Understanding the media industries – magazine industry job roles and vacancies
The three job roles with in the magazine industry that I am going to look at and go into detail about what is need for that particular role are:1) Press Photographer2) Press Publisher3) Press Sub editorPress Photographer
Press Photography
Requires a combination of intuition, creativity and technical skills. Typical activities include:Working closely with other people concerned with the story, e.g. journalists and picture editors, in agreeing the photographic requirements for the article;Explaining technical photographic terminology to non-photographers;Handling relevant administrative arrangements, such as timing, press passes, transport and access;Finding a suitable viewpoint from which to take photographs;Photographing events or personalities, noting details for photographic captions;Ensuring that all pictures are appropriate, processed, catalogued and ready in time to meet deadlines;Preparing and sending digital photographs for newspaper publication to deadline;Maintaining up-to-date knowledge about current news stories and any specialist areas;Sourcing freelance photographers for a job or sourcing existing photographs if pushed to meet a deadline;Arranging lighting and other requirements for magazine studio shots;Maintaining photographic and electronic communications equipment.For freelance work, additional activities include:Researching and anticipating relevant events;Negotiating the sale of specific shots;Handling all business activities, establishing, and maintaining contacts.
Salary and conditions
Range of typical starting salaries: £12,000 - £15,000 (for weekly papers); £17,000 - £20,000 (for regional papers) (salary data collected Aug 08).Range of typical salaries for very experienced photographers: £25,000 - £30,000 (for regional papers); £45,000 - £75,000 (for national papers) (salary data collected Aug 08).Many photographers start on a weekly paper and with experience move on to regional and national papers. The salary reflects the size of circulation of the paper and the experience and reputation of the photographer. Scotland and London pay higher rates.Most newspapers have a small core of staff photographers including senior photographers and a picture editor. Agencies and many newspapers also use regular contract freelancers, on a good daily rate of pay and with guaranteed work. The bulk of press images, however, come from freelancers with regional or specialist knowledge or from agencies whose daily rates vary from around £75 to £180.With the rise in the use of readers' pictures and competition to secure freelance work, freelance rates on offer can be very low. Negotiating a reasonable fee is complex and new entrants are advised to join the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), which offers guidance on rates and contracts on the NUJ Freelance Fees Guide website.Good-quality magazines may offer higher rates. Experienced photographers may earn a flat fee of up to £600 when commissioned to cover a specific event. Advertising work is generally better paid.When calculating fees remember to take into account overheads for equipment, which can be up to £100 per day.Working hours typically include regular unsocial hours including evenings and weekends. Sports photographers, for example, are required to attend evening and weekend fixtures, although time off in lieu is generally given.78% of photographers are male, but this changes among the under 35s where 52% are female. This is reflected in the rest of the audiovisual industry, where women have been entering in growing numbers in recent years (Skillset 08). Some areas of press photography, e.g. war and sports photography, are particularly male-dominated.Work is quite widely available in most cities and large towns where newspapers are produced. Detailed geographical knowledge is very useful to local photographers for finding the best viewpoint.Jobs may occur anywhere and at any time, so you have to be constantly available.Work may be stressful if you are recording an accident or people's emotions and may involve ethical decisions related to intrusion into private lives, and the possible consequences of the publication of photographs.Photographers may experience objections to their photography and, occasionally, be required to deal with conflict.Physical mobility and lifting ability are required to attend the scene and carry photographic equipment.A driving license is essential, as travel within a working day is frequent. Absence from home overnight may be required and overseas work or travel is occasionally needed.
Qualifications
Although this area of work is open to all graduates, a degree in the following subjects may increase your chances:Art and Design;Digital imaging;Graphics;Media studies;Photography. Film/video/television;It is possible to become a press photographer without a degree/HND or foundation degree and with no formal qualifications in photography. However, if you are undecided as to your direction, taking a course will give you the chance to develop your own creative style while exploring different aspects of photography. Skillset (Sector Skills Council for the Audio Visual Industries) has a full listing of all universities and colleges offering photo-imaging courses in the UK, including courses accredited by the Association of Photographers (AOP) and the British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP).For candidates looking to go directly into press photography, a pre-entry qualification is not essential but can be advantageous, as it gives formal training and demonstrates motivation for the work. National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) runs a one-year, pre-entry course in photo-journalism/press photography at Sheffield College, which provides intensive practical and theoretical training, including a range of work placements. Qualities sought for acceptance on the course include energy, drive, commitment, single-mindedness, personality and an enquiring mind, which can look at the obvious and see something different - or better - by way of a news 'line' and picture. This is currently the only pre-entry course available directly aimed at preparing people for a job in press photography and is widely recognized within the industry. Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education hopes to launch a two-year foundation degree dedicated to press photography in September 2008.Pre-entry experience is desirable and developing the necessary technical skills and portfolio before approaching picture editors is essential. Start by getting photographs published in local newspapers on a freelance basis. Freelance work may be followed by commissioned pieces or paid shifts. Work experience on a local paper is advisable as it can offer the opportunity of work shadowing and developing informal contacts.When applying for work, you will need to show evidence of:Initiative (to react quickly to situations);The ability to convey information;Awareness of the positions taken by the publication you are applying to;Creativity and an eye for a picture;Assertiveness with courtesy;The ability to work under pressure and to meet tight publication deadlines;Excellent technical skills, using digital and non-digital cameras and industry standard software such as Photoshop.Competition is fierce with lots of freelance photographers competing in the market place. It is a good idea to send some of your best pictures speculatively to picture editors and photo agencies, tailoring your selection to their style, and follow this up with a phone call. It can also pay to develop a particular specialism, such as sport.The AOP holds a free, monthly careers talk in London, which takes the form of a question and answer session with a professional practicing photographer. Check to see when press photographers will be involved and take your portfolio for advice and feedback.It is illegal for employers to discriminate against candidates on the grounds of gender, age, race, disability, sexual orientation or religious faith. For more information on equality and diversity in the job market, see Handling Discrimination.
