I'm a magazine editor. AMA (Because, why not?)

amother

Salmon

Wed, Nov 07 2018, 10:00 am

amother wrote:

If I would like to break into the magazine world, what do you suggest I submit? Is fiction the only genre or are personal essays and feature articles also appropriate? TY

Fiction is, in fact, rarely published, unless it is a serial.

Feature articles are generally only given out to writers who have already proven that they:
1. Write well
2. Can structure an article well
3. Can meet deadlines
4. Are easy to work with
5. Are able to produce an article that is in line with a magazine's hashkafos, guidelines, whatnot

If you can meet those conditions, chances are we'll ask you to pitch us some topics, and if you find something that interests us, we'll give you a trial article. Once we feel very comfortable with you and like your writing, we'll give you topics to tackle.

So how to break in?
Best to send a well-written, very interesting personal essay to start with. That gives a magazine a taste of who you are and what you can do. It's like saying, "Hi there. Notice me!"

And even if your article is rejected, try again. It's okay to ask WHY it's been rejected. (Not every magazine will answer that question, though.)

amother

Salmon

Wed, Nov 07 2018, 10:04 am

syrima wrote:

What hours do you work, what kind of deadlines do you have?
can you work from home sometimes?
And...do you have a college degree? In what field?

I work round the clock. Some days more work, some days less.
Beginning of the week is usually crunch time, going to print. Middle of week is more flexible.
I usually work from home, but most of my coworkers go into the office.

About a degree: Call me crazy if you'd like, but I turned down a fully paid scholarship to a big university. The scholarship was in reward for achieving the highest possible score for writing on a test I took. So no, I don't have a degree. I decided to go to seminary instead, having become fully frum only shortly before receiving news of that scholarship. I chose to focus on Yiddishkeit at that time, instead of secular education.
I don't regret it. At all.

gingertop

Wed, Nov 07 2018, 11:09 am

amother wrote:

Our specific magazine does censor out many things. We do this because we want everyone from every aspect of the community -- including parents of teens/adolescents who may read it and the very frum -- to feel comfortable taking the magazine into their homes.

Sometimes, less is more.

I agree that there is a place for open discussion of difficult topics, but the specific magazine I work in is not the right forum.

My question was what specific topics are considered taboo? I know that some topics are censored and I'm ok with that. It's priced in to my decision when I buy frum reading material
I'm just curious if there is a list. Like words that are not cuss words but are still not appropriate? Or topics that you won't touch?

Also, this thing where magazines say that difficult topics should be discussed, but not by us, is really problematic. I understand why they must avoid some topics but there are still a lot of people who aren't on the internet, or are on the internet but not on frum forums like this and they read magazines thinking that that they are aware of what's going on in the community while major issues could be getting swept under the rug.

InnerMe

Wed, Nov 07 2018, 11:33 am

So now I'm on your case:
Do you have any newbie writers- meaning writers that are not yet established and known, but you recognized their talent and decided to take them?
Do you get more positive or more negative feedback?
Does the negative feedback bother you personally?
What do you feel about advertisements- do you have a certain limit?
Is it more likely for an advertiser to gain an interview/coverage in your magazine?
You said you have nothing to do with images, my question is what is your perspective on it. Do you agree with the omission of women faces?
What's one thing people don't realize that happens behind the scenes at magazine offices?
I've always wondered about this one: If a certain company/brand/person would like to have an interview so they can market themselves/their business do they pay the magazine? How much?
Would you say it's all in all a stressful job, as editor?
Do you write under your real name or under pen names?

Ok. enough for now. Wink

amother

Salmon

Wed, Nov 07 2018, 1:21 pm

gingertop wrote:

Everyone has to choose their problems. Do we want the problem of a teen reading about murder? A rape? A husband chasing after his wife with a knife in a fit of anger? Or do we want the "problem" of not being that forum?

Think of it like this: For people who love dogs, there is Dog Fancy. For people who like to garden and bake, etc., Martha Stewart Living. And so on and so forth. Every publication is geared to a specific audience. The specific publication I work for is geared to the family. We want it to be something that will be kosher enough for all ages to pick up, enjoy and not become traumatized from.

Yes, there is a need for focus on hard issues. I'm all for awareness -- in the correct forum. ATIME, for instance, puts out a magazine geared toward infertility, where those going through it can bear all. I think that is vital, but the magazine is not for everyone.

In addition to publications having to know their target audience, the consumer has to know their personal standards. If you are okay bringing in magazines with a heavier content, that's great. I, personally, am in love with the Zman magazine, but I don't let my kids look at the pictures and won't let them read it until they are quite a bit older, because it is not geared for them.

