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Topic: magazine staffing
| Author | Message |
| WinonaWriter | Posted – 7/9/2007 5:21:19 PM | show profile OK, so I work for a company that produces a custom magazine that comes out 3 times a year, and has a readership of nearly 2 million per issue, with national ads, celebrity interviews, etc., etc. It's a beautiful, glossy, photo- and text-heavy, well-designed and well-edited book, 160-176 pages. We are expected to (and successfully do!) match the look and quality of the big-name newsstand mags. However, we must do this with this main staff: - 1 full-time art director (who also handles several other publications) - 1 full-time editor (who also handles one other publication of similar scope) - 1 part-time editor (who also works on the editor's 2nd magazine as needed) And this additional staff who are involved at various points in the process: - 1 proofreader (who also works on a gazillion other projects) - 1-2 graphic designers (ONLY if the art director is IMPOSSIBLY overwhelmed) - 1 production guy (who preps documents for pre-press) Occasionally, when desperate, we pull other staffers in to help with things. But this is really it! Is this normal? I look at the big newsstand pubs and see that they have much larger staffs...in particular, 7-10 editors at least, a photo editor, etc. Would like to hear from the big-name newsstand folks -- and from custom-pub folks -- about the staffing on your magazines. |
| WordyBird | Posted – 7/9/2007 5:50:54 PM | show profile Monthly glossy consumer magazine for a non-profit, used to do 112-120 pages a month (now down to 80, don't get me started), circ is about 480,000, readership about 1 million. The staff consists of: 1 managing editor 1 production guru 2 writer/editors (each has her own column in addition to writing feature articles and regular departments) 1 departments editor for things like letters to the editor, ask the specialist, etc. So that makes a staff of five. In addition to this we use a design firm for the design and have: 2 contractors for 2 specific departments 2 freelance proofreaders Basically it's a staff of five, with some freelance help and outside design. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that considering the relative infrequency of publication, you're fine. I mean, if you only publish 3 times a year, maybe you shouldn't compare your staff to that of a major monthly? |
| reporterwriter | Posted – 7/9/2007 6:50:37 PM | show profile That's my inclination, too, Terrimisu -- it's at least normal, if not better than. I worked on a monthly national consumer title, average 144 pages, with a staff of four. We also put out six annuals up to 400 pages, plus the occasional brochure. |
| Mag Girl | Posted – 7/9/2007 7:20:38 PM | show profile Doesn't sound unusual, really. I worked at a mag that had 3 full-time editors, one part-time, and a graphic designer who worked on one other monthly. Production was done out of another office, but she worked on several other titles. We put out 12 issues a year ranging from 85-maybe 130 pages, plus quarterly supplements, done all in house. |
| Upward Bound | Posted – 7/9/2007 7:33:59 PM | show profile not unusual I worked at a monthly trade averaging 68 pages with the following art/editorial staff: 1 Editor 1 Associate Editor + freelance writers + outside art help to account for LESS THAN HALF of the pages You can imagine how fun it was being on that "staff"... There were some months I worked without a single weekend day off. |
| WinonaWriter | Posted – 7/9/2007 9:18:37 PM | show profile If this were the only magazine we work on, it would be one thing. But it's not. The art director works on several other publications, plus other things like rate cards, invitations, and pretty much anything else that requires design. Because these are custom pubs for world-renowned clients, there's also HEAVY client relationship management involved on top of the creative/production process. The editor is the main client-relationship person. He also does all the assigning and manages all the freelance writers. The editor and I both edit and fact-check the articles. I (the part-time editor) also proofread all the articles and do much of the copy writing (heds, deks, captions, blurbs, etc.). Art-wise, we do a full-fledged fashion photo shoot in each issue with pro models and stylists, and generally several additional custom photo shoots (both of people--sometimes celebrities--and luxury products that must be procured from the brands, photographed and returned, etc.). And like I said, although it only comes out three times a year, it's not the only publication that we work on! Does it still sound accurate? I'm trying to paint an accurate picture without naming the publication, so it's hard! |
| WinonaWriter | Posted – 7/9/2007 9:23:42 PM | show profile To try to explain further, I've worked on and written for a number of other custom/trade publications and those were all completely different "beasts" than this one. For those, art could often be stock, for example. This mag is very custom and complex, much more so than any of the other custom pubs I've worked on. |
| GA>ME | Posted – 7/9/2007 11:39:45 PM | show profile yeah, doesn't sound too abnormal. i did a trade pub and that was about it. yeah, the graphics were mostly stock, but the art director also worked on a bunch of other books, too. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 7/10/2007 12:06:18 AM | show profile I know what you mean -- there's nothing normal about killing your workhorse. I'm productive, and fast. I can get it done right and in amazing time. You know what I mean -- maybe you're that way too. Back in the day, I was ME at a weekly paper (including writing, layout, schmoozing, photo) and kicked butt. One all nighter a week on deadline, busy all the time. I smiled gamely when they wanted to take it twice weekly, like an Israelite who had just been ordered by the pharaoh to make more bricks and this time do with without straw. Two all-nighters a week, despite my publisher's lame efforts to throw in a few resources. It wrecked my health. I should have walked, right then and there. The trouble with being the whiz who saves the day is that soon you're saving everyday. I finally stepped off that death treadmill. First they squeeze the blood out of the steak. The next thing you know, they're trying to get it from a turnip -- then a stone. An organization that kills its workhorses will ever need more. |
