Opportunism and Hypocrisy
Submit Where Your Values Are!
This is a just a little note on observations I’ve made as I continue to write more, get published more, and see people accidentally or sometimes intentionally self-sabotage themselves.
Writers are all opportunistic because we want to get published. Looking for opportunities is not wrong or unethical. People can be unethical and seize opportunities that do not represent them. Opportunism is not a bad thing. It is a bad thing only when you are not ethical and seize opportunity for the wrong reasons.
Don’t submit to publications that do not reflect your opinions or values. Have integrity. Be authentic.
A lot of writers submit to charity anthologies with pieces they don’t really have a lot of skin in the game with. Sometimes it might just be looking for writing credits or clout.
For example you submit a piece about addiction and you really don’t support people in recovery, you find them contemptible, untrustworthy, believe recovery impossible, and that they are really something to be wiped off the bottom of your shoe, but you’re really super proud of the piece that you wrote for this anthology to raise awareness and to help those impacted by addiction.
That is the definition of hypocrisy.
If you think X or Y people or survivors of Q, or Z people are are bad people and you do not support them, do not submit to an anthology that tries to help or raise awareness of X or Y people just to get another publication credit and promote yourself. It’s predatory opportunism.
If you are willing to go on social media, and post saying how proud you are of the piece in an anthology, and in another thread say how you hate the subject of an anthology, or denigrate the lives that have been destroyed by an issue, or are in another post or thread, and publically judge the people you have possibly written about and found them lacking/bad/evil/dangerous, you have violated the morals clause in your contract, or at the minimum, look like a predatory opportunitist willing to set aside and misrepresent their own values and opinion just for a writing credit. You want it both ways, and unfortunately, social media is a record that makes sure you can’t have it your way.
We usually have strong enough moral compasses that we will only submit pieces and to anthologies and presses that, generally reflect our values and identity, and if charity anthologies, it reflects causes we genuinely believe in and want to support.
We don’t just want to get published- we should want our piece to be in that themed anthology to add our voice to support the cause or have written a piece on topic/theme. Self-serving promotion is not enough.
Everything we say on social media once we’ve signed that contract reflects on us and the publisher.
Morals clauses are not to be taken lightly. Violation has consequences.
Don’t be a hypocrite.
Only submit pieces to anthologies and presses whose values, themes and ideas reflect your own.
Submit consciously and conscientiously and remember you have signed the morals clause. Anything you say online that violates it can risk your publication. Don’t jeopardize your career by being inauthentic!