I'm okay with other magazines getting into the more complicated, messy topics of life, and I would even write about some of them for other magazines, but not for the one in which I work.

amother

Salmon

Wed, Nov 07 2018, 1:43 pm

Posting inline.

So now I'm on your case:
Do you have any newbie writers- meaning writers that are not yet established and known, but you recognized their talent and decided to take them?

Totally. There are a good few that I've worked with specifically, who've I've watch blossom and grow. I "pay it forward" many times because that is what my first editor did for me.

Do you get more positive or more negative feedback? Does the negative feedback bother you personally?

Honestly, I've never had a negative comment on my writing, but I have had two or three negative comments on the topic I chose to write about. And that's okay. People don't have to like my topic or agree with my conclusions. To each their own.

In general though, I encourage people to send feedback, because sometimes I can be wondering if people even read my article that week because no feedback came in... And then, many times, my boss will call and tell me that many people called her to rave about the article. It definitely gives a writer a boost to feel that they've entertained, enlightened and hopefully inspired others.

What do you feel about advertisements- do you have a certain limit?

Not my department.

Is it more likely for an advertiser to gain an interview/coverage in your magazine?

Here goes the editor in me, editing for clarity:
"More likely"? As compared to what?

You said you have nothing to do with images, my question is what is your perspective on it. Do you agree with the omission of women faces?

Ever heard the phrase "between a rock and a hard place"? Or, "whatever I do, I'm damned"?
Whatever I say will just restart all those discussions that are really so old by now... Moving on.

What's one thing people don't realize that happens behind the scenes at magazine offices?

Hmmm... Thinking.... I'll try to get back to you.

I've always wondered about this one: If a certain company/brand/person would like to have an interview so they can market themselves/their business do they pay the magazine? How much?

It depends on the company and the magazine and the content.
Sometimes the magazine will want to cover a specific topic and they will give free advertisement in exchange for information. Other times, the company will pay for space and either submit an article or have the magazine write it up. As for pricing, each magazine varies, I am sure. Again though, money isn't my department.

Would you say it's all in all a stressful job, as editor?

It depends on how much I have going on in my personal life. If the graphics artist is waiting for the finished files and I have to be busy with something personal, it can get stressful. But all-in-all, I'm a massive introvert with a noise aversion, so life becomes more stressful when the kids come home and make lots of noise... The fingers clacking on the keyboard, on the other hand, isn't too stressful... And, importantly, I just love, love, love what I do.

Do you write under your real name or under pen names?

I write under a real pen name, yes. Smile

Seriously now...
I write under a pen name that everyone knows. Though I've done three or four articles that were deeply personal under an unknown pen name.

Ok. enough for now. Wink

Ignore any typos or other blatant issues you may find. No time to proofread now.

InnerMe

Wed, Nov 07 2018, 1:54 pm

amother wrote:

Seriously now...
I write under a pen name that everyone knows. Though I've done three or four articles that were deeply personal under an unknown pen name.

Ok. enough for now. Wink

Ignore any typos or other blatant issues you may find. No time to proofread now.

Wow! Such comprehensive responses!
The more likely question is in comparison to non-advertisers? Meaning do advertisers get preferential space due to them supporting the magazine by advertising? (I think you'll need to edit this sentence as well. Did you read my grammar challenged poem? I ain't good at grammar Wink

)

Gotcha about women pictures. Though I was more asking what your personal opinion is. But no need to answer.

And about people paying to get an article to market themselves or the business...this always bothers me. In my opinion it isn't fair journalism to have people pay to be represented, unless it is clearly noted that this is an ad like when magazines write "advertorial."
It bothers me that some magazines lack transparency regarding the relationship between advertisers. Which is also why I asked the other question re: do advertisers get preferential treatment. I hope you can shed some light on this.

amother

Salmon

Wed, Nov 07 2018, 2:26 pm

Wow! Such comprehensive responses!

I am a writer, remember?

The more likely question is in comparison to non-advertisers? Meaning do advertisers get preferential space due to them supporting the magazine by advertising? (I think you'll need to edit this sentence as well. Did you read my grammar challenged poem? I ain't good at grammar Wink

)

Theoretical example:
If we are going to write an article about toothpaste, and I want to hear firsthand how to make it, I'll reach out to toothpaste company. Let's say that Crest advertises by us, but not Dental. So who do you think I'll give the attention to? That's right. The guy that scratches my back. Good ol' buddy Crest. Unless, of course, the content quality will be better if I contact Dental. But of course, I don't want to hurt Crest by ignoring them... Yeah, it gets complicated.

Which poem? Kokosh Kake Konundrum? Loved!

