Jump to content


Want to Edit a Fish Magazine?


11 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_drewish_*

Guest_drewish_*
  • Guests

Posted 30 June 2007 - 09:53 PM

Christopher Scharpf
ichthos@comcast.net

When the Fall (Nov.) 2008 issue of American Currents rolls off the press in
a year and a half, it will be my last issue as editor. Yes, after 11 years,
44 issues and over 1900 pages of content, my tenure as AC editor will come
to a close.

When I took on American Currents in November 1997, I was single, childless
and better able to function with little or no sleep. In addition to my 50-
to 60-hour-a-week job, AC was my #1 priority. Then I got married and my wife
became another #1 priority. Then I had a kid -- #1 priority #4. Sure enough,
trying to be a good dad and a good husband and a good employee and a good
editor at the same time began to take its toll. Slowly, and begrudgingly, I
faced the reality that I was spreading myself too thin. And so, earlier this
year, I announced to NANFA's Board of Directors of my decision to "retire"
at the end of 2008.

I hope that by giving two years' notice there is sufficient time to find my
replacement.

So, anybody want to edit a fish magazine?

Here's some advice to potential AC editor candidates:

First of all, don't feel obligated to model your AC after this one. American
Currents has undergone editor changes in the past, and every time the
publication has been "reborn." Rebirth is necessary to keep any publication
from getting creaky and stale. Reduce the number of pages if you want to.
Make them smaller. Want less of that boring taxonomic stuff Scharpf is
always writing about? Then make it so.

Do you think AC is ready to transition from paper to online? It's the way
many publications (and readers) are going. Then make a case for it and make
it so. Just keep in mind that not all NANFA members are computer savvy. And
that many old fuddy duds, me being one of them, still prefer paper, not
pixels, for their reading material.

Don't worry if you're not a native fish expert. When I started on AC I
didn't know the difference between a Yellow Perch and a Pirate Perch. I
learned by editing the manuscripts of people much more knowledgeable than
myself. And I learned from scanning the scientific literature for potential
Riffles items. Speaking of scanning ...

Keep an eye on the Web for potential articles to reprint. Native
fish-related items often appear in specialized publications and Web sites.
Authors (and their publishers) are often willing to share material if proper
credit is given. A decade on the job and Išve never been refused a request.

Recruit reliable proofreaders and hug them daily! Susan Binkley, Rob
Denkhaus and Bruce Lilyea have saved me from major embarrassments hundreds
of times. A lot of the credit for AC's "professional" quality belongs to
them.

If you don't have any desktop publishing software (e.g., Quark, PhotoShop),
NANFA will likely (and gladly) supply it. Excellent results can also be had
with Word and other word processing programs. Whatever software you use,
keep in mind that American Currents isn't about great typography and design.
It's about great content. Which brings me too ...

American Currents is a breeze to edit when you have great submissions. In my
10 years on the job that has never been a problem. So I encourage all NANFA
members and frequent AC contributors to make the next editoršs job easy and
keep the articles coming!

So, if you're at all interested in taking over this venerable and
one-of-a-kind publication -- if you'd like to at least explore the
possibility -- then give me a holler. I can provide a lot more detail than I
have room for here.

Thanks for the privilege of serving you these many years. Editing American
Currents has been both an honor and a joy. I trust its next editor will feel
the same.

#2 Guest_fuzzyletters_*

Guest_fuzzyletters_*
  • Guests

Posted 02 July 2007 - 03:06 AM

Out of curiosity, what kind of experience do you need to do this?

#3 Guest_AC-Editor_*

Guest_AC-Editor_*
  • Guests

Posted 02 July 2007 - 07:50 PM

Out of curiosity, what kind of experience do you need to do this?


Here's a list, in no particular order, of what I do for each issue:

* Edit manuscripts. Requires editing and grammar skills, and, on occasion, the ability to transform poorly written prose into better, clearer prose. (Another aspect of editing for AC is purely technical, i.e., making sure proper scientific names are used, making sure they are spelled correctly, and making sure -- to the best of my ability -- that everything in the manuscript is true and accurate.)

* Solicit manuscripts. This includes bugging members to write collecting and breeding reports, and asking professionals to write less-technical, more-popular accounts of their research. This requires keeping your fingers on the pulse of the membership and the North American ichthyological community at large.

* Looking for previously published (but probably little-known) articles that could be reprinted in AC, and writing the author (and sometimes publisher) for permission to reproduce.

* Collecting, cleaning up and resizing artwork (I use an old version of PhotoShop). Sometimes the authors submit artwork. Sometimes I go looking for artwork on the Web, or beg others (such as Joe Tomelleri) to allow me to publish artwork they've already created. When collecting artwork, I must consider whether it will look good in the final printed piece (e.g., is the image too light, too dark, to low-res)?

* I write all the Riffles items. This involves following everything that's happening in the ichthyological, fisheries, fishkeeping and aquatic conservation communities -- journals, web sites, magazines, newspapers, Fish & Wildlife decisions, state fish & game decisions, conventions, symposia, Ph.D. dissertations, etc. Which items are most interesting to NANFA members? Which items are the most important for NANFA members to know about?

