Three apartments and two clients ago, I took on the job of Editor for a private label, digital lifestyle magazine aimed at mainstream consumers. I led the project from ‘we want to make a magazine’ until it went to print. The two issues I oversaw were given away to nearly one million readers through Best Buy locations across the US.
I found a number of great resources from a content creation perspective, but very little in terms of how to schedule production. This was particularly challenging since as a group, we weren’t aware of all the steps involved until the first issue was put to bed.
One of my current clients is interested in creating their own magazine which led to a discussion about scheduling. I remember how infuriating it was on this previous project to think we were sailing, only to find out that we had left out a crucial step that set us back days or weeks.
If you are facing or contemplating a similar project, here are some tools to help you develop an accurate schedule for private label magazine production. A description of the files is followed by a .pdf download.
1. Initial design / layout schedule
Before you have something tangible to show (the first issue), the client has to make sure that internal decision makers, partners and possibly a distribution partner are on board and understand their responsibilities. You might be able to picture the final product, but not everyone has your skills and pizazz. A visual representation of the magazine will be required, and this five week schedule will walk you through the steps to create the magazine’s logo, look and feel, and department templates.
2. Production / workback schedule
Get ready for more sign-offs, legal concerns and partner reviews than you can shake a stick at. If you’ve spent most of your time working on brochures and ads, it will surprise you too.
The included workback schedule follows a four month production window and incorporates various due dates for ads, legal reviews, editorial content and design proofs. As in the sample, be sure to indicate any observed holidays or big industry events. It sounds ridiculous, but it helps protect the project by allowing you to schedule sign-offs and reviews for weeks where the entire team of Directors is not on a hush-hush junket in Istanbul. Trust me.
3. Pagination
The pagination sheets determine which articles, ads and departments go where. It is an essential resource for the design team, and also helps you control the flow of content for readers. Don’t take anything for granted with these sheets; replace the generic ‘ad’ categories and department titles with actual names as soon as you can. It will reduce the chance of overlap between pages and keep the process transparent, which becomes more important as production gets closer to print.
4. Final Thoughts
These schedules were created with an enterprise-level client in mind. If you plan to work on a smaller scale or don’t plan to include partner ads, many of these steps can be streamlined or deleted. The real issue for the writer/editor is to adapt your thinking away from getting a sign-off and moving on to understanding how many parties are involved with the piece you are going to create. Once you can get your head around that and find a schedule that all parties are willing to abide by, you are going to help make production a less painful experience for all involved. Especially you.
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