I’m a magazine editor - AMA

[FrenchFancier]

Happy to answer anything about the industry, how it’s changed, the impact of digital, info for aspiring freelancers etc.

Won’t share exactly what type of magazine as it could be outing but it’s fairly upmarket, broad appeal, sold widely in supermarkets etc. Work for a huge publisher and also know editors of many different subject matters.

Is it online? Does anyone buy print magazines? I used to buy loads but haven't in years. Since Covid my hairdressers don't have them either. I read VF online though. What is the future of the industry?

Just one for me.
I was 23 and I just had a baby and I felt really crap about myself and thought it would cheer me up.
i applied for a make over session with a weekly woman’s magazine and the features editor was so nasty to me.
About my weight ( I was 10 stone)
About my face
and she bitched about me the the make up artist as I was trying to hold back the tears while having my make up done.

The only person who was lovely was the photographer Jenny Savage . She even took me to her home and fed me homemade lasagne

My question is. Is everyone still as bitchy or did I have a bad experience?

Sorry, I had to get that off my chest as it started off my bulimia. I am now recovered

I'm a digital copywriter with just over a year's experience (6 months freelance copywriting and proofreading. 7 months copywriting for an educational publisher). I've also experience teaching English. What can I do to make myself an attractive candidate? A lot of positions I've seen want year's of experience and don't seem to take into account transferable skills or talent.

Ah! Damn typo, year of experience

Years. I am a professional writer, honest...

Some of the content produced for the magazine goes online but it’s all optimised for web - so not a straight lift of a feature. Some magazines just upload the whole issue but it depends on the type of content as to whether that will work.

People do still buy magazines but readership consistently declines most years. There was a boost for many sectors during lockdown though. Magazines close every year so that can boost the figures of competitors. Generally things have to be very tight in order to be resilient.

When people want to know something specific they tend to Google it so magazines aren’t there to answer questions anymore - they have to be able to offer interesting and inspiring content that you can’t just find online if they have a hope of surviving.

No one knows the future of magazines for certain but I believe it’s coffee table reads with beautiful production values, as when a magazine has cheap paper and low production values people might as well get the same content online.

I’m sorry you went through that! The vast majority of people I’ve worked with are lovely. But like any walk of life you do get some people who act superior and aren’t very nice. Some brands and types of magazines attract that more than others. Personally I’ve not worked at Conde Nasty but I’ve heard plenty of stories.

Thinking back, when I started out there were a few more self-important, bitchier people, but they tended to get culled as there are regular redundancies in the industry and publishers have had to strip it back to the hardworking real talent.

I think people call out this kind of bullying behaviour more now as well so a lot less people get away with it.

Are you looking for an in-house position? It really depends on what type of brand you want to work on and whether you want to write or sub copy?

For a lot of brands you would need to be able to demonstrate subject knowledge and passion. Eg if it’s a gardening brand, could you do a course?

Though some brands are more niche and drier subjects so will hire people with writing/proofing skills as they will struggle to find candidates with enough subject knowledge. Or they might struggle to find people with subject knowledge that can also write well.

There is also a team of subeditors who tend to come on board without much subject knowledge, as it’s all about making the copy clean and punchy. They are a dying breed as many publishers don’t value them as much any more. However they do exist. You have to really want to do that job though as otherwise you’ll be a frustrated writer.

Yes, definitely after an in-house position. Freelancing was great for getting a good breadth of experience, everything from adverts for holiday cottages to articles about menswear, but was unreliable. I'd never know how much work id be getting month to month, and one of my agencies paid me 1.2 p a word.

I really enjoy my job now, it combines my teaching knowledge with writing, but I'm barely paid above minimum wage.

The sub editor role sounds perfect, shame it's not a valued role. Thank you for the advice though, I would definitely be willing to put in the work and expand subject knowledge.

If it isn't terribly rude to ask, could you share some info about pay? How much did you make starting off? What's pay progression like?

Subeditors are valued by their colleagues but publishers often see paring them back them as a way to cut costs. They accept that means a reduction in standards, but it’s a balance - as long as the product looks fairly professional and they’re not getting lots of complaints then they are willing to lose that extra level of quality control they used to have.

Dedicated digital subs are a rare breed as web features can just be amended if someone spots a problem.

These days journalists are often expected to wear many hats and produce clean copy themselves, but not many people are capable. Thankfully there is usually another set of eyes.

Subeditors used to have a lot of time to work on each piece, and there was usually more than one subeditor which checked each article. But nowadays a high turnover of work is expected and many subs feel they aren’t able to put the time and effort into each piece that they would like, which can make the job less satisfying.

Is there anything being done about the portrayal of stereotypes in magazines? In adverts, but also in general content. I'm not so much thinking of the body type stuff that has had a lot of press, but the ways men and women are typically portrayed. Take any spread on gifts (for him tools, beer etc, for her it's gin and marabou slippers) to see what I'm talking about. I think it's so pervasive and toxic and is the reason I don't buy magazines.

Pay depends so much on the prestige and profitability of the brand you work for. There are editors on the big brands earning over £100k (they are usually well known figures in the industry), and there are editors of niche or small brands earning minimum or living wage.

I earn over £50k plus a performance bonus, but I know for a fact my predecessor earned at least £10k more than me - it’s an example of the constant cost cutting that goes on in the industry. They always seem to lose experienced higher paid staff then take on cheap young hires.

When I started out as an assistant 20 years ago I earned not much more than minimum wage, and it increased over time as I got promoted.

Generally inexperienced hires in my group start in the low to mid 20s. Mid level roles earn anything from late 20s to late 30s. Senior team members and editors are anything from late 30s to 60s. Directors, anything from 60s to over 100K in some cases.

