Incredibly disappointing news

[Rachels]

I am so devastated. After four months and forty pages and a tremendous amount of excitement and time, Our Bodies, Ourselves has scrapped my chapter. They are integrating much of it into other chapters and I’ll be acknowledged, but I assume that doesn’t mean I’ll actually share authorship even though they’ll be using a good thirty pages of my writing. Nobody ever let me know this was a possibility or a consideration, and I got a rather cursory email saying “Oops!” this afternoon from the editors for whom I have invested dozens of hours.

Here’s her email:

"It looks like the chapter will no longer exist as a separate chapter. I anticipate that the sections will be moved into other parts of the book. I am very sorry about how this affects your work, but we all hope that the new organizational structure will make more sense for readers, and that has to be our primary consideration.

We will of course acknowledge you throughout the book, wherever appropriate, but I realize this is not the same as having a separate chapter with you as primary reviser. I hope you know that the decision doesn’t reflect on the quality of your work at all."

FWIW, they had me write a small chapter, then liked it so much that they had me double its size. Then they involved me in the editing process AND had me serve as an expert reader on two further chapters. I have put off the psych licensing exam and my own book project to do all of this, and I had no warning whatsoever that it might not be a sure thing. I'm tremendously sad and angry that this has happened and that nobody even bothered to call me to let me know that my chapter was no more.

That's a whole lot of work and excitement not to have a product at the end. I'm really upset.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[alkagift]

Oh, Rachel, that is truly awful. I am so disappointed for you. Writing and editing is such a labor of love and so much an investment, you truly deserved something more than a mere email. I'm so sorry. I hope that you can take credit for the research and work it when it comes time to publish your own book!

Allison
Mommy to Matthew Clayton, 5/19/03

[jec2]

What a big, huge, fat bummer. Sorry for the disappointment.

[american_mama]

Rachel: I have followed many of your posts, and always remember your daughter's cute pigtail photo, so I feel you are something other than a stranger to me. I am so sorry to read your email. I haven't looked at "Our Bodies, Our Selves" in a very long time, but I will be sure to look at future editions just to see some of your work, wherever it may appear. I hope the work you put in for them will pay off for your own book project in the long run.

-- Karen

[redhookmom]

Rachel,

I am sorry that all of your hard work was not utilized in the way you expected. I am sad for you. It's just not fair. http://mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/rant.gif If I were in your shoes I would feel totally taken advantage of.

[hobey]

Oh Rachel, I'm so sorry. They could have at least broken the news with a phone call.

Raquel
Nathan's Mom 12/19/03

[lizajane]

how very disappointing that they did not give you the respect you deserve by contacting you via telephone to discuss this big change. i am so sorry that they didn't respect you or your work by being more upfront about the possibility of this change. very unprofessional, imo.

i hate being let down more than anything. i hate that you have to feel that way. yuck. i hope you will be able to get your own book project underway now.

[MelissaTC]

Bummer!!!

Sorry Rachel...

[jamsmu]

Liza said exactly what I'm thinking. Its incredibly unprofessional of them to have sent that e-mail. It seems like the editor was probably uncomfortable calling you and this was her "easy way out." And to include the line about "I hope this doesn't affect the quality of your work..." again, totally unprofessional. What a huge bummer! SO sorry.

[aliceinwonderland]

That sucks...Writing is such a discipled, hard endeavor, and I remember how excited you were about this...I take it there's no negotiating room? Can you at least let them know how disappointed you are, maybe that changes their minds...

Bummer, though....

[MartiesMom2B]

Rachel:

I'm so sorry that they did to you. It was very unprofessional of them to not contact you personally, especially after all of your hard work. What a let down!

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03

[toomanystrollers]

Bummer - now go write a better book than theirs :)

[Sarah1]

Oh, Rachel. That just (for lack of a better word) SUCKS. You have every right to feel devastated. I'm so sorry.

I'm always impressed with the quality of your writing. I'm sure you'll have many new projects to take on in the future (although I know that's little consolation right now!).

[Rachels]

Thanks, all of you. I just got off the phone with my editor, and I'm feeling a little better. She called to apologize and clearly really feels awful for how this was handled. And what she said made sense to me, even though I'm still extremely disappointed.

The original aim of the chapter was to have it be about planning for parenthood. As such, that had planning for pregnancy in the same chapter as planning for adoption. I wrote that, with some trepidation about all of that being in one place, and then they really, really liked what I had done. At that point, they asked me to write a bunch more stuff, basically doubling the size of the chapter. It included a lot of stuff about fertility awareness and donor insemination, which also really had nowhere else to go.

