become a magazine editor

The first step to creating and editing a magazine, is having a great support group. It’s a long hard road, stressful at times (especially if you have a set deadline to complete it, and you’re the sole person working on it), but there’s a very good feeling when you finish the entire thing. 5 months ago

I made a parenting magazine for my region that I published online for a year beforehand. Once I felt confident doing that, I went offline. It was fun, but very time consuming, to publish a print magazine. 2 years ago

I really whant to be a singer but to get started i whant to do something cool and do some editing on magazine’s i think i might actually do this job it will be so cool. 2 years ago

I told A the other day that I’ve had this “vision” of working in a small office in Brooklyn assisting with a small local magazine. I think that is what I wanted back in say 1995. Perhaps what I had in mind was New York Spirit. I remember going on an interview for a small little radio station somewhere.

Wow. The world was wide open to me back then and my lack of a speciality—well one that I liked, didn’t allow me to enjoy it.

Yesterday after I dropped off my son I picked up a healthmagazine. The last one on the rack at the newstand where the ice cream place used to be. And I proceded to dissect it and then read it. Then I spent the night going through the Wooden Horse archives looking for Af Am publications that launched between 2000-2007 and I also read quite a bit from Mr. Magazine’s archives as well.

My conclusion is that I was trained to be a local newspaper reporter, not a magazine columnist. I trained to do that on my own. And there is a difference. Magazines are niche publications slanted for a particular audience. There is no objectivity or even the semblence of one. That is a magazine. A women’s interest magazine is something different than a newspaper.

I did a reading for “teach journalism” and pulled “The Devil” The same reading for TC. The message is clear. Stick with the Devil you know. Especially if you have confidence issues. Which I didn’t realy know I had in 1992, I mean I KNEW I had them but I didn’t realize that sticking to what I was trained to do was better than launching out into the big unknown. In a sense I’m glad I did it. I’ve proved a few things. One I’m no coward and Two, I’m also nobody’s fool. I’ve lived a full life. 3 years ago

Was just thinking of what I’d need to do this job for a full salary in an office. What would it entail?

*Meetings
*Some sort of tracking schedule, system for articles, article budget, status report, calendar
*lots of emails (internal, external—press releases, unsolicited story ideas)
*Assigning articles, supervision and coaching of writers
*paying writers for articles published
*Editing
*Generating story ideas

I cannot imagine what else would be involved. Of course there would be some suprises, but I could do it. I would definitely have a life coach, doctor, and counselor on board to make sure I managed my stress all day, every day. 3 years ago

Wow! I just went back two years and read all of my and other posts on these topics. I watched myself wonder if I could do this work, then I saw myself get an offer to do this work. I watched myself have a success and then become frustated and then recover. And in between all of that, I looked for jobs. I remember looking at the scholastic jobs. I looked again recently but didn’t see any openings in their magazine. Only in their bookstore.

I’m still doing this work (magazine editing) almost 2 years after I first wondered if I could do it and I do not see an end in site. I may do other jobs but I will definitely do this forever.

Now I’m actually looking into classes. I’m counting the articles in Heart and Soul and wondering if I could write that much in a year, if I could then I could edit it, right?

I also found a copy editing certificate program online. I’m reading Folio and visiting MPA online regularly. Magazine editing is definitely a career.

I made a new resume—a functional one that breaks down my editing and writing skills specifically. It’s about a page and a half and also includes social networking.

I noticed that many of the people here who want to be magazine editors are in the 8th grade! Wow! When I was in the 8th grade I had no vision, I had NO idea what I wanted to do. Shoot I felt that way just a few years ago when I first started this To-Do list. 3 years ago

I just wrote this under the “43Things” goal. Thought I needed to mention it here.

One thing I have to mention is that I imagined my having the title of lifestyle/health editor and it felt good inside. Those I’m hesitant to make a specific goal. I should ask an expert if this is okay. Afterall KO did it for the Source. 4 years ago

I’m now looking at mags from an “editorial point of view” meaning the sections, then looking at the mast head to see who might be in charge of the sections.

This morning (it’s Saturday) I got up wondering if I could write a mag’s “You First” section all by myself. They come out 6 times a year. That’s how good I want to get to be able to, if I had to write all of the stories for my lifestyle/health/parenting section myself.

Also I took all of the magazines I have here, old Essences, parenting mags etc. I put them all in a neat pile on the baker’s rack near my desk.

I’m going to ressurect t his goal. No I’m not. I’m going to leave this heere and then change the query goal so that it’s more specific. 4 years ago

Hmmmm…I’m seeing what the problem is here. After editing the magazine from home, I didn’t mind doing it. It’s working in the office, trying to coordinate time, that’s what has gotten me upset.

I’m going to work on working from home exclusively. Afterall I’m a CONSULTANT…further I’m a consultant who has not been paid!

See I’d be willing to do the pay me later, that’s not the issue, it’s the fact that I’m a free-lancer who has not gotten paid who has to “check in.”

Unless I am in an office everyday with a set schedule, I don’t want to work like this. As a “free-lancer” I want to be in charge of my own time and work on projects.

I’m going to do a Tarot Reading. I talked to my husband instead. I’ll do the reading later. The solution is that I ask for what I want. 4 years ago

Okay, I’m falling into my usual trap, I’m letting the people get to me. Not liking the mag editing gig. Not so much the work, but the people. I said I wanted a job where I could focus on the work and not the people, but I think with liberal arts jobs that might not be the case.

I’m also dealing with what I see as disrespect of my time and I have yet to be fully paid for he work I did in the fall. I’m about to do an invoice for the work I did in November.

Also I rush to make deadlines, and this has happened SEVERAL times already, and then NOTHING. I don’t hear anything. It’s been what like 3 weeks since I came close to meeting the 12/15 deadline and then NOTHING.

I was talking to my husband last night and he said that I had to try this gig out. It’s good that I didn’t say no as I would have wondered. 4 years ago