Hope that helps.

It helps a lot, thank you!

Production values, glad you mentioned it. Magazines are very expensive where I live. I don’t treat myself as often, whereas I used to buy every month. When my favourite stopped using a shiny finish / went to thinner paper I just didn’t feel it was the luxury item I wanted, anymore. Best part of a tenner, it has to be worth it?

Also, a lot of the content is advertorial / shopping lists. Not much interviews / longer features. I also hate hot topics like menopause / mental health. It all gets so boring... Also I enjoy looking at posh clothes etc as must as the next person, but it’s all so aspirational now. There’s never anything that I could actually buy!

Good question - really depends on the brand and who they think their reader is.

In general publishers really felt the impact of blacklivesmatter and try so much harder to represent diversity not just of different ethnicities but backgrounds and LGBTQA+. It is difficult though as people who have generally felt excluded from these types of brands in the past are now not lining up to be included.

However in terms of gender stereotypes, it will depend a lot on the attitude of the brand and who is working on the piece. Gift guides tend to be very predictable as they categorise people - just by saying ‘gifts for him’ they are going to be ‘man presents’.

Personally I don’t think gift guides are generally that insightful (and budgets can be silly) but I have colleagues who feel they are absolute must haves in Christmas issues. They are usually done by interest rather than gender though - book lovers, gardeners etc.

Hello! How would I go about talking to a magazine about a feature? I think what I do is fascinating (doesn't everyone?!) and would love to promote it - not my business specifically but the type of therapy I do. Who's the best person to approach at a magazine or newspaper - do I go straight to the editor??

Unfortunately the cost of paper etc has shot up, so add that to declining copy sales and loss of advertising and they need to save money somewhere. Luxury magazines do tend to still prioritise production values more though.

It’s really sad but magazine teams have gone from big bustling, creative hubs to highly efficient, streamlined production lines. So the content in most magazines is so formulaic now. Only the few industry leaders can afford to break the mould really.

Magazines are often aspirational in their content - partly because that’s what publishers think people want, but also because that’s what advertisers want to be associated with. If they’re willing to pay big bucks for a spread in a luxury magazine they won’t want the mag to be full of high street products.

Historically there were magazines that got more of their money from circulation than advertising (though advertisers follow circulation). But with declining copy sales they have to appeal to advertisers.

Personally I think people do want aspirational mixed with realistic content. For example, on an interiors mag you wouldn’t just want to look at ordinary homes as you could see those anywhere. But you would want to be able to copy ideas, and see a mix of quality and high street products to buy. But for a fashion mag I think people want to see stylish clothes they can actually afford to buy rather than just high end designer stuff that costs thousands. These mags spend most of their budget on the fashion shoots but hardly any of the readers can afford to buy the clothes. But advertisers want that content, and it’s pretty to look at so it is a priority.

In terms of repetitive content, they need a certain formula for the cover lines and to attract buyers - most people only buy that brand occasionally rather than every month. So a women’s health mag will have something about weight loss every month as that will sell copies.

I used to buy a couple of magazines a month but now I can’t remember the last time I bought one. My mum passes on her Good Housekeeping from time to time and I flick through it - can’t remember ever being interested enough to stop and read any of the articles/features. There’s nothing new, and the “real life” people never do typical work (like a call centre or a supermarket) they are all artsy/media/freelance cupcake designers who I suspect are mates of the people who work for the magazine.

sorry, not an “ask”, but some feedback!

Hello! It’s better to find out the person who commissions that type of content. On a small magazine that might be the editor but on bigger brands they won’t bother reading your email so it needs to go to the relevant section editor.

Look at the magazine’s flannel panel (credits) and see if someone looks like a good fit - eg lifestyle editor, health editor, features editor etc. You could also look at the gutter credit of a similar feature and see who wrote it. Most publishers have a standard email format so contacting them is easy - though if taken from feature credit they could be freelance so best to make sure they are on staff.

You could give a quick call to ask who does that type of feature but unless they encourage it don’t try to pitch your idea over the phone as they will just want the info in an email.

Thanks for the comment. I think the issue now is that there is so much content competing for our attention. You can find anything you want online and TV services overwhelm us with the choice of shows and films. Magazines are great for when you want to switch off from all that but we don’t really ‘need’ them in the way we used to.

However what magazines are great for is giving us ideas and information that we never would have thought we needed to know about. So rather than being something you would Google, it surprises you with something fascinating and inspiring. That’s what a good magazine should do.

They’re also great if you’re new to an interest as you can be immersed in that world and learn all the key brands etc.

Also I agree on the lack of real life people - but it’s hard to find good leads, especially with all the staff and budget cutbacks, so journalists often take the easy route of someone they know, or a social media influencer. Also bear in mind that a lot of regular people don’t really want to be featured in magazines - it does tend to be people who are more ‘look at me’. Otherwise they need persuading, which is effort to find and convince them, and potentially expensive if fees are involved.

Why is the lifestyle magazine choice between pretentious features about Caroline who weaves lampshades for a living supported by her stockbroker DH or 'my nephew eloped with my BUDGIE' in Take A Break and co? There is nothing for the average person with an average income and house.

Why do magazines aimed at teenage girls have such a complete lack of ethics re. promoting promiscuous behaviour and unhealthy body aspirations?

Hello @FrenchFancier

I only have to produce a weekly newsletter for my practice group at work and I find the constant pressure enough to want to make my head explode! I give you major kudos for producing an entire magazine!

What's your top tip for sourcing and producing engaging material?