However, when it was reviewed, nobody was fundamentally comfortable with the merger of the pregnancy and adoption stuff. I wasn't, either, so I understand that. It's important to everyone, me included, that adoption not be sort of ranked as a second choice, and I was careful about that in the writing. But what the reviewers were saying was that even so, adoptive families want to be able to skip the pregnancy chapters entirely if they so choose. So they were thinking about separating out the pregnancy stuff, and that left the chapter with a big section on fertility awareness, a big section on donor insemination, and a big section on adoption. And those things just don't go well together in one chapter.

So what's happening is that it's all being split up and moved to different chapters, which I'm okay with provided my authorship is properly acknowledged. It's still VERY disappointing not to have a chapter of my own, but it's editorially wise, so what can I do? And for this edition of the book, none of the chapters are going to have author names on the first pages. Instead, there will be an author list in the back, such that it will say something like, "Chapter 21 by Jane Doe with Rachel..."

So I told my editor that that's okay with me, but that I want to hear back from them the exact wording of the crediting, and that I want to be assured that my bio will still be listed with the author bios. As long as I'm properly credited (NOT just "acknowledged") for the writing I've done, then I'm happy for it to still be used.

So that's where things stand right now. Thanks for your support. It helps.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[sweetbasil]

Oh, Rachel, my heart sank when I read the first line of your post--- I'm so sorry. I know how hard you've worked on this over the past months and can't begin to imagine how hurt, angry, and devastated you must be.

Hang in there!

[mharling]

I'm so sorry, Rachel!! I just read your update and I hope that the final outcome is as satisfactory as it can be given the circumstances. I'm going to guess that you'll be focusing on something for yourself next!!

Mary & Lane 4/6/03
[link:www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b370a2992536|Birthday Pics!!]

[Rachels]

Yes! I do have a decent draft of a book almost ready to go, and a few agents who are willing to take a look at it. That's my next writing move, for sure. :) Whew. I'm TIRED. This has not been my best day ever.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[pritchettzoo]

They did that in an EMAIL? How incredibly rude and unprofessional.

That royally sucks. Especially since they had you double the work. Poor planning on their part. I'm just stunned. Do you have something satisfying to throw? I'm particular to shoes. They make a nice thud sound.

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[kfcboston]

Geez, Rachel, I'm so sorry to hear that. As a relatively new mom, I know how valuable our time is! I hope you don't feel it's been a waste, b/c it sounds like you're making a contribution that will certainly impact many lives. Congratulations!

[JLiebCamm]

That's terrible. I can only imagine what a let down this is for you. I wish you success with your future writing.

[COElizabeth]

Rachel,

I'm sorry to hear that you and your efforts were not treated more professionally! Especially after they asked you to expand your work, you'd think they would treat you well! Your second post does make the situation sound better, though, than it did at first. If things are credited as you describe, then it may turn out to be pretty good, actually. Instead of saying you authored one chapter, you can say you co-authored three! I hope that things turn out satisfactorily and that in the end you are pleased. If not, say so and I will boycott the book! :)

Elizabeth, Mom to James, 9-20-02
EDD #2, 10-30-04

[momathome]

{{{RACHEL}}}
That sucks, plain and simple. I know how incredibly excited you were about this opportunity - their loss for not sticking to the original plan. I hope your book becomes a bestseller and leaves their's in the dust! }(
-Lauren

[jbowman]

I am really sorry. Writing is such a rewarding endeavor, but also a difficult and draining one.

[lmintzer]

Rachel,

How rotten! I can totally sympathize with you (I once had a first authorship stolen by a less-than-ethical mentor). I know what kind of work you must have put into this, and I imagine (by the popularity of the particular book you were working on) this might have been a major boon for your career.

Is there any way you can complain or refuse to have your work used this way? If it is valuable enough to them, maybe they'd change things around again and not risk losing your work.

And now you have to study for the licensing exam? What a let down! It's not like THAT will be fun (I'm dreading trying to study for it myself with 2 small ones--from all I've heard, it's nothing more than memorization and a bunch of hoops to jump through).

Academic life is full of misery sometimes! I'm so sorry they treated you so poorly!

Feel free to PM me. Right now, I'm cooling down about an annoying interaction with an IRB.

[kathsmom]

Rachel,

I am so sorry to hear this. It was totally unprofessional the way they handled it. I mean, sending an e-mail? I am glad that you were able to talk with your editor about it, but I still think that they had poor planning to have to divide your chapter among so many other chapters.

I hope that things work out and that they do give you the proper acknowledgement that you deserve.

[khakismom]

Rachel, I'm so sorry to hear this. It's so disappointing and so very frustrating. I was an editor at a major publishing house for over 8 years, and I can tell you, unfortunately this situation happens ALL the time. Publishers change their minds in the middle of an author writing and change the focus, and chapters are ripped apart and piecemealed with others. Anything and everything is done to please the reader. It is the nature of the publishing business. It just sucks that you got caught up in it.

