eBook
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The Art of Making Magazines
Year
2012
Language
ENGLISH
Publication Information
Columbia University Press
Summary
From finding and cultivating authors to effectively incorporating art and design, from the importance of fact checking and copyediting to the critical relationship between advertising dollars and content, this anthology provides a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the making of a successful and influential magazine. It also engages with the industry's most pressing issues, such as the future of magazines in a digital environment and the increasing pressure of business interests on editorial decisions, acting as both a how-to and a how-to-be guide for a variety of readers. Top editors, writers, art directors, and publishers from such magazines as Gourmet, The New Yorker, The New Republic, Elle, and Harper's speak on developing great talent; obtaining an entry level position that can be parlayed into a masthead title; managing the interests (and potential conflicts) of various departments; and handling the requests of advertisers. They explore the creative strategies and practical mechanics of writing for magazines and the role of opinion in shaping or enhancing editorial content. One essay directly confronts the inherent strengths and weaknesses of women's magazines, while Felix Dennis recounts creating Maxim. In other essays, Barbara Wallraff speaks about the famed copyediting department at The Atlantic while Ruth Reichl and Tina Brown speculate on the many changes the magazine industry has undergone in the past two decades. An anthology full of intimate reflections and surprising revelations, this volume holds immense value for current editors and practicing journalists, as well as for students of culture and journalism, and it holds wide appeal for anyone hoping to peek between the lines of their favorite magazines.