The Layers of Magazine Editing Book

Unlike the myriad writing manuals that emphasize grammar, sentence structure, and other skills necessary for entry-level editing jobs, this engaging book adopts a broader view, beginning with the larger topics of audience, mission, and tone, and working its way down, layer by layer, to the smaller questions of grammar and punctuation. Based on Michael Robert Evans's years of experience as an editor and supplemented with invaluable observations from the editors of more than sixty other magazines, including The Atlantic, Better Homes and Gardens, Ebony, Esquire, and National Geographic, this book reveals the people-oriented nature of the job. The book proceeds through three sections, or layers. "The Big Picture" discusses the process of conceptualizing a magazine and developing a clear mission for it, finding and understanding audiences, freedom of the press, and the ethics of editing. The next section, "The Big Questions," describes planning a magazine's issues and working with writers, ensuring that the articles make sense, their fit and tone, and reviewing their structure, leads, and conclusions. Finally, "The Small (but Important) Stuff" provides advice on fact checking, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and other proofreading matters.Read More