Hi everyone,
I’m writing this letter from the airport as I’m heading back from Istanbul to London. You can picture me with a tiny plate of mantı and a glass of white wine.
I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’m loosely calling here “editorial etiquette.” You could also call it the informal, unspoken rules that shape how editors and writers work together—and ideally, do so with clarity, grace, and a sense of ethics. Which seems rare. It’s about having good page-side manners, and treating editorial work like a relationship, not a transaction.
As someone who’s been on both sides of the page, I’ll say this: being the author is often harder, more frustrating, and more vulnerable. So consider this a critical reading of the current editorial landscape—and a list of reminders for anyone who wants to be a decent human in publishing.
But before I get into it, a quick detour: I’ve been working on something new—a digital resource to support anyone passionate about writing, editing, or publishing. It'll be a digital archive-slash-toolbox of editorial resources.
If that sounds like something you’d want to peek at, you can register your interest here and drop a note about what you’d like to see included.
Re: is a midweek recap of my research, reviews, recommendations, and reactions, featuring curated short-form responses. Re: is inspired by the culture and practice of responding.
Let me preface this by saying that some of these items are a matter of personal editorial taste, while others, I’d argue, should be universal (and things most of us would consider obvious). I’ll leave it to you to parse which is which. Consider this my work-in-progress house style for an edito-ethico-politico guide.