Yep! This has to go into my “You Gotta Be Crazy” category. I was minding my own business (for once) writing articles and being me when some editor (who is actually a writer with a title, like me) has the nerve to send me an e-mail accusing me of lying in my tag-line. A tag-line is the blurb at the bottom of articles that tells a little bit about the writer. In the e-mail she wrote that she does not remember my byline in the publication in question. Would I please send a copy of the articles I wrote and my contact at the publication? OK. Since I am a God-fearing woman, I was polite and professional. I sent the information.

All the while I’m thinking that she saw my picture
near the article and she thought that I am some young, naive chick who could not have written for her esteemed publication…
I just can’t get over her nerve. I wrote for this publication several years ago as a freelancer. I wrote my articles and sent them in. I never met my assigning editor in person. I wouldn’t recognize him if I saw him on the street. This is a fairly large publication that probably had dozens of freelancers. I don’t even know how many people wrote for this pub, but I do know that it was more than one person. Who knows how many people contributed content over the years?

People need to realize that we are in a digital world. Hello! There may be an entire crew of telecommuters or freelancers working for your publication. Sometimes companies hire off-site people to help with the workload. Get a clue, please.

The hirer may not advertise that there are freelancers or telecommuters working out there. They may not want you on-site folk to beg to work at home, too. LOL. We may be invisible to you, but we exist. We are hard workers, and we are people who deserve to be treated with respect.

It was extremely rude for this editor to state that if mentioning their publication in my credits was an error, I should remove it immediately. How about this: If sending me an accusatory e-mail was an error YOU should apologize immediately, lady. Of course, after I sent the info the prove that I had written for the said publication, this person didn’t sent me a dang thing back.

Now OK. I know that there are crazy, unethical, folk out there who lie about where they work, where they were published, and all that jazz. But it would have been smarter and 100% more tactful to send an e-mail stating that she noticed my tag-line and would like to introduce yourself as editor of the publication. She could have then asked me when did I write for the publication. She could have also asked me for a copy of the articles. That would have been fine. In fact, I would have been flattered that she was asking and would have sent the information. She could have gotten the requested documentation without accusing me of fraud. Of course, she could have conducted any in-house research on me from the documentation that I provided.

The funny thing is that when I wrote for this publication, it wasn’t all that popular. Now, the publication’s name is more recognizable. And it seems to me that this woman has gone and “got the big head.” Translation: she thinks she’s all that. Second translation: the e-mail was a tad bit too arrogant and presumptuous for my liking.

Now, my moral for this story is to save copies of all of your articles. Thank God that I was able to find a copy of at least one article that I wrote for these people. Save contact names and e-mail messages from people you work for. Take a deep breath, exhale, and forgive all of the haters.

Peace

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