(photo: me at the Hotel Ambos Mundos in Havana; admiring Hemingway’s typewriter and a few of his notes).
A couple of years ago I wrote a blog post about my personal experience of getting (landing? earning? nailing? I never know what to use there) an editor’s position at a popular women’s fitness magazine.
I mention the fitness part because fitness (and yoga and instructing) were a big part of my 20s, financially, mentally and especially emotionally. To combine my love of writing and fitness (and the occasional yoga article) was like a dream come to true for me and my time as an editor enabled me to meet and work with some of the coolest and most creative people I’ve ever met.
But some days it wasn’t great to work there. Some days were difficult because the creative business can be competitive and offices can be a breeding ground for stale attitudes about everything. I had the best teammates, but questionable bosses/mentors at best. I’ll leave it at that.
Long since that blog post I wrote, I continue to get the occasional email from a reader who found my advice/story helpful. That means a lot to me. I wish every post I pumped out did that for people, but unfortunately that’s just not possible.
After a few more years of distance from my editorial job, I wanted to share an updated version of my original post and some new advice. As always, thanks for reading and I look forward to more emails and questions down the road.
HOW TO WORK AT A MAGAZINE
Do I want to be an editor or writer? When you work at a magazine, there are rarely full-time writers employed; as in people who solely work there to write and write only. Maybe at the New York Times, but not at your average North American magazine.
At a magazine in Canada, for instance, everybody on the team hustles and everybody relies on each other to make every part of the magazine move one step closer to the printer’s front door. Editorial, art, design, layout, advertising and headlines all become everybody’s responsibility. So if you want to be a freelance writer who pitches these very busy people who usually have very small budgets to pay writers with, than this post isn’t really for you. However, that doesn’t mean you won’t get something out of it, so please, read on. If you actually want to be that overworked, underpaid magazine editor though, then especially read on.
Love (or learn to love) research: Being an editor is the ideal job for a research lover. Editors get to research story ideas, pitch them to senior editors and help shape the magazine’s content and theme for that particular issue. It’s exciting, really, but decide if you want to be a writer or if you want to be an editor, because one is very research-based while the other (freelancing writing from your home office) is an entirely different job. Although I will say that editors make good freelance writers and vice versa, in my experience.
Interning: Many internships pay these days, but most (at least my early experience in Toronto tells me) that most magazine internships still don’t. Although NOW magazine used to offer their interns per diems, which I thought was pretty nice.
I recommend getting an internship asap if you’re still in or just out of school. It shows prospective magazines that you’re willing to do the work from the ground up, learn the business and support the editorial team from a rookie spot. Good internships are competitive and get scooped fast. But apply for as many as you can, because you’ll increase your chances of getting an interview. (Also, if you’re just starting out, but are a bit older, an internship is nothing to be ashamed of – don’t do 10 in a row or anything, but be open to doing at least one).
Fact checking: I love fact checkers because they’re the safety net for any writer. I also loathe them a small bit for the same reason: the catch everything (I say this in the warmest way). Fact checking is an entry level position and ideal for someone with eyes like a hawk and a perfectionist personality. It’s also ideal for the person who prefers to work his or way up at a magazine ladder, learning the business organically. That doesn’t mean that someone with a different kind of personality couldn’t excel at this job, I’m just saying that it takes a special person to carefully comb through the work of editors and freelances, catching the most abstract errors and facts. I recommend fact checking, but be warned: it can be tedious.
If you want to be and editor submit, submit, submit your CV: Especially to the smaller or independent magazines. In the first few years of my career I worked with several smaller publications before I worked with a medium sized one. I haven’t worked as an editor at a huge, corporately-owned magazine, but these are the very magazines I freelance for now. I guess my point here is that there are various levels of magazines to work with and for – the publishing industry is shifting every year and making room for independent publications to make some headway and test the waters. It’s isn’t always the most lucrative route to work for an indie or start-up magazine, but it can be the most informative, providing the biggest learning curve in a short period of time.
Write, write, write. You’ll need the experience as an editor: In the beginning I wrote for any publication with a budget. In some cases however, if I believed in the project enough, I worked for next to nothing or nothing at all. My goal was simply to write and get a byline, and to be honest, it’s paid off down the road. Although I don’t go this route much any more, I have a lot of published work out there as a result, and its helped give me a better understanding of my capabilities. I’m learning everyday though, so I’m sure this section will be updated again down the road.
Be prepared to live tight for a while: If you want to be an editor, have a financial back up plan or get smart with your money – it doesn’t pay to be an editor these days. The first few weeks after leaving my writing job in PR to work as an editor were a big transition for me. I worked longer hours and found my weekends occupied with thoughts of writing and editing like never before. And for less money. But I felt the trade-off was worth it since I loved my job and was finally doing what I liked.
A side note for freelancers: If you’re in Canada, writers.ca gives you a breakdown of what writers and editors charge. Your work should not be free forever. This is your craft, so hone it and respect is what I suggest, especially if you want others to see you as the professional you feel you are. Write for websites, blogs, trade magazines and even companies who need marketing material. But be careful – it’s easy to get pulled into these “jobs” and get side-track from your writing career goals. I made that mistake for about two years when I first started out, but I was able to pay off my school debt in the process, so it kind of worked out.
Apply to magazine postings: When you see a posting for a position and you think you have a good portfolio, apply. No second-guessing, don’t think twice, because an editorial position requires more than just having a portfolio filled with thousands of articles. You’ll have to prove that you have a careful, critical eye, know about your topic and can put together a paragraph on the fly, with few errors. So go for it and apply for the job.
Make a portfolio: A simple binder with a few articles you’ve had published, printed from the web or carefully cut out from magazines. This is one way to do it. The other way is to keep the whole thing virtual and house your portfolio on your website or on a tablet application. Also, if you edited an article that won awards, don’t be shy to mention that in your CV (just don’t take credit for the writing, of course).
Create a daily blog: A blog is a good way to show that you can write, period. The more you blog about dating, fashion, GenY, travel, careers, food, etc, the more you can illustrate that you know about that topic. But beware: if you blog about just any old thing, without a focus, don’t expect your interviewing editor to comb through your blog posts to get a sense of your work – this is why having a clean portfolio (virtual or otherwise) is key. Make it easy for magazines to know you and your work.
Websites and business cards: I faithfully use Moo.com for my business cards. Put your email address, website and (maybe) your phone number on your card if you’re comfortable. Beside or under your name, I recommend simply using “Writer” or “Editor” – no need to insert some fancy title that nobody cares about.
Some final thoughts: Working at a magazine, as exciting and fun as it, is still a job. You will be busy with 50+ hours a week; everything is a deadline; there is a lot of pressure to be the best; you will love your job some days, you will hate it others; you will be paid less than the average barista; there will be rejection; there will be free samples of everything; there will be parties and events; and there will be tears, I don’t care how tough you are. But if this is what you want, then keep your goal in mind and I hope this post helped a bit, if not reminded you that it’s totally possible.
Editorially yours,
~Sandy.