Press Publisher
Publishing copy-editors and proofreaders ensure that texts due for publication are well written, grammatically correct and accessible. They work on a range of publications, including books, journals, newspapers and IT-based resources.Depending upon the project, the employer and their own specialist experience, copy-editors/proofreaders may be required to correct basic spelling, typographical and grammatical errors (proofreading), or check facts and style consistency and undertake significant rewriting (copy-editing). Many perform both functions in tandem.Increasingly, copy-editors and proofreaders are employed on a freelance basis by publishing companies. It is not uncommon for them to work for a number of employers at the same time.Typical work activitiesDepending upon your experience and your employer, activities may include:Working with IT-based publishing systems and databases, but also from paper manuscripts, disks or via the internet;Liaising regularly with authors and publishers by phone and email;Checking that authors have provided all the required materials and paperwork;Resolving queries directly with the author, e.g. style and text inconsistencies;Correcting spelling mistakes and grammatical errors;Coding manuscripts for design features, such as hierarchy of headings, to instruct the production team;Creating artwork briefs to detail the content of illustrations;Ensuring that illustrations are correctly captioned and correctly referred to in the text;Producing or working to a style checklist to ensure consistency in hyphenation, Capitalization formatting of references, etc.;Sub-editing text written by a number of authors to ensure consistent house style;Maintaining awareness of new words or phrases coming into popular usage with a view to ensuring they are appropriate for the readership;Discussing and resolving any potentially libelous sections with the commissioning editor and author;Retrieving articles from archives and rearranging within publications;Preparing preliminary pages for the title, contents and preface of a publication;Overseeing the work of indexers, typesetters and designers;(Increasingly for freelancers) typesetting and designing layout;Ensuring that publications are prepared on budget and to schedule;Managing your own marketing and business activities, if you are self-employed.
Salary and conditions
Salaries vary widely according to the nature of the work and the employer. Larger corporate publishers generally pay higher rates than traditional publishers.Typically, hourly rates are from around £23 (copy-editor) and £20 (proofreader) to £30+. In-house salaries start from around £18,000 rising to £30,000+ for experienced specialist copy-editors (salary data collected Sep 07).Rates for the project management of the entire process of editing first manuscripts through to production are usually much higher than for copy-editing.Some employers pay a flat rate per piece of work.Working hours vary. Freelancers enjoy greater flexibility, as long as you meet agreed deadlines, although night-time work may be required if dealing with overseas clients. Copy-editors based in-house generally work normal office hours but sometimes longer hours in busier periods and, because your input is often the last stage before production, you may be required to work to very tight deadlines.Publishers are based in towns and cities throughout the UK, though there are higher numbers in London and the South East. Proximity to the geographic location of publishers is not always relevant. If you are freelance, you can receive work from all over the UK and overseas.Getting freelance work can be challenging, particularly at the start of your career. Freelancers who progress from working in-house for publishers to independent working may find the transition easier, having built up useful contacts and gained support from more experienced colleagues.Working from home on a freelance basis in a job where most contact with others is by phone or email can lead to an element of personal isolation. Some freelancers work in co-operatives or for agencies to increase their personal support network. That said, there are benefits to be gained from working from home, e.g. the high level of control over your environment and greater flexibility in working hours.Absences from home overnight and overseas work or travel are rare.