I hope your day gets better. And I will definitely be keeping an eye out for your name in the new edition when it gets published. It's always a thrill seeing your name in the credits--you never get tired of it (at least I never have)!! :)

[boys2enough]

I am very very sorry to hear this. Your anger and frustration is well justified. Have you written them back what you wrote here? Not sure what others think, but IMHO, you should let them know your disappointment and anger at what has transpired.

Maybe you could come up with a writing project to use what you have written? Just a thought.

{{{HUGS}}}

Cheers, Lin
Mom to 2 wild boys
D 3/98
G 11/02

http://instagiber.net/smiliesdotcom/kao/otn/pnoodles.gif

[Melanie]

Rachel, I'm so sorry.

[ismommy]

Rachel,

I am so sorry - all that hard work. They didnt handle it professionally at all.
Helene
mommy to Isabella

[sntm]

Oh, Rachel, how disappointing! And not the best way to handle it on their part. I know you've put a ton of work into that to be underappreciated at this point. You should tell them that you have hundreds of friends who would have bought the book just to see your name on the chapter heading, so they are losing out on profits!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03

[friedmana1]

I think the only thing that would give me solace is the fact that they loved your stuff! It's the editing that really doesn't take authors into consideration most times. A very good friend of ours is a novelist, and she tells us these kinds of things all the time. Not that this piece of information should mitgiate what happened to you, but know that this is common unfortunately. Big {{{hugs}}} to you...

Aimee
Mother to Leah 10/26/02

[lisaE]

Oh, that's so crummy. At least you will still have some input into such a wonderful, important book.

[KGoes]

Just keep us all posted on the publication of your OWN book - and the sales of that one should have this publisher not only begging you for a chapter, but seriously regretting the way this was handled.
Keep focussing on the last sentence of the e-mail - the recognition of the quality of your work is important and will serve you well in the future.
Hoping your day is better!!!
Kelley
DD born 7/03

[Rachels]

Thanks again, all. I felt better last night after talking to my editor, but I'm pretty bummed out today. In some ways, the recognition makes this more of a shock. They made a really big deal of liking my chapter, asking me to take on a lot more writing and editing and then asking me to serve as a reviewer, which is a pretty big deal. So I was feeling very excited and very warmly received, and this just blindsided me. I'm glad to still have my work in the book provided the credit is accurate, but am sad to have lost the chapter of my own.

Don't you hate feeling depressed? I asked if I could bring a snack to Abigail's music class on her birthday in two weeks, and when the teacher said no, I nearly burst into tears. Uh... snacks are not that big a deal.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[jbowman]

I hate feeling depressed too-especially when it involves someone else disappointing me. Such a disappointment only magnifies my reaction to other situations...so I completely understand how you are feeling. It's not just the snack...everything makes you feel more emotional! I am sorry.

[barbarhow]

How horrible. It was so exciting and then to learn that in an email. Would have been nice if she could have had the decency to at least call you. YKWIM?
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03

[jennifer13]

Rachel,

That totally f--ing sucks. I just had to cuss because it's really terrible how they treated you.

FWIW, and I know you know this, most famous published successful people have many rejections and disappointments along the way. I read recently that Carl Sagan struggled for years to get an academic job. I am certain that you will have a lifetime of successes-your gifts are obvious and plentiful.

And I would have cried about the snacks too. Last week after a terrible day I got on the bus to go home from work and the fare reader rejected my card and I started cry there on the bus, in front of everybody.

Hang in there and take care of yourself!!! I can't wait to read your own book when it comes out.

Jennifer
Mom to Norah 5/23/03

[alexsmommy]

Wow. As a psychologist, I understand completely the dedication it took for you to put off the licensure exam in order to pursue this. I have several people encouraging me to write, but I am also closely associated with two other people who have written books and they have warned me that crazy stuff like this is more common that editors would have you believe. I am so, so sorry for what has happened and I hope it does not discourage you from continuing with your own work.
BTW, if you need moral support studying for the exam, PM me - it was only two years ago so I really remember the pain...
Alaina

[KGoes]

I hate feeling depressed because it makes me frustrated when I feel badly, which does not help the depression. . . . I try and remind myself that little setbacks are often precursors to greater things.

Why not take little favors to the music class instead? Little trinkets wrapped up in flashy paper that Abigail could hand out to the other students at the end of class?

Kelley
DD born 7/03

[Rachels]

I just heard from the managing editor that I will in fact be listed as a coauthor on the chapters where my work is used, which obviously makes me feel better. I appreciate everyone's outrage on my behalf. :) You are true girlfriends.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[alexsmommy]

Yea!!
Alaina
Alex 2-4-03

[suribear]

I'm glad it worked out! I'm sure you put your heart and soul into it, and it's not easy to work (presumably at home) when you have a small child to care for.

That's one of my favorite books, btw.

Kris