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Topic: How to become a Contributing Editor?

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Shelby Nameless Posted – 3/18/2008 2:33:38 PM | show profile
I have long wondered how writers become contributing editors for magazines.

Do you have to be famous, a socialite, a renowned expert on a very specific topic, or something equal to that?

Or is it possible to become a CE if you have written a number of feature articles for a specific magazine and are a regular writer for them?

I have written and edited a book, as well as written 5 feature-length articles for the same major publication and would love to be a Contributing Editor for them, but don't know if I'd be asking for too much, too soon if I brought this up. Any thoughts?

And do CE's usually get a retainer? Or is it more typical that CE's get contracted for a specific number of articles per year? Or do some magazines simply give folks the title without any extra perks?

Thanks for considering my post. I look forward to reading the responses and any advice anyone might have on the topic.


reporterwriter Posted – 3/18/2008 3:32:43 PM | show profile
Every CE situation seems to be different. I wasn't even invited to be a CE, my name just showed up on the masthead. This happened after about four years of writing two or three articles a year. No retainer, no specific number of articles, but the editors go to the CEs first when they assign stories. My per-word rate also has doubled, but I don't know whether that's a perk or a market adjustment.

One of my past editors was CE to a magazine that paid him a retainer to produce a certain number of stories per year.

If you don't ask, you'll never know.
Village Gal Posted – 3/18/2008 5:00:41 PM | show profile
Years ago, I was a contributing editor to a music mag.
I had been freelancing for them for a while so they
listed me in the masthead. I was not on a retainer.
I just continued to freelance. Nothing changed except
for the listing, but every publication is different.
dribbledrive1 Posted – 3/18/2008 8:40:51 PM | show profile
It's all over the map. I've had magazines make me a contributing editor with a contracted number of pieces and retainer. I've had magazines just make me a contributing editor without asking and no perks came with it. I've had magazines make me a contributing editor and then never heard from them again.

It depends on the quality of the magazine. If you are talking about a magazine where the c.e. are Norman Mailer, that's a high bar.

If you've written 5 major pieces they might be willing to make you a c.e. if all you want is the title. If you want a retainer or contracted number of articles that's a different topic. In fact, that's what you should be asking about, not being a c.e. specifically.
Shelby Nameless Posted – 3/18/2008 9:34:50 PM | show profile
Thank You
Thanks so much for all of your replies so far. I wasn't sure if 5 features at one magazine was enough to approach them about becoming a CE, but now I feel a bit more confident that I might be able to get the title (even if it's only the title).

Does anyone know who ultimately makes the decision? Is it the Executive Editor and EIC jointly? Just curious.

Thanks again for the advice.

If anyone else out there has any additional advice, I'd love to read it...
reporterwriter Posted – 3/18/2008 10:11:22 PM | show profile
In my case, it was the publisher.
snappiness Posted – 3/18/2008 11:03:02 PM | show profile
As posted here, it varies widely. One magazine put me on the masthead because I was doing a monthly column. Another put me on after I went under contract to them. Another put me on because I was on staff, then left to freelance. In my experience, both as a freelancer and as former magazine editor, is that to go on the masthead means you have some kind of regular gig there, either by contract or just an agreement. If not a contract, it's usually a former staffer who leaves and agrees to keep writing stuff for the magazine. So I would approach it more as, "I'd like to keep writing for you guys regularly, do you offer contracts?"
seeattleme Posted – 3/18/2008 11:33:13 PM | show profile
I also thought it was generally understood that if you are a contributing editor you cannot write for sompeting pubs, and /or if you do you have to run the idea by editors with your CE base first.
seeattleme Posted – 3/18/2008 11:34:04 PM | show profile
that's "competing pubs" not sompeting pubs. My keybord has crumbs in it.
snuffleupagus Posted – 3/19/2008 9:50:21 AM | show profile
After writing four features for a mag over one year, I approached them about putting me on the masthead as a correspondent. I get a retainer and am supposed to give them right of first refusal for any pitches they would be interested in. It's also helpful when I'm exploring potential stories to say, "I'm a correspondent for so-and-so" even if I decide to pitch the story elsewhere. They also send me story ideas all the time now.
krisiszhanra Posted – 3/28/2008 8:26:56 PM | show profile
I just had a quasi-competing mag tell me I could no longer write for them because my name appeared on the masthead as a contributing editor, even though my subject matter is quite different for each magazine. I'm looking into extra perks from the first mag, and may opt to be dropped from the masthead if it doesn't pan out.

Can anyone answer if being on the masthead gives benefits? If you've never been on one before?
dribbledrive1 Posted – 3/28/2008 10:00:55 PM | show profile
Generally, no. Sometimes a c.e. title can be useful in marketing yourself elsewhere, but I've never seen any benefit from being in a masthead.

--
Can anyone answer if being on the masthead gives benefits? If you've never been on one before?--
snappiness Posted – 3/31/2008 6:26:01 PM | show profile
masthead benefits
Oh gosh yes, being on the masthead has benefits. It gives me "platform" when I write elsewhere -- for example, I write a lot on a specific topic. When I've written on that topic for general magazines (like women's magazines), they love that one-line bio at the end saying, "Snappiness is contributing editor to Big Expert Magazine."

Also, it gives me platform for book proposals. I've published several books, and publishers like to see that you are a regular at one or two publications in the field.

It also gives me instant credibility with other editors. When I pitch, I always say I'm a contributor to X magazine. That instantly tells them I'm an industry insider, with a regular gig at a national publication that trusts me.

And I get pitched, which may not sound that important, but I'm always looking for stories and it does make my job a little easier when I'm getting pitches from PR people and industry people. I get to learn about new trends and things early on.

Last, it makes the process at that publication tons easier. The editors at the magazine take my calls. They call me first with ideas. They share their sources. No hassles on pay or expenses.

I'm sure it has something to do with the publication as well. I was a Contributing Editor at one publication, but it didn't do much for me b/se it didn't have much reach or a very big budget. The other one does.
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