Things you need to know before going into Magazine publishing

Like what was mentioned in the Devil Wears Prada, a lot of girls right now will kill for the job that Anne Hathaway got in that movie. Magazine publishing is a pretty big industry with new titles being published every year. In fact, there are magazines that are dedicated in for every subject area imaginable— horses, antiques, coin collection. There is even a magazine for farming.

Unlike what was shown in the movie, magazine publishing is not always about the glamour and the freebies. In fact, when you get into one of those magazine companies, you’ll realize that it is not a tushy job after all. The work can be very hard and the hours horrifying. Some do not even go home for weeks when the closing of one issue is close by. So before you decide to apply in any of those magazines, here are some things that might make you think twice.

1. Dog eat dog world

Competition is tough in a magazine. This is especially true if you plan to go into magazine writing. There are only a few key positions that will be available for people and chances are they will go to those who have better connections within the company and in society. Fact of life is, you need to first BE someone before you get to hold those high positions as magazine editor. Because of this, the culture inside a magazine can be stressful. It can be a dog eat dog world where everyone is out to get anyone that steps in their way towards promotion. Besides with purely girls in the company, there is bound to be a catfight.

2. It’s a girl’s world

Magazine publishing can be dominated by girls especially those who are more into the fashion and beauty stuff. It being a girl’s world can be an advantage as you will be able to relate more with them and share their interests. It can however be different for a guy. So if you are straight and you want to work in magazine publishing, choose the magazines whose subjects are more oriented towards male pursuits like golf, yachting, body building. Men’s magazines will also have more male staffers but they may also have a lot of gay people.

3. Weird hours

People who go into magazine publishing especially the core departments that really work on the magazines until the publication will need to stay for hours in the office just to close pages. This is the unglamorous side of the job. Some would not even go home when the deadline is so near. The hours can be really weird especially when issues are being closed or photo shoots are being done.

4. Social events or boring conference

If you are not much into hobnobbing with the rich and the famous in the field, magazine publishing is not for you. The job does not only entail attending events and conferences and writing about it, you are also expected to socialize with these people and perhaps get them as advertisers or sponsors of the magazine.

People who work on more technical publications on the other hand have to endure a different thing— boring conferences. If listening to studies and experiments is not your thing, do not go into magazine publishing.