use this reminder method for those editors I haven’t been able to find on Twitter plus to remind myself to check Twitter. I use something simple like: Check Bailey Marsh (fictitious name) as editor for MORE Magazine. That way, when I check in three months, and I don’t see Bailey Marsh’s name, I know I’m good to submit again.

Recently, I discovered another publication that changed editors so I took a chance and submitted the exact same pitch I’d sent to her predecessor and had had rejected. The new editor was excited about the topic and immediately accepted it. That’s proof that tastes are subjective, and different editors steer their ships different ways.

Though it seems like a lot of work, it pays off when you see how often editors change jobs. Many do not stay in the same place for very long, which, if you’re paying attention, gives you second, third, and even more chances to get that byline you’ve been chasing.

A rejection (or several) doesn’t mean you give up. It may instead mean you wait a little while longer until a different editor is onboard. That editor could very well like your work.

BIO:
As well as being a published author of fiction, Rachel Carrington is also a nonfiction writer and has written for the New York Times, Startrek.com, The Writer, and many others. She is also the site expert for Red Shirts Always Die, a site devoted to Star Trek. You can visit her on the web at www.rachelcarrington.com and on Instagram @rcarrington2004.