And about people paying to get an article to market themselves or the business...this always bothers me. In my opinion it isn't fair journalism to have people pay to be represented, unless it is clearly noted that this is an ad like when magazines write "advertorial."
It bothers me that some magazines lack transparency regarding the relationship between advertisers. Which is also why I asked the other question re: do advertisers get preferential treatment. I hope you can shed some light on this.

Again, it gets complicated.
There are companies that contact the magazine and pay for space for an article to be written, and then there is the opposite:
Articles will be written on a topic just to provide content for the reader, but as a side benefit, advertisers will be contacted to see if they want to advertise that week.

Personally, if I'm writing an article and I'm including information from a company, I will only write information that I believe to be true. I never want to mislead anyone.

For example, I recently did an article about a major topic in the world of healing... I was non-biased, but I got letters from people wondering why I was promoting a certain product...
And I got letters from people wondering why I wasn't promoting that certain product!

The truth is, that particular product may be a bracha for some and a danger for others, and I would never say it is safe to use as a blanket statement. But I felt the information was important enough to have on hand, that I took the chance and included information about a company that I believe was the safest option of all companies that make that particular product.

If I had felt that the product was absolutely not safe, I would have not written the article, or I would have written an article about why I believe it to be not safe, and would never have included information from an advertiser.
As I said, it gets complicated... There are sometimes conflicts of interests and sometimes money talks. Go figure.

InnerMe

Wed, Nov 07 2018, 4:34 pm

amother wrote:

I hear you about the Crest mashal.
But shouldn't it be that the advertiser gets what he pays for (the ad) and zehu.
It's like let's say I buy often at a certain store and suddenly they start giving me preferential treatment compared to the shoppers who buy less often. Especially considering that journalism is such where it is specifically important to be unbiased and not write stuff simply because "that person/company supports me." That ruins the whole honesty in journalism, IMO.

Also don't you think that all articles that were paid for should be labeled "advertorial?" So I the reader know to take into account when I'm reading something promoted by a business rather than simply opinions and research by the magazine staff (which is what a magazine is supposed to be.)

Thanks for responding so thoughtfully and thoroughly. As you can probably tell, magazine writers and editors interest me a lot.

And the grammar poem is here. I wrote in response to many people saying that they'd die on a hill due to outrageous grammar mistakes.
https://www.imamother.com/foru.....92515

amother

Salmon

Wed, Nov 07 2018, 9:43 pm

Posting inline, again.

I hear you about the Crest mashal.
But shouldn't it be that the advertiser gets what he pays for (the ad) and zehu.
It's like let's say I buy often at a certain store and suddenly they start giving me preferential treatment compared to the shoppers who buy less often.

Umm, frequent flyer miles? Membership discounts? It does happen.
But again, let me explain: A frequent advertiser will get the honor of being consulted when an article touches upon their area of expertise. That means, we won't consult someone who doesn't advertise unless their expertise exceeds that of our advertiser. It doesn't mean we're just handing out free ads.

Especially considering that journalism is such where it is specifically important to be unbiased and not write stuff simply because "that person/company supports me." That ruins the whole honesty in journalism, IMO.

Totally agreed. That's why you won't catch me writing about something I don't support. For instance, I had an HK practitioner call me up that he wants me, and only me, to write his articles. I grilled him about the nature of HK, and I found it to be completely absurd. So I refused to write for him. And our magazine refused to publish his articles unless they were designed to look like a paid ad, not a part of our article content.

Also don't you think that all articles that were paid for should be labeled "advertorial?" So I the reader know to take into account when I'm reading something promoted by a business rather than simply opinions and research by the magazine staff (which is what a magazine is supposed to be.)

That's a point of contention. If I like the topic, company and writing, I personally don't mind to read paid content as an article. If the article is clearly infomercial, then yes, it annoys me when magazines format content as an article. But I'm not the boss, so my opinions don't always cause the wheel to turn.

Thanks for responding so thoughtfully and thoroughly. As you can probably tell, magazine writers and editors interest me a lot.

Me too!

And the grammar poem is here. I wrote in response to many people saying that they'd die on a hill due to outrageous grammar mistakes.
https://www.imamother.com/foru.....92515

Cute concept! Shhh, but I identified with this:
Unless I sing
That 3rd grade song
"I before e.."

Personally, I have strong feelings for rhyming poems, as old-fashioned as they may be. I'll share a few of mine, which some of you may have read already. It will also answer a previous question about using euphemisms in writing. One of my poems, The Forgotten Days of Youth hints to having childhood ripped away, but tells nothing of why. I will post in a fresh box a few poems.