It was my bad, I really am sorry, and...how do I fix it?
October 21, 2018 3:01 PM Subscribe
I agreed to write an article for an academic journal's special issue. The article was due four months ago. I was told that all the other articles were in already. I am (and have been) about half way done. There's been no communications from the editor or special issue convenor. I am not sure what's going on and am drowning in guilt. Anyone advice or perspectives would be helpful!
The short of it is that I missed a deadline, and I am not sure how to approach the situation. This is uncharacteristic of me, and I am also having a hard time not catastrophizing or beating myself up. But mainly I need a course of action.
A little backstory: In the summer of 2017, the convenor informally invited me to contribute an article to a special issue they were pitching. I agreed, but never heard from them again, so I assumed the special issue proposal didn't pan out. I realized in Jan 2018 that the special issue was happening when I received a reminder to submit the article. At that time, I was interviewing for jobs and rushing like crazy to finish the dissertation, so I asked for an extension, and said I would totally understand if they'd rather go forward without me. The convenor and editor said that they wanted my article, and the absolute latest they could do was late June, and I agreed.
The dissertation, defense, and deposit ended up getting pushed back to late June for various reasons, during which time my father went through major emergency surgeries and I just about lost my mind. Then I moved to a different country, started a new position, and came down with my own health problems in the mean time.
I am only now sort of stablized enough, and I suddenly realized that it's four months overdue. I have not had any communications from either the editor or the convenor.
I feel awkward now that it's been so long. I realize I should have asked for a clear timeline right off the bat, and shouldn't have agreed to the June deadlilne (I thought it was tight and I'd have to really push to get it done in time, but agreed because I felt bad)...but I didn't, and in the future I will be more realistic and judicious with this kind of invitation.
But until then, what's my best course of action? I imagine the editor/convenor had either dropped me and found someone else or went ahead with one fewer article, or they forgot about it too and don't actually need it yet, or they are seething and waiting.
Should I finish the article asap, send it to them, apologize, and say something like "I understand if the issue is already in production?"
Should I send an email to the convenor sooner, like now, and explain the situation, to get a sense of whether my article is still needed?
Any thoughts or anecdotes about this kind of situations would be so helpful!
The short of it is that I missed a deadline, and I am not sure how to approach the situation. This is uncharacteristic of me, and I am also having a hard time not catastrophizing or beating myself up. But mainly I need a course of action.
A little backstory: In the summer of 2017, the convenor informally invited me to contribute an article to a special issue they were pitching. I agreed, but never heard from them again, so I assumed the special issue proposal didn't pan out. I realized in Jan 2018 that the special issue was happening when I received a reminder to submit the article. At that time, I was interviewing for jobs and rushing like crazy to finish the dissertation, so I asked for an extension, and said I would totally understand if they'd rather go forward without me. The convenor and editor said that they wanted my article, and the absolute latest they could do was late June, and I agreed.
The dissertation, defense, and deposit ended up getting pushed back to late June for various reasons, during which time my father went through major emergency surgeries and I just about lost my mind. Then I moved to a different country, started a new position, and came down with my own health problems in the mean time.
I am only now sort of stablized enough, and I suddenly realized that it's four months overdue. I have not had any communications from either the editor or the convenor.
I feel awkward now that it's been so long. I realize I should have asked for a clear timeline right off the bat, and shouldn't have agreed to the June deadlilne (I thought it was tight and I'd have to really push to get it done in time, but agreed because I felt bad)...but I didn't, and in the future I will be more realistic and judicious with this kind of invitation.
But until then, what's my best course of action? I imagine the editor/convenor had either dropped me and found someone else or went ahead with one fewer article, or they forgot about it too and don't actually need it yet, or they are seething and waiting.
Should I finish the article asap, send it to them, apologize, and say something like "I understand if the issue is already in production?"
Should I send an email to the convenor sooner, like now, and explain the situation, to get a sense of whether my article is still needed?
Any thoughts or anecdotes about this kind of situations would be so helpful!
How long will it take you to finish? How certain are you that you can finish if you get another extension? If it's easier for you, mentally, to just finish and send it in and let them make a decision I would advise that. If you see a high chance that you'd not be able to meet the next deadline, don't add the opportunity for more disappointment.
posted by ramenopres at 5:20 PM on October 21, 2018
posted by ramenopres at 5:20 PM on October 21, 2018
Seconding not unusual. My most recent (and last ever) translation was for a scholar who had me waiting 6 months, repeatedly announcing the urgency of translating his paper by the end of the week, yesterday if possible. Then he'd not deliver his work to me, after I'd cleared my schedule to work for him. Repeat for 6 months, he did this 3 or 4 times.