Qualifications
Although this area of work is open to all graduates, a degree in the following subjects may increase your chances:Publishing/publishing studies;Media/electronic media.Graduates with a technical or science-based degree may find it easier to obtain freelance work for specialist publishers and society journals, particularly in the early stages of their career.Entry with an HND or foundation degree only is unlikely, unless you can demonstrate an aptitude for the work and/or some highly relevant experience.A relevant postgraduate qualification in publishing can increase your chances. There is a wide range of publishing qualifications available and it is important to choose one that is relevant to your interests and career plans. Full details are available through the Publishers Association (PA) website.Pre-entry experience is advisable, preferably within a publishing environment, although gaining this type of experience in an editorial role may be more difficult.Candidates will need to show evidence of the following:A thorough knowledge of English language (or whatever is the language of the publication);A methodical working style;Concentration, accuracy and great attention to detail;The ability to work on several tasks at any one time;Tact and diplomacy for negotiating changes with authors;Self-motivation;IT skills;The ability to manage the additional aspects of working on a self-employed basis, such as tax, marketing and cash flow.Try to find work on university magazines or publications or spend some time working in a bookshop or library. Think of creative ways to gain the relevant experience of editing and proofreading as early on as possible. .Graduates hoping to enter this career may find it difficult to gain an in-house role immediately. An alternative entry route could be to start as an editorial assistant and to get involved in proofreading and working on editing texts, in order to progress to copy-editing after one or two years.To begin with, identify smaller and perhaps less well-known publishers who may be more likely or able to offer you work. As well as helping you develop links and a positive working relationship with your employer, this will furnish you with a strong portfolio when making applications to larger companies later on.Generally, the way to get freelance work is by sending a CV and speculative application directly to potential employers and by making and maintaining contacts in the industry. See listings in appropriate directories, such as that published by The Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP) , for details of contacts. Attend trade fairs, read trade publications and get to know the key players in the field. Also, try to focus on a particular specialist area as this will help you to identify companies and publishers to target.It is also advisable to get involved with relevant professional bodies such as the SfEP and Women in Publishing .
Press Sub editor
The sub editor is responsible for ensuring the tone, style and layout of the final copy, matches the criteria of the publications house style and whether or not it suits the targeted market. The work involves processing all the copy before it is published to ensure that it is grammatically and factually correct and reads well. Sub-editors also lay out the story on the page, write headings and may be involved with overall page design.Like other journalism roles, sub-editing is demanding and requires constant attention to detail within a fast-paced working environment.Typical work activitiesWork activities vary and can depend on the extent to which production and layout work falls within a sub-editor's remit. To be a good sub, you must be an all-rounder: you need to know the law, government and how to put a story together with speed and style. Tasks typically involve:Editing copy, written by reporters or features writers, to remove spelling mistakes and grammatical errors;Rewriting material so that it flows or reads better and adheres to the house style of a particular publication;Ensuring that a story fits a particular word count by cutting or expanding material as necessary;Writing headlines that capture the essence of the story or are clever or amusing;Writing stand firsts or 'sells' (brief introductions which sum up the story, underneath the headline);Liaising with reporters or journalists to clarify facts and details about a storyChecking facts and stories to ensure they are accurate, adhere to copyright laws, are not libelous or go against the publication's policy;Cropping photos and deciding where to use them for best effect;Writing picture captions;Discussing concerns with editors;Proofreading complete pages produced by other sub-editors using the main basic proofing symbols;Working to a page plan to ensure that the right stories appear in the correct place on each page;Laying out pages and, depending on the nature of the role, playing a part in page design;Manipulating on-screen copy using appropriate desktop publishing software, such as Quark Express, InDesign and Photoshop;Adding last minute news stories;Keeping up to date with sector issues, e.g. by reading related publications;Adapting all these skills for a publication's website;Editing press releases or reports;Compiling routine information, such as tables of sports results or financial data.
Salary and conditions
Journalists do not enter the profession for money. Starting salaries for sub-editors range from £17,000 to £20,000 on a local paper or small magazine and £20,000 to £23,000 for a larger regional or national paper (salary data collected May 09). Salaries can, however, be lower than this, simply because journalism is such a popular field and this can drive entry pay down. Salaries for experienced or more senior sub-editors can range from £25,000 to £50,000, again depending on the publication concerned. A production editor or chief sub-editor for a national newspaper could earn £60,000 (salary data collected May 09).Sub-editors need to be flexible - working late to meet deadlines is a necessary part of the job. Sub-editors working for national dailies may have to work unsocial hours and some early or late shifts, with hours varying according to workload. Depending on whether you are working for a daily, weekly or monthly title, work cycles build up to a frenetic peak just before the paper is due to go to print.The work is desk-based, but can include visits to meetings, launches and other events.On smaller publications, there is a fair degree of flexibility and variety of work, as fewer people have to cover the full range of responsibilities. More specialized, narrower roles – e.g., features sub-editor, news sub-editor - are likely with a larger paper or magazine. However, many sub-editors find that work activities are quite fluid and there are opportunities to become involved in writing, design and production.The work environment can be competitive and stressful, with high levels of pressure as deadlines approach. Despite this, job satisfaction is often high because results of your work are readily visible.Freelance work is an option for sub-editors with some experience. This can offer increased flexibility, broader experience and the chance to earn a higher salary.Sub-editing can offer a route into other areas of journalism and publishing, though it is more often something people move into after gaining experience as a reporter.Travel within a working day is occasional. Overseas work or travel is uncommon.
Qualifications
This is an area of work where maturity is often appreciated. Commonly, people move into sub-editing roles having first gained experience as a reporter.A degree is not a formal requirement, but it can be difficult to get into the profession without a relevant degree or postgraduate course and/or a vocational qualification. Graduates from a wide range of backgrounds can gain entry on to training courses, but relevant degree subjects include:English;Journalism;Media studies.However, any degree that develops excellent written communication skills and analytical skills will be an advantage. For later career development, for example on a specialist magazine, your degree subject may be relevant: a science or engineering subject for a technical journal; politics, history or economics for a current affairs magazine or newspapers,
