Most newcomers to the field of editing know only that they want to edit—to read manuscripts and make changes or corrections; often they don’t consider editing for a specific type of company. What they don’t realize is that this decision is possibly the most important. Of course it is important to have passion for the work—but what if a newcomer gets a job with a magazine staff and the additional duties required besides his copy-editing duties turn out to be more than he was prepared for? What if a newcomer gets a job with a book publisher and she doesn’t like working with authors or designing covers? In either situation, the new editor would be unhappy with his or her new position. Thus, in order to be happy in an editing position, it is extremely important that those interested in entering the field of editing understand the qualities needed for and the responsibilities of the different opportunities available— such as small magazine and book publishing—as well as the ways to get their proverbial foot in the door.

The skills required for an aspiring magazine editor, according to John Morrish in Magazine Editing, are confidence in journalism (5), “a deep enthusiasm for magazines,” self-reliance, determinism, an understanding of the magazine’s target market, and imagination (11). J.T.W. Hubbard, a former associate editor for Newsweek, also lists imagination as one of the three most important skills for a magazine editor in his book Magazine Editing for Professionals (26). The other two skills are the ability to develop relationships with various and varied writers and the ability to edit a manuscript so that it “meets the readers’ interest without . . .crushing the writer’s style” (26). According to Benton Rain Patterson and Coleman E.P. Patterson in their book The Editor in Chief: A Practical Management Guide for Magazine Editors, the abilities required to be a successful magazine editor are those of being able to write and being a wordsmith (25). Morrish agrees, stating that the editor may even to write articles for inclusion in the magazine (127), and he or she would certainly write the monthly or weekly “letter from the editor” included in the front of the magazine (134). Jerry Cullum, Senior Editor for the small magazine Art Papers, likewise thinks language skills are important, listing “an excellent command of English style and of course spelling, and a good to excellent command of research tools” as necessary qualities for a magazine editor (31 Jan. 2003). Many editors interested in working for a magazine mistakenly believe that they need the ability to design page layouts; however, Cullum says that Art Papers has an art director who handles all of the page layout and art design – the editors only make suggestions for a layout when there’s a problem that “distorts the feel” of the issue. “We critique design; we don’t generate design,” he says (31 Jan. 2003).

“The qualities that make a good magazine editor,” states Hubbard, “often differ from those that make a good editor of books” (26). Unlike magazine editors, book editors are not required to be good writers; but, says Marshall Lee, author of Bookmaking: The illustrated guide to design/production/editing, “every working editor does a considerable amount of writing in the course of making manuscripts work,” thus his or her writing abilities must meet the standard of good writing (381). Lee says that copy editors should be able to “spot and correct awkward or badly constructed sentences” and “should have a natural inclination to be precise and meticulous and have the patience to examine very closely sizable amounts of materials that may not be personally interesting” (381). Lee continues, “a good copy editor has the ability to sustain [this] intense concentration over long periods” (381). Copy editors occasionally need people skills as well, if they work in a company in which they have contact with writers (381). According to Lyn Deardorff, Editor at Peachtree Publishers, Ltd., editors working in a small book-publishing house often have much contact with the authors (29 Jan. 2003). The skills that Deardorff finds most valuable for an aspiring book editor are that he or she be an avid reader and a good reader, as a reader who can’t understand the content does not contribute to the editing of a manuscript (29 Jan. 2003).

The actual job responsibilities of any editor will differ depending on the size, organization, and methods of the magazine or book publishing company where he or she works. “No matter how elaborate or how simple the staff organization is,” say Patterson and Patterson, “the editor’s job is always a complex one, comprising a range of duties and demanding a variety of abilities” (23). Cullum works for a small magazine and  knows firsthand that editors for small magazines have more responsibilities than solely copy-editing. “Introverts,” he says, “need to look for a larger magazine,” as smaller magazines require more people interaction than just editing hard copy at a desk (31 Jan. 2003). He personally copy-edits, locates missing photos for layouts, returns photos to contributors, prepares grant proposals, and writes any other necessary correspondence. On the day of the interview, he was also making arrangements for the annual Art Papers benefit auction in February. Cullum only actually copy-edits about sixteen hours a month, he says, and then there are another sixteen hours of intensive proofreading for each issue (31 Jan. 2003). Says Hubbard, “it is a fact of life that magazine editors frequently find themselves working in an area that does not make full use of their particular interests and talents” (27). According to Morrish, though, any magazine editor has three main tasks: selection, acquisition, and authentication (accuracy) (2–3). Patterson and Patterson also include selection as a main responsibility of the editor. On small staffs, they say, the editor will read and decide whether each individual submission should be included in the magazine (60). An editor, however, should be “more than a voter” who decides whether to include a piece and “more than a critic” who finds faults in the piece. Editors should also know “how to make the piece right” when errors are found (63). Some small magazines have a staff of copy editors apart from the editor in chief or managing editor, however, and these copy editors are in charge of specific copy-editing duties such as researching, fact-checking, proofreading (23), language straightening, styling (for consistency), and trimming (“snipping out a little bit here, a little bit there to reduce the number of lines in the piece”) to conform to the requirements for article length (66–68).

