How Editing Works

When a contributor submits a piece, it goes through an editorial pass to fit the paper’s voice before print. The following outlines exactly what gets changed and what stays the same, so writers know what to expect when handing something in.

The main goal of editing is to ensure the paper sounds like a unified publication, even with a dozen different contributors.

TL;DR for the Following Sections

Contributors should just send the story and not stress the polish. If a piece needs heavier reshaping to fit the paper, Shauna will collaborate directly with the author. Heavy editing will never happen by surprise.

The final article layout will be sent to the contributor for approval before publishing. This ensures the author can review the edited piece and request any changes they may need or want before the printer starts running.

Voice

Voice is the paper’s overarching aesthetic. For Steamy Ink Press, the voice is warm, nosy, and theatrical. For Special Investigative Press, the voice is formal, factual, and neutral. Submissions are edited to fit these aesthetics. This means Shauna might:

• Tweak sentence structures or vocabulary to better fit the setting.
• Adjust the phrasing so it sounds like it belongs next to the other articles.
• Trim the word count so it physically fits on the page during layout.
• Strip out any pre-formatted text so it can be built in plain text for the publishing software.

Personality

Personality is the writer’s specific contribution. The core joke, the petty grievance, and the character’s unique perspective belong entirely to the author. With one exception, covered under The Editor’s List below, this means Shauna will not:

• Change the subject or the target of the submission.
• Remove the core energy of a piece (if a contributor submits a frantic rant, it will remain a frantic rant).
• Alter the specific facts or rumors the author is trying to introduce into the game.

The Editor’s List

Separate from the general consent form, Poppy keeps her own list of subjects and people who do not appear in her papers. It is not published, it is not explained, and it comes up more often than you would think. If your piece is affected, it is almost never about you.

If a submission touches something (or someone) on it, that piece of the submission will quietly go away. This is the one place where the editorial desk will alter a submission without a conversation first, because the reason for the cut is usually something that cannot be discussed.

Anything removed this way is still paid at Spike Pay rates. The intelligence was still gathered, the work was still done, and the paper still owes for it.