No matter who you are, you have likely experienced the dating world. And if you are in the writing/editing industry, you have probably also tried to get your work published.
These two worlds might seem unrelated, but, when you take a closer look, they have much more in common than meets the eye. In both worlds, for example, you are inevitably going to face rejection.
Pretty much everyone has been on a date where the other person involved just was not feeling the connection and said straight up that he/she just wasn’t that into you. In the publishing world, rejection is also a reality. Whenever an author submits his/her work to a particular publication, he/she is always at risk of being told “no.” Still, no matter how many times this might happen, a person cannot give up.
But there is such a thing as trying too hard. I think we all know that one guy who walks up to every girl he encounters, attempting to score a date with each one. “That guy” more than likely eventually acquires a subpar reputation. Certain authors take a similar approach when it comes to getting their work published. They might, for instance, submit a huge number of low-quality papers to numerous journals. Editors and publishers are definitely savvy enough to catch on to these tricks.
Another practice that will quickly get you a bad reputation in publishing is ignoring author guidelines. Most journals have very clear regulations in place when it comes to what they are looking for in an article. Unfortunately, numerous authors choose not to heed these guidelines—and it doesn’t go unnoticed by the folks on the other side. With dating, you have the same concept in place; most people are pretty upfront about what they are looking for in a significant other.
In today’s times, being aware of malicious intentions when it comes to dating is also essential. We’ve all heard stories about people getting into online dating, for example, and being scammed by unsavory types. In the publishing world, similar scams are popping up; what Jeffrey Beall has coined as “predatory publishers” are academic journals claiming to be legitimate forums for publication and charge authors high amounts of money for submission. They also claim to have unrealistically high turnaround times. Such publications are actually frauds; if an author’s work appears in one of them, he/she is cheated in terms of money and reputation. So, it is important to stay safe and responsible while searching for publishing venues.
My final parallel: the need for patience. Think back to your first boyfriend /girlfriend—during the early stages of your relationship, you were probably contacting the other party far more than necessary. This likely didn’t help you to establish a favorable persona with that other person. The same goes for authors who are waiting to find out the status of their submission. They will often send multiple emails and make multiple phone calls, attempting to find out whether their manuscript has been accepted for publication—this irritating persistence might very well earn the piece a spot in the “reject” pile.
So, whether you’re looking for a place to publish your paper or for a significant other, a few words of advice: Don’t get discouraged, don’t overdo it, and try to put yourself in the shoes of the other person.
