Careers in Publishing [Magazines, Newspapers, and Books]

In working for the Lake County News Chronicle, Teri Cadeau spends the first half of her week (Monday – Wednesday) gathering information and notes for her pieces.  Wednesday is her deadline day, and following that, on Thursday, she puts the final touches on her articles for the week, answers any questions, and is featured in a weekly radio segment.  As the only reporter for the paper, she spends a lot of time at school board and city council meetings, as well as covering events in the Silver Bay and Two Harbors area, such as summer festivals.  This is largely due to the fact the Lake County News Chronicle is a more government-focused publication in contrast to community-centered papers Teri has worked with in the past. That being said, she still takes time to write a personal article each month. (Rachel)

Jesse Moss of WOTS Magazine talked about the day-to-day and month-to-month way that feedback from readers in person or on social media affects operations. WOTS doesn’t get nearly as much feedback as they want, according to Moss, but when they do get it it affects almost every applicable choice they make. “When we do get feedback it usually plays a big part in our next issue,” Moss explained. “We’ve had feedback drive us to focus or not focus on  topics. We have a popular column in print that is only there because a one-off story got really strong feedback and people said they wanted more like it.” Moss added that checking in on how people are reacting is a daily activity for WOTS’ staff. (Dominic)

The Work of Sales and Advertising is Essential

XXX of Lake Superior Magazine talks about the ways that sales are part of the everyday work making the magazine possible.  “My day starts by making lists of potential advertisers for the magazine. Some of these potentials are clients that have advertised in the past and others I’ve identified as a “good fit” for the publication. Then the calling begins. I spend most of my day on the phone and emailing. If a client is local, I try to get an appointment to see them in person.”