Tickled

Filed under: Editing
4 Comments

Being an editor has its pleasures. One of the things that makes me happiest about editing is seeing authors expressing enthusiastic pleasure when we buy their stories.

And I'm particularly tickled when an author sends us a very staid professional "Thank you for buying my story" email, and then I stop by their online journal and they're going SQUEEEEE!

I hope this won't make anyone self-conscious, and I hope it won't change anyone's behavior in any direction. I just thought it was worth commenting on.

Okay, so partly I just like seeing people go SQUEEEEE! But I especially like it if I had something to do with it.

4 Responses to “Tickled”

  1. Greg van Eekhout

    When I made my first pro sale, my email back to the editor was of the “squee” variety, and afterwards I regretted not being more professional. But the more I thought about it, the more I felt that even if it was unprofessional, I might be cut some slack. Because, jeez, who can’t understand a writer’s excitement at a time like that? It’s a squee moment. I wasn’t being discourteous, I wasn’t being difficult, I wasn’t being demanding or a prima donna or failing to meet a professional commitment. I was just honestly expressing my reaction to selling the story, which was thick with squeeosity. So, I’m glad you like seeing sqeeness. It can be a rough business, and expressing squeeage is one of its rewards.

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  2. Jenn Reese

    I remember composing a “SQUEE!” email to you after my first sale to SH and accidentally sending it to all the editors. 🙂

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  3. metasilk

    SQUEEE!

    Just because you like it, not because I’ve sold anything. 😛

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  4. Aliette de Bodard

    When I made my second sale not that long ago (not to a pro mag, not yet 😉 ) I also sent back a “squee” email. I agonized over whether I’d vexed the editor for days after that. But Greg is right, we’re just sharing that moment of excitement and sheer bliss that comes after a sale.

    I’ve gone “squee” over my subsequent sales, but with a little more moderation. 😉

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