Lee says that although there are many types of editors in the field of book publishing, the copy editor is usually hired with the sole purpose of copy-editing (383). The responsibilities involved in copy-editing, according to Lee, include correcting errors in typing, fact, and grammar; improving awkward sentences and paragraphs; styling; and marking (402). Deardorff says that she only spends about twenty percent of her time copy-editing, however (29 Jan. 2003). Peachtree Publishers is a small Atlanta publishing company, so each editor in the editorial department has responsibilities other than copy-editing. The remainder of Deardorff’s time is spent supervising interns, submitting manuscripts for children’s book awards and medals, and supervising the reading of the 20,000 unsolicited manuscripts received by Peachtree Publishers every year (29 Jan. 2003). Lee also says that book editors, unlike some magazine editors, may be “involved with the design/production process in [two] ways: (a) contributing knowledge of the book to design, and (b) checking the preparation of the book for accuracy” (439). This means that editors provide information to the designers such as publishing facts and format specifications (439), and review page layouts for editorial errors (442). Deardorff is evidence of Lee’s claim; she says that the editors at Peachtree Publishing participate in designing the book cover and the inside jacket materials (29 Jan. 2003). Another important aspect of book editing, she adds, is also to be aware of the competition, to keep up with the modern trend and style of books. This is important for the publishing company to thrive and to attract authors (29 Jan. 2003).

Gaining access to a position in a small magazine or book publishing company serves as an “entry gateway” for later access to larger publishing houses (Hubbard 168–9). Hubbard does not recommend accepting an administrative-level position in one of these larger houses, as this position will not permit gaining editorial experience, it will only permit honing administrative skills (169). He insists instead upon starting smaller – working at a daily newspaper for a few years, he says, “forms an elegant springboard for vaulting onto the staff of medium-sized magazines” (171). Cullum’s advice to someone interested in entering the field of small magazine editing is that they have “prior knowledge of the field in which the magazine is engaged” (31 Jan. 2003). Art Papers, located in Little Five Points in Atlanta, has internship positions available, and while the applicant need not have previous editing experience (the magazine holds seminars for new interns), he or she does need to be at least interested in art. For paid positions, however, prior experience in editing is required (31 Jan. 2003).

What is most important for an editorial intern at a small book-publishing house, says Deardorff, is the love of reading. Other skills are less important because they can be learned and developed, but a love of reading keeps the work fun (29 Jan. 2003). Gaining an internship at a book publisher’s is paramount, according to Lee, because “jobs in book publishing have often gone to someone who happens to be around rather than to a qualified person from outside” (386). Lee suggests other ways to gain access to available editorial positions, such as attending a course in publishing or editing and making employment desires known to the instructors, going “where editors go, and try[ing] to meet them,” or, if unable to personally meet established editors, sending a well-written cover letter and resume to a number of editors and publishers (including a letter of recommendation from an associate if possible) (386–7). In order to show competence in editing and thus gain a position in the field, Lee feels that a writing sample which is “skillful and gives evidence of a knowledge of grammar, structure, and style” must be submitted (386). Lee also suggests that providing proof of prior publication experience (such as working on a high school newspaper or college yearbook) indicates talent, knowledge, and competence (386). “The ideal background for any editor,” he says, “is to have (a) an MA in English or comparative literature from a first-class university, with many courses in languages, psychology, and business administration, [and] (b) been an insatiable reader since childhood of everything from newspapers and magazines to literary classics, as well as to have been a movie and TV fan” (381). He reiterates, however, that the “the best thing to do is to get a job inside a publishing house in any capacity” because “you have a much better chance for the first editorial opening if you are on the spot” (387).

Thus there is no substitute for experience. As Morrish reminds us in the introduction to his book, “no-one ever learned to be an editor form a textbook” (3). Becoming an editorial intern at a small magazine or book publishing house provides invaluable experience for a future as an editor. Knowing the varying qualities desired by such houses and being aware of the varied responsibilities that await are essential to finding a satisfying editorial position. Although the eventual goal of any aspiring editor may be to work for an internationally known and esteemed magazine or book publisher, all editors must start somewhere – and small magazine and book publishing houses are the best places to begin.
 
 

Works Cited

Cullum, Jerry. Personal interview by Cindy Michaels. 31 Jan. 2003.

Deardorff, Lyn. Interview by Cindy Michaels via telephone. 29 Jan. 2003.

Hubbard, J.T.W. Magazine Editing for Professionals. Revised ed. New York: Syracuse UP, 1989.

Lee, Marshall. Bookmaking: The illustrated guide to design/production/editing. 2nd ed. New York: R.R. Bowker, 1979.

Morrish, John. Magazine Editing. New York: Routledge, 1996.

Patterson, Benton Rain and Coleman E.P. Patterson. The Editor in Chief: A Practical Management Guide for Magazine Editors. Ames, IA: Iowa State UP, 1997.
 

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