Selecting And Organising Topics And Items
Although you will have defined the field of interest your magazine will cover, you still need to decide the range of topics and the actual items to include and how to present them.The range of topics your magazine covers will depend on the purpose for which you set it up.
For example, if you produce a community magazine, the topics you cover are likely to be local and related to issues which are ‘live’ for your readers, whereas if you are producing a ‘general interest’ magazine, your topics may be wider ranging, including broader issues and items which may appeal to particular segments of your readership.It is worth thinking fairly widely about your topics, as there may well be many that are not obvious to you initially. If there are other magazines, or books, in your field, they can be good sources of ideas for material.
Types Of Item
There is a wide range of types of contribution you can include; these will relate to the kind of magazine you produce, the audience you reach and the issues you cover. Some types of contribution are considered below.
Articles
These are likely to be substantial contributions and what you include should be based on factors such as:
- the likely level of interest for the topic
- the number of pages you wish to allocate to the subject
- the overall balance of items within the magazine
The actual length of articles will depend on the style and size of your magazine. The ‘average’ person reads about 200-250 words a minute, and readers of most ‘professional’ magazines are likely to read at around 300-350 words a minute. This assumes that the text is set at around 10-12 point size; very small or very large typesizes become much harder, and slower, to read. And, of course, the larger the typesize the more space the article takes up in the magazine.
On the basis of 10-12 point typesize, an article of up to 1,500 words will be fairly quick to read, an article of over 2,000 words will be fairly substantial and likely to cover ground in more depth and an article of over 3,000 words is likely to be weightier and more suitable for journals, or one-off features, rather than regular magazine entries.
When considering articles for publication, you may print single articles on a topic, group several articles together or run a series of linked articles in consecutive issues.
Although topics for articles will vary, depending on your particular field of interest, some that are common to many publications are current issues, historical information, practical guidance and technical information.
When printing articles and some other items, it is useful to have a brief biography, photograph and contact details of each author (with their agreement) for reference at the end of the piece. It is also useful to have a short synopsis of each long article, either at the start of the article, in the contents listing or on a synopsis page, so that readers can scan through to see what is worth them reading in more depth.
Regular Columns
These are features which run in each issue of the magazine. Regular columns tend to be shorter than articles and may be grouped together, or interspersed throughout the pages. Regular columns may be written by a single author, or you may have different authors contributing to a particular column in different issues. Regular columns may cover a wide range of matters, including advice and problem solving, regional issues and humour.
News
Depending on your subject area, there may be news items you can print; for example, recent developments in the field, information on prominent
people, new products or services and relevant legislation. News items tend to give variety and, as they are often short, can help break up pages with longer items on them. You may also like to have a ‘media’ column, where you print summaries of news items carried elsewhere in the media; for example, in newspapers or on the radio or TV.