He just kept apologizing profusely, promised it would not happen again, and requested extra time. Seems to have worked for his editor - I was the one translating the e-mails.
I would set myself a deadline I know I can keep, negotiate it with the editor (if you say 1 month maybe they say all you get is 3 weeks, and then take that), apologize sincerely but not too much. It happens all the time, they get mail like this all the time. And if they already dropped you, there's your solution!
Deliver your best possible work and thank them for their patience. Very often in publishing, all is well that ends well.
posted by ipsative at 5:22 PM on October 21, 2018
He just kept apologizing profusely, promised it would not happen again, and requested extra time. Seems to have worked for his editor - I was the one translating the e-mails.
I would set myself a deadline I know I can keep, negotiate it with the editor (if you say 1 month maybe they say all you get is 3 weeks, and then take that), apologize sincerely but not too much. It happens all the time, they get mail like this all the time. And if they already dropped you, there's your solution!
Deliver your best possible work and thank them for their patience. Very often in publishing, all is well that ends well.
posted by ipsative at 5:22 PM on October 21, 2018
Don't catastrophize; this is extremely common among academics. If they were really on-schedule you would have gotten emails hounding you about the article. Either they're running late, or they're poor communicators and moved ahead without you (or both).
Nthing that you send a professional and brief email: "I apologize that my article was not completed by the original deadline we had communicated. Are you still able to accept my article? If so, I can send it to you by [date within the next month]."
posted by TwoStride at 5:56 PM on October 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
Nthing that you send a professional and brief email: "I apologize that my article was not completed by the original deadline we had communicated. Are you still able to accept my article? If so, I can send it to you by [date within the next month]."
posted by TwoStride at 5:56 PM on October 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
Academia is sloooooooow
posted by PinkMoose at 7:32 PM on October 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by PinkMoose at 7:32 PM on October 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
I suddenly realized that it's four months overdue. I have not had any communications from either the editor or the convenor.
It’s safe to say that if this was a Big Deal they would have contacted you.
Send a quick note just saying that the paper was unavoidably delayed and you want to check what the current deadline is before you invest more time in it.
Everyone is busy, so a smart editor builds an attrition rate into their plans. It’s likely that you fit firmly within that niche.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 11:20 PM on October 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
It’s safe to say that if this was a Big Deal they would have contacted you.
Send a quick note just saying that the paper was unavoidably delayed and you want to check what the current deadline is before you invest more time in it.
Everyone is busy, so a smart editor builds an attrition rate into their plans. It’s likely that you fit firmly within that niche.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 11:20 PM on October 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
I've edited a bunch of these things and there's never not been at least two authors who are 4-6 months late. Sometimes more than that. It's rare to go ahead without someone. I've only done that when they let me know they will be, like, a year late. It's often really hard to get enough contributors for these things and we can't afford to lose any before peer review.
My guess is they are still waiting for others too so haven't bothered chasing you yet. If you can get it done in the next few weeks, I wouldn't bother writing to them first. If you will be more than another month, maybe ask first.
posted by lollusc at 3:01 AM on October 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
My guess is they are still waiting for others too so haven't bothered chasing you yet. If you can get it done in the next few weeks, I wouldn't bother writing to them first. If you will be more than another month, maybe ask first.
posted by lollusc at 3:01 AM on October 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
I work in academic publishing. This happens ALL the time. A special issue that completed on time, with all articles in by the original deadline - that is more exceptional than standard really. You can defiantly obsolve yourself of the guilt - having jumped professions from one to the other, I feel like I could have saved myself a whole lot of guilt and anxiety over publications having seen the other side! And guilt never helps finish anything anyway (at least for me). It’s likely that a few articles are late. I would just check in with them and let them know where you are at.
posted by Nilehorse at 9:11 AM on October 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Nilehorse at 9:11 AM on October 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Send the editor an impersonal and professional note before they give up on you and strong-arm one of their friends to do the work instead and before you waste more time on it. Tell them you're sorry and you'd be happy to meet a new immediate deadline, assuming that's true. I promise you they won't be surprised.
If the volume is already out, it's better to know about it now rather than after wasting time finishing the submission.
posted by eotvos at 3:10 PM on October 21, 2018 [16 favorites]