Don’t Listen to the Crowd: You Need to Fear Your Editors

They hold the real power in the end

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

We’ve all been there before. You’ve spent years preparing. You’ve toiled away improving your skills and crafting the best possible you that you can be.

You know how to make it work, you know what pleases the crowd, and you are exactly what they need.

But then the almost inevitable happens; an editor just completely ruins your day.

Sure, there’s lots of advice out there saying just “take it in stride,” or “you’ll live to fight another day,” or just “swallow your pride and hope for the best.”

Don’t listen to them. This kind of advice simply doesn’t work in this arena.

The True Power of an Editor

I know this may seem like some sort of hyperbole, but it’s not. Most of us think if you have enough followers, then editors have to approve you at the end of the day.

I’ve even heard popular competitors thinking they are virtually untouchable.

That because of their massive success in the past, any editor they come across surely has to give them the thumbs up.

But that’s the thing — if you don’t perform well on any given day, your fate is completely up to the editor du jour.

Show up and present sloppy work and somehow still expect to survive just based entirely on the crowd’s opinion? I don’t think so.

The real path to success in this business is to show up and give it your all.

Every. Single. Day.

If you miss just one, it could ruin everything. I’ve even heard of people’s entire careers being destroyed after having a bad day while still submitting.

It’s the truth. And it hurts.

The Real Way to Win Over an Editor

What most people don’t realize is that editors are completely human. They have good days and bad. If they’re in a rough mood and you submit to them — well call it a day, because you won’t be seeing them again.

That’s why the editor — and not the audience — should be your true target.