| The phashionista | Posted – 7/10/2007 12:53:16 AM | show profile That sounds normal. I put out a 24-page section weekly with an editor, writer, part-time designer, photographer and no freelance. 1248 pages a year. We do weekly fashion photo shoots with models, hair, makeup and staff styling. Doesn't make it right, but you certainly learn to wear a lot of hats. |
| Bleak Spouse | Posted – 7/10/2007 1:58:39 AM | show profile 2 million per issue? I find that hard to believe...because if it has a circulation that high, they wouldn't limit it to 3 times a year. |
| WinonaWriter | Posted – 7/10/2007 2:17:16 PM | show profile nearly 2 million READERSHIP, not CIRCULATION. can't go into too many details without revealing too much! writesonwater: AMEN. that's what i do/how i feel...whiz kid saving the day, doing it all because it has to be done...all three of us (the art director, editor and i) all have to be the whiz kids working crazy hours to get it done. (i'm part-time but when on deadline often work full-time hours, plus some...still with no vacay or benefits.) and funny you should mention squeezing blood out of something. last night i dreamed a vampire was after me and my veins...haven't dreamed about a vampire since I was about 10 years old! : ) |
| Stressed | Posted – 7/10/2007 2:21:22 PM | show profile At one point I was Acting Editor, Deputy Editor and Acting Chief Copy Editor on the magazine I worked at. This was one of the top-selling magazines in its subject area, at the biggest publishing company in the UK. Oh and I had just returned from maternity leave so was up twice a night breastfeeding too. It is amazing how many large companies have No Expense Spent as their motto. |
| Upward Bound | Posted – 7/10/2007 2:26:45 PM | show profile Look for a new job If the workload is really taking such a toll on you, and you've already asked for additional resources to no avail, you might just have to leave. That's what I did when my pub started killing me, it's workhorse. I felt bad for the person who took my place, but I've been much happier and healthier since. |
| WinonaWriter | Posted – 7/10/2007 2:34:39 PM | show profile Stressed: Yikes! That was crazy...hope things are more balanced for you now. Upward Bound: I know, I'm looking. But there aren't many publications in my area, and I don't want to relocate right now (for family reasons). So in the meantime, I'm just venting and checking to see if it's like this for everyone else too! No sense in jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire, as they say. |
| almond | Posted – 7/10/2007 6:44:36 PM | show profile Regional, quarterly 100 page magazine: 1 Editor (also responsible for 4-6 other smaller pubs) 1 Part-time copy editor (10 hrs a week 4 weeks per issue) 1 Part time production manager (20hrs a week--if I'm very lucky) 1 Very part-time art director (4 hrs a week, in the 4 weeks leading up to press day) Thats it! We're part of a larger publishing company, whose main publication is not us, so we are able to rely on some resources through that relationship, but we are very much the lowest priority. I know you were more interested in hearing from big newsstand folks, but your post caught my eye as it's something I've always wondered too. What always gets me though is not just the length of the editorial on the masthead (what I wouldn't give for an assistant editor) but the amount of 'business people' on the next masthead. Money is king, not content in the world of magazine publishing today. I just picked up a hefty magazine (sort of a competitor) the other day that has grown from 50 pages to about 150 in a year - yet they still have the same amount of (very bad) editorial, just a ton more ads. Depressing. |
| Chamsah | Posted – 7/10/2007 7:07:55 PM | show profile The fate of workhorses... Writesonwater: "An organization that kills its workhorses will ever need more." Good point. But will they rehire another? I'll leave that one unanswered. Instead, should we be examining the benefit of being the workhorse? Now, I am not saying we should all be slackers. But there needs to be a middle ground here. I am not the only one who will confirm that most companies aren't smart enough to keep their workhorses, mind you pay them well or treat them with any shread of decency. Just reading this thread confirms that. (No one has even talked about how much they get paid to do all that work. My guess? Not much.) How many times have you seen the workhorse let go while the the politically savvy slackers get to keep their cushy gigs? Another one I will leave unanswered. Is it worth it? Maybe I am jaded after all these years but at this point I have to say no way. |
| ConfidentDesigner | Posted – 7/10/2007 9:18:28 PM | show profile Ha! This sounds luxurious! TWO graphic designers to help the AD only if he's "overwhelmed"? What do they do the rest of the time? Drink tea? Or is he/she always overwhelmed? I "art directed" a 120-160 page monthly 4/C association rag for a midwestern aviation assoc. (big!) and was stuck placing all ads (of which there were approx. 60 per issue), laying out CLASSIFIED ADS!!!!, and designing all features (about 5-6 per issue), art directing photoshoots, AND did a complete redesign, AND switched over from Quark to InDesign, AND produced a 200+ page program (with ads) pretty much all by myself...for $47K/yr. when I finally said "adios" after 2 burned out years that increased my wine comsumption considerably. Cry me a river! This sounds like a walk in the park! |
