Wise Advice
with Andrea King Collier, Sam Greengard, Florence Isaacs, and Minda Zetlin

A member asks: I'm always amazed when a writer I don't know well writes to me to ask for the name of an editor of a publication I've written for, or asks me to make an introduction. I'm hesitant to ask writers I don't know well. What's the protocol here?

Minda Zetlin
Long-time ASJA members speak of a (pre-Internet) time when it was common, and perfectly acceptable, to phone a member (otherwise a perfect stranger) and ask for editor contacts. Of course, ASJA was a smaller and more tight-knit group in those days.

Once, also years ago, I posted to the ASJA listserv mentioning a particularly cushy ongoing gig I had, and got a one-sentence email from a member I didn't know saying: "Contact name and info, please." I found that presumptous, and didn't respond. What is and is not acceptable has been hotly debated among ASJA members. I tend to go with my instincts. Generally, I'm always happy to share information about what it's like to work for a particular publication and what they're looking for, will share contact info with writers I know and trade favors with, and will invite someone to use my name when I know the writer's work and think it will be a good fit. I generally only ask for contact info from writers I know -- but then I know quite a lot of ASJA members.

On the other hand, I don't think there's anything wrong with asking a stranger -- politely -- for contact info or help. But you shouldn't be offended if the answer is no.

Florence Isaacs
One of the many benefits of being an ASJA member is access to help from other members, and I've taken advantage of this perk many times. On several occasions I've asked for advice or information from members I'm barely acquainted with. I've also called members who are total strangers at least two or three times. The protocol is that we help each other if we can. I feel that providing an editor's name and contact information is something colleagues do for each other. (And I always try to help when someone calls me for such aid.) If you hesitate to ask for the name of a contact, you're handicapping yourself unnecessarily. What's the downside? The worst that can happen is the person says no. And no one has said "no" to me in all my years of membership. My motto is, "Ask and ye shall get." On the other hand, providing a recommendation along with the information is something else. If I didn't know the person and the quality of the person's work, I would say, something like, "Here's the name and email address. Mention you're an ASJA member, but please keep my name out of it." If there's any pressure for a recommendation, stick to your guns with, "I don't feel comfortable doing that."

Sam Greengard
Obtaining the name and contact information for an editor is something that any writer can do. It's simply a matter of checking online or calling a publication. So this is often a case of someone just being lazy. If you assist this writer, you're really not giving away anything extraordinarily valuable. In fact, you may cultivate a professional relationship and the good karma may come back to you. Asking for an introduction or using your name in a query is an entirely different matter. It's generally not okay to approach someone you barely know and ask for an introduction. The irony, of course, is that most editors are going to judge the pitch based on its intrinsic quality and value. So, in reality, introductions are often meaningless anyway.

Either way, you should feel as though you're under no obligation to help out. It's okay to tactfully say no. But, depending on a variety of factors -- including the other writer's stature, professionalism, and willingness to help back -- you also may want to say yes. The bottom line is that you have to do what feels right for you because there's no intrinsic right or wrong here.

Andrea King Collier
I teach classes for writers on a semi-regular basis. Part of my role as their instructor, and part of my role as a part of a writing community, is to be of support. Part of that support is giving ideas on where a story might be placed and who might be interested in it -- if I have the information. Over the years, many writers -- several who are ASJA members -- have helped me by generously sharing contacts. I believe in paying it forward. But I also believe in using common sense. Before you ask, there needs to be some kind of connection. If we are connected through an organization, and you are responding to a post, fine. If you are a present or former student, fine. If your request for info comes from a mutual friend, okay. But yesterday, someone called because they wanted my agent's name and a recommendation. This was someone I didn't know. My agent's name is common knowledge. But there is a certain amount of audacity in asking me to put in a good word for you when I haven't read anything of yours. I know it's tough out there, but use good sense.