* I write all the NANFA News items, too. This involves knowing nearly everybody in the organization and what they're doing. Since I am also a Board director and membership coordinator, it's easy for me to know what's going on. Reading the NANFA Forum and e-mail list is also essential for NANFA News.

* Try to make sure that each issue has a balance of articles -- aquarium, conservation, scientific, some beginner stuff, some advanced, etc. NANFA has a heterogenous membership -- academics, fish & game biologists, advanced and beginning hobbyists, environmentalists, and so on. I try to make sure that each issue has something for everyone.

* Typeset everything. For this I use an old version of Quark (a very expensive but very sophisticated piece of software). Other desktop publishing programs are available, and cheaper. InDesign, for example, is getting good reviews, and is bundled with PhotoShop.

* Try to assemble all the pieces into an aesthetically pleasing whole. If an article runs too short to fill a page, I look for ways to fill the space. If it runs a little to long, I find ways to squeeze in the text, or I edit the text to make it shorter.

* Make PDFs of the pages and send to proofreaders. I proofread it also. (Lots of errors occur in the typesetting phase.)

* Prepare proofread pages for publication (making a high-res PDF and FTPing it to the printer). Reviewing the galley to make sure the fonts are working, that photos and colors are reproducing well, and giving it a final proofread. Make corrections and a revised high-res PDF, if necessary. Tell the printer how many copies to print and where to mail them.

How long does this take me per issue? I have no idea. I've never clocked it. Granted, my English and graphic design background probably means I spend more time on the edit and layout than someone not schooled or experienced in these areas. Sometimes I can spend several hours making a 5-page article fit onto 4 pages because I want to squeeze something else into an issue!

What I can say for certain is: You can't do it all at once. I work on AC constantly, a little here, a little there, until I've filled 40 pages. As soon as I finish one issue, I move on to the next. People ask me, "What's the deadline?" I answer, "There are no deadlines. Get your stuff to me as soon as you can. If I don't get to it this issue, then I'll get to it next issue."

That's how I do it. But it's not the only way to do it.

Sound like fun?

Chris

#4 Guest_fuzzyletters_*

Guest_fuzzyletters_*
  • Guests

Posted 03 July 2007 - 03:58 PM

Sound like fun?


Yes, actually, but I'm way too young and inexperienced to do it. Good luck finding somebody; the magazine looks beautiful. You may have made a subscriber out of me. :)

#5 Guest_Skipjack_*

Guest_Skipjack_*
  • Guests

Posted 03 July 2007 - 09:33 PM

Yes, actually, but I'm way too young and inexperienced to do it. Good luck finding somebody; the magazine looks beautiful. You may have made a subscriber out of me. :)


It is easy to subscribe, just join NANFA.
The forum is free, but forum members who like what we do should really consider becoming NANFA members. You will be supporting the organization, contributing to the upkeep of this forum, and you will receive "American Currents".

Sorry to derail.

#6 Guest_Mysteryman_*

Guest_Mysteryman_*
  • Guests

Posted 16 July 2007 - 01:37 PM

Whoops, that reminds me; I have to renew my membership.
As for the editor job, I just might be crazy enough to try it. Maybe. I've done something similar, and while it wasn't wholly unpleasant, it did take a lot of my time.

#7 Guest_ashtonmj_*

Guest_ashtonmj_*
  • Guests

Posted 05 August 2007 - 03:02 PM

Has any thought been given to multiple editors by article/topic/section? If that was the case, my interest would peak.

#8 Guest_dsmith73_*

Guest_dsmith73_*
  • Guests

Posted 05 August 2007 - 03:58 PM

Jim Clark, formerly of the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, now at the Shedd, has volunteered to take this on. I am certain that Chris is going to continue to work with him until he gets the hang of it, but they are both going to need all of our help. Anyone that has any interest in this, please keep the articles and other items of interest flowing to Chris, and then Jim when the time comes.

#9 Guest_Mysteryman_*

Guest_Mysteryman_*
  • Guests

Posted 06 August 2007 - 07:57 AM

Ah, so that's why Riverbanks suddenly has a position open for Senior Aquarist, eh?

#10 Guest_dsmith73_*

Guest_dsmith73_*
  • Guests

Posted 06 August 2007 - 08:05 AM

Actually, Jim left for Chicago three or so years ago. The new position is to replace one of the girls that replaced him. Thinking about applying?

#11 Guest_Mysteryman_*

Guest_Mysteryman_*
  • Guests

Posted 08 August 2007 - 08:02 PM

Maybe. I've applied there a couple of times already, but they keep saying that they don't have/can't find/must have lost my resume. I do need to get back into the aquarium business.

#12 Guest_jdclarksc_*

Guest_jdclarksc_*
  • Guests

Posted 09 August 2007 - 11:14 AM

Maybe. I've applied there a couple of times already, but they keep saying that they don't have/can't find/must have lost my resume. I do need to get back into the aquarium business.

The position is actually to replace Jen's position now that she has been moved up to Aquarium Supervisor. Just follow their procedures at http://www.riverbank...team/jobs.shtml
It is always a good idea to contact the HR department in an appropriate amount of time after the fax or letter as these jobs usually yield several dozen candidates at a time, especially when they have several positions open. Worse comes to worse spend a couple of bucks and send it in certified and get a signature that they got it.



Reply to this topic



  


0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users