Correspondence

Most magazines have a correspondence column and this can be useful as a ‘filler’ item, as well as being an interesting area on its own merit. You may print single letters, have a whole page of correspondence or select short items from letters to give a variety of opinion. You may also have a series of letters on a particular topic if you can generate enough interest from readers to keep the topic going. Some specific reasons for including a correspondence section are:

• Feedback. When people write in, it gives you an idea of their opinions. Often feedback will let you know what people think of the magazine, or of a particular contribution or section, or of ideas you have put forward for reader comment. Feedback is vital if you are to keep your magazine relevant and attractive to its readership.
• Debate. Letters can produce an ongoing debate on topics or issues. This can give a sense of continuity and can also produce a wider range of opinions than may have been contained in an original contribution.
• Interaction. Having a correspondence column allows interaction between you and your readers, and between readers themselves. This tends to make the readership more of a ‘community’ and is particularly important where a magazine is offered to members of an organisation, or to those with strong affiliations to particular issues.
• Variety. Letters add variety to a magazine. Many readers look forward to reading them and to assessing the extent to which they reflect, or contradict, their own opinions.
• Simplicity. Letters are relatively easy to write, and some people find it more appealing to write a letter than compose an article. This can widen your contribution net considerably.

Editing Letters

Although some letters may be usable in their original form, there can be reasons for editing them, for example:

• to make them a more appropriate length
• to take out sections that are not relevant
• to remove parts that are not factually correct
• to remove parts that are potentially libellous

 

On the whole, it is not regarded as good practice to re-write letters, although you may need to do a little light editing in order to correct spelling, grammar and punctuation. In some circumstances, however, even if a letter has been poorly written, you may choose to leave the wording exactly as it is, even if it is grammatically incorrect, perhaps indicating that the wording is as the author submitted it.

Do not be tempted to make up letters from fictitious readers, as this could backfire if you are asked for further information on them, or for people to be put in touch with them. It is, however, perfectly acceptable to invite a letter from a particular individual if you think it likely that that person will have an interesting point to make, where you want a balancing opinion to another point of view or where you want to encourage new people to contribute.

When including letters, you should check, before printing any contact details for correspondents, that they are happy for these to be included. It is usually acceptable to put a name and a geographic region, but do not put addresses, telephone numbers, emails, and so forth, unless the person has given permission, or asked, for these to be published.

Interviews

Interviews are often popular items and can come in many forms. You can include interviews with people who are prominent in your field, who have made a major discovery or originated a novel product or service, who are visiting from overseas or who are of interest for some other reason. Interviews may be conducted face to face, recorded over the telephone (with the agreement of the interviewee) or carried out by email or fax. There is information on interview techniques in Chapter 8.