| writesonwater | Posted – 7/10/2007 11:15:55 PM | show profile The Thing About Workhorses Being a workhorse is great. You're a find, you're a catch. Blessed is the employer who hires a workhorse. But if the employer is in denial, if the workhorse warns that it can't last -- "I can do this for a month, or even two -- but not forever" -- don't think you'll find you such another workhorse. When I put my foot down at the weekly that became a twice weekly without even half again the resources, my boss "promoted me" to a cushier job -- a company-wide post, which was not my idea. She then cleverly decided to fill my old reins -- any workhorse will do, right? The replacement horse was way out of his depth, the plow went way amuck. Back to once a week, back to me as editor. In another capacity, as editor in chief of a regional group, I finally balked and quit -- the workhorse had enough. (I worked too hard to get insulted at the same time after my boss had been coddling his wine bottle all night.) I left -- and they finally did what I told them to do. They staffed up -- replacing me with three guys, who were shocked by the levels of work I, their predecessor, had produced on my own. You got a workhorse? Treat the workhorse right. No killing the goose that laid the golden, productive egg. Sorry for the metaphor mix. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 7/10/2007 11:17:15 PM | show profile It may be a tight market, but the publisher who presumes to think he's the one doing the workhorse the favor isn't protecting his publication's best interest. I've seen it. |
| Chamsah | Posted – 7/11/2007 9:55:27 AM | show profile writes... What possible favor is the publisher doing for the workhorse? I was a workhorse for many, many years. My pub was bleeding money so they let go a lot of people. I was on the list. Why? Because of my salary. (Which was on the low side, ironically.) They didn't give a shit how hard I worked, how much extra work I took on, how I went above and beyond time and time again, and how I had the best reviews in my department during my entire tenure. None of that was considered. The bean counters looked at the head count, each salary and slashed my name right off the list. They had no idea who I was, or that they were letting go the best performer in the department. Nor did they care. I had no recourse at all. My boss told me that my performance was never a factor. I was simply a salary they no longer wanted to pay, so my position was eliminated. He didn't come out and say it, but had I been an "average" employee, my fate would have been exactly the same. So I killed myself for all those years for what? Do I see the benefit of being a workhorse? Not really. In the end it does not matter. If anything it can destroy your life. |
| WordyBird | Posted – 7/11/2007 10:16:19 AM | show profile WOW, good point about workhorses and the employer not doing anyone a favor. Nowadays, when I read the job postings, I can't help but think, "They want all THAT in ONE person?" I write, edit, and solicit articles (including heds, deks, and captions for said articles) and work with peer reviewers. Sometimes I coordinate with our design contractors about photo shoots. That's it. That's my job. Full-time, 37.5 hours a week. I see these job postings that want people to do that, but also design and lay out articles, create and run a Web page, monitor an on-line community, and blog and do podcasts, and I think, "They need two people for that." Besides, wordsmithing and layout are two different animals. Maybe I'm old school, but I know very few designers who can write, and very few writers who can design something splashy. Then again, maybe this is why we keep seeing the same postings over and over again for certain positions for certain companies. They expect far too much out of one person, want 5 years of experience doing all of that, and want to pay that person $40K a year. Yeah, right. |
| ConfidentDesigner | Posted – 7/11/2007 11:22:04 AM | show profile CBL-Well said! The publishing industry has cheapened itself to the point of ridiculousness. I had a company fly me out for an interview, put me up at a nice hotel, treat me to lunch,dinner, etc. all for a job that paid $40K/year. They even said that they would ove to have someone with my level of experience if they could get me for $40K. They even admitted to me that that would be a feather in their cap! Was this supposed to be a compliment? Compliments don't pay the bills. I was highly insulted but...got a nice trip out of it, regardless. I found it insane that they would spend all this money on airfare, car rental, hotel accomodations, etc. for a $40K/year job. Lame! |
| incognito | Posted – 7/11/2007 11:56:24 AM | show profile Wow, did I work with all of you? It all sounds so eerily familiar. I recently left a job like that--too much work for too long, disastrous effect on my health and social life, for zero reward. I finally left when they promoted someone (not qualified, but in the inner circle) above me. My quality of life has improved so much I can't even describe it. And from what I hear, things are the same as ever there. So why do companies think they can get away with this, and how do they survive such turnover? They must be turning some kind of profit. |
| caitlinkelly | Posted – 7/11/2007 12:23:19 PM | show profile Turnover clearly means nothing to many companies in this industry. Anyone who has been reading the jobs board on this site for more than six months may have noticed that an Ivy League press keeps advertising over and over and over exactly the same job, located in the NYC suburbs. How hard can it be to fill that job, or keep someone, if all is well? |
