When They Miss the Deadline

How do editors handle this?

Jun 18, 2025

I’ve been corresponding with a curious individual who has posed a variety of insightful questions about being an editor. I thought that if they had these questions, others might too, so why not answer some of them here in my Substack?

When a team member goes silent and is likely to miss their deadline, how does an editor address this situation as both an empathetic human and a professional? This is such a great question, as I am actually dealing with this right now on one of my books. In fact, I know most editors are experiencing it in some form. Unfortunately, it’s a pretty constant aspect of the job. One might say it’s near the top of the reasons why editors are so necessary at publishers. Project managers who keep the trains running on time.

You may be too young to recall this (or maybe not), but twenty-five years ago, Image Comics was well-known for what was called their “Lateness Factor,” because books would be solicited, three months ahead of their release date, and then come out six months later. There’s an explanation for this, aside from the fact that Image did not employ editors, and that was because Image took on a lot of first-time creators, who had no idea what the workload would entail when they got their book accepted. They quickly were in over their heads, and the readers were brutal with their contempt. Hence the nickname. To get out from under that, Image instituted a rule that creators must have three completed issues before the title would be solicited. And even then, the lead time would be rapidly eaten up. It’s damn hard to put out an issue of a comic once a month. Some creators implode, go off the grid, are radio silent, don’t answer emails, or completely disappear.

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Another scenario is that one team member is late, which delays everything else. In the end, either the poor colorist or the letterer gets stuck trying to make up for lost time. For them, it’s pretty maddening. It’s not right to put a fellow teammate in that position.

For an editor, this is a tightrope. You don’t want them shutting down and going unresponsive. They tend to do this when they don’t have any new work to show you, and no more excuses left. When that happens, things are past the recovery point, and you either need to find a replacement or cancel the title altogether. Neither of those options is desirable.

I can’t speak for other editors (well, I could, but I won’t!), but here is how I usually handle a creative who is very late on their deadlines. First, you need to make sure they are okay. That is primary. Are they healthy? Did someone in their family pass away or get ill? Did anything happen to their child or pet? Did their house burn down (I say, with PTSD from dealing with that very thing during the LA fires)? These things always trump putting out a comic book on time. And you should assure them that this is so. Be kind, be empathetic, and wait a week or so before checking in on them to see what the status is. Keep everyone on the team informed for them. So don’t let your initial reaction to lateness be anger, because they may have a very good reason.

Now, if their grandmother has died for the eighth time, you’ve got a problem. How will you know? Editors talk to each other, and chances are, this creative will have a reputation that you will either already know about or can find out about by asking another editor who has worked with them. I mean, I work with nine other editors, and I know even more outside of my company. If you think we don’t talk, you’re wrong. If there is one thing I recommend new editors do, it is research the creative teams you will be working with. I get pinged privately all the time on social media asking if I know how so-and-so is to work with because my name was on one of their books. And sometimes you will hear a creative is awful with deadlines, and you will still work with them anyway, because they are just that good! Plan around it.

So, that’s the human side first. Now let’s get into the professional side for someone who is just sloooowww. Maybe they took on one too many projects at the same time. Perhaps they have a day job. Or four side hustles. Or you see them posting on social media all day when you know they have pages due (I seriously wonder how some creatives meet their deadlines with how much they post). They open commissions or say they are looking for work when they still owe you work. These can all be classified as Not Your Problem. They accepted the gig knowing their life situation, and if they didn’t tell you ahead of time that they would need extra time due to these circumstances, that is on them.

Try not to focus on the horrific Comic Sans…

This is when you ask them to be honest about their schedule. Don’t get mad, it’s useless and does not change a thing; it will probably just make things worse. Just say, “hey…you’ve fallen off schedule, and in order to make it to print on time, it has to be done by xyz, and it’s clear we can’t make that. Can you assess things on your end and give me your best guess on when these will be turned over?” Hopefully, they will respond somewhat honestly, and you should add a month or so onto whatever they tell you (because now they have broken your trust by not communicating with you in the first place), and then let everyone else involved know.

I have gotten to the point where I have sent an email that says, “If I don’t hear from you within one week, I will have to [replace them, cancel the book, etc].” And then I give them two weeks and follow through with a cancellation contract. The contract does not require a signature; it just lets them know in writing that by receiving it, they are gone. It sucks because sometimes they reply to that last email with surprise and send you some half-assed work to try and make up for things. Other times, you never hear back at all, and they simply go on your Do Not Hire list. Either way, it’s a big disappointment.

When They Miss the Deadline

How do editors handle this?

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