From Kate’s Writing Crate…
Continued from last week:
My
toughest week editing a monthly magazine runs from the 15th-22nd.
I have an
issue list I follow every month. On it, I list all the articles, features, and
columns along with the page space each will fill and how many photos, if any.
Depending on the page count, I have three to six articles per magazine. Columns
are the same each month except I have one writer who alternates between his own
Sports Column and an essay the next for a column he shares with another writer.
I submit this list to the Production Department to make sure they include
everything in the layout. I also prioritize items in case something doesn’t fit
due to additional ads sold. (Remember I don’t find out the page count until the
18th—the day I turn all text over to the Production Department.) I also use
this list to check off each piece after I email it to the Production Department
to make sure I included them all.
If every writer meets
deadline, I receive all the articles and columns on the 15th via email. I read
each one then reply immediately with a thank you, a compliment, and any
questions to let each writer know I appreciate their work. Most of them have
written for the magazines between five and twenty-two years (some before I was
the editor). As a writer, I know hearing from an editor is important. Also,
most writers have become friends so it’s fun to let them know what surprised or
entertained me.
I then
read each piece in depth trying to catch all errors. It isn’t possible so I
reread each one at least three times between the 15th and the 18th. Fresh eyes
are essential so I do these readings between eight to twelve hours apart.
Luckily, I work with writers who take their work seriously so there are few
errors usually. However, we are all human so mistakes happen.
I used to
print out the articles and columns then used a red pen to make corrections. I
would then make the changes on the Word Doc. After a year or so, I just edited
right on the Word Docs.
Some
writers choose to write the captions for photos running with their articles.
Most don’t so I write them. Captions start with a clever phrase in all caps
followed by the names of people in the photo and what they are doing. Generally,
I wait until first proof to write the captions as space varies for each one
depending on the layout.
Only the
gardening and sports columns run with photos. The rest are essays which run
with pull quotes if there is room. Again some writers suggest pull quotes,
others don’t so I choose them. Amount of space on the layout page determines
the length of the quote and the size of the font used.
While I
have copyedited the event postings and Good News items during the month, more
come in at deadline so I have to edit them as well. We list birthdays sent in
which have to be set up as a feature. We include Pets of the Month to help
animals get adopted which come in on the 15th as well so lots to do in just
three days.
Once everything is edited,
on the 18th of the month I email all text to the Production Department. Then I
send all jpeg photos labeled by story or column so everything is received at
the same time. Each item is labeled by month and year, 217 for February 2017,
then initial for which magazine, then title of article, column, or feature.
Photos are sent with same info, but begin with the word PHOTO so can be
searched for easily.
If something
falls through at the last minute, I have to fill the space. If the page count
goes up by eight pages (minimum increase), I have to fill the space. If a photo
never comes in, I have to fill the space. And I only have hours to do so.
To fill
space, there are lots of options: use extra photos or add pull quotes to
articles, add late arriving Postings or Good News items, expand press releases
about programs or events into articles, have non-timely articles ready to go,
or write an article or book column. Sometimes I can expand the articles I wrote
for the issue by adding information and quotes I didn’t think I had room for
originally.
I have an arts column that
can fill a full page or two anytime. Artists are invited to send in photos of
their work along with title, media, and contact information. I run the photos
on a page like a gallery wall. Lots of white space with artists’ information
underneath so readers can appreciate the pieces printed three or four to a page.
Whatever it takes—that’s the
job. I do not get a lot of sleep during these three days. No time to write in
my monthly notebook or work on my blog posts or do much of anything else like
errands or house cleaning. Family members pitch in and pizza is often ordered.
During the day, the dogs go in and out as they wish through the doggie door
built into the storm door into a yard where I can watch them through my office
window. They come in to check on me so I take short breaks to play fetch with
them and get some fresh air.
If the page count goes down by eight pages,
filling the space should be easier but it isn’t. I start by shortening or
cutting items in event postings. I make articles about events into short postings.
I cut my Editor’s Thoughts column. (Because it is sometimes cut, I write my
450-word Editor’s Thoughts on the 19th in time for the second proof. Yes, I
have learned to write quickly doing this job for well over a decade.) Most of
the articles are timely so they need to run although I try to have at least one
that isn’t so I can save it for the following month. Shortening articles takes
hours, but sometimes it must be done. Obviously, pull quotes aren’t used and
only one photo per piece. Readers love the columns so they run if possible. If
not enough room, I run columns on the magazine’s facebook page so they can
still be read that month. All of this takes time on the 18th and 19th. Again,
there is not much time for sleeping or anything else.
I get the
first proofs by email on the 20th. I do print these out and use a red pen for
corrections.
I have about 24 hours to
proof both issues, but I do sleep for a whole night as tired eyes will not
catch errors. My red pen gets lots of use as I sometimes rearrange the order of
items to fill the space more efficiently. Then I go through looking for errors
I missed. Things jump out at me in this different format. For example, titles that
don’t work—too long or not clear. The Table of Contents needs correct titles
and page numbers. Jumps must be noted at bottoms of pages to the correct tops
of pages where text continues. Also, as the writers and I use Word but the
Production Department uses Macs, there are some conversion problems notably
symbols for some punctuation marks and apostrophes everywhere for no reason.
They are difficult to spot and make proofing a nightmare.
I used to return the proofs
on paper for corrections to be made, but now we do them over the phone so if there
are any questions I can answer them so second proofs are in great shape.
Usually, I only have two or three hours to complete second proofs late on the
21st or early on the 22nd. The final versions are sent to the printer on the
22nd or early on the 23rd to be printed then delivered to local Post Offices
for delivery to every home and business by the first of the month.
No rest for me. I have to assign
articles to the writers by the 25th for the next issue. See Monthly Magazine
Timeline Part 1 as the routine starts all over again. (As December 25th is a
holiday, I wrote that I assigned articles by December 26th in Part 1.)
Local Monthly Magazine
Editor is a great job if you like to plan things way in advance, pay attention
to details, look up grammar rules, and take the heat for all errors as it’s the
editor’s job to catch every one of them. On the upside, I get to work from
home, interview interesting people, work with other writers, and be part of a
publication residents enjoy reading. I also get to write articles, essays, and
book reviews. This is my dream job.
Week of January 22-28, word count was 5,841.
