Interview with an Editor - Blue

Blue is the new (-ish) magazine for the Egyptian Chamber of Diving and Watersports. I met the editor, Charlotte Boan, while on an assignment for DIVER magazine last year (to watch the new CDWS inspectors at work - a fly on the wall piece). After a few beers I agreed to pen a few articles for the magazine, and as this venture was new I agreed to do this for free. Even after a decade in the business I still recognise the need to help out colleagues who may one day be in a position to return the favour. You can read the BLUE version of the article about the inspectors here: Download Blue Issue 2

Charlotte really knows her stuff having worked for several years at DIVE magazine in the UK. I'm really grateful to Charlotte for providing some top tips for aspiring photojournalists, it's all common sense stuff, but then again, as the saying goes, "is there a reason why common sense isn't that common?"

Thanks Charlotte for contributing and adding your eight top tips to Brendiver's World.

Keep Writing.....

Brendan 

 

 

When you are running to strict deadlines and have little time to chase people, you want an excellent team of contributors who will not let you down.

There are essentially eight things I am looking for in a contributor:

Knowledge: for a niche market, excellent knowledge in the subject is essential. I am putting together a magazine for divers and I need a good team of contributors who can tell my readers something new from a point of authority.

Good writing skills: this goes without saying. However, I am not looking for the next Shakespeare. The copy needs to have a good angle. The information has to be constructed in such a way to be clear, entertaining and engaging. Tone is vital. I don’t want to patronise the readers and I don’t want them to think the writer does not know what they are talking about. This destroys the credibility of the magazine.

Awareness of the publication and the readership: If you show no awareness of the publication, any conversation with an editor will swiftly come to an end. Read the publication, get a feel for the tone and how your work fits in to this. You always have to write with your readership in mind. I think this is where many fall down. A good tip is to imagine a typical reader sitting in front of you. Always write for them.

Good ideas: editors of diving magazines are constantly bombarded with phone calls and emails from people who want to write about somewhere they’ve just been on holiday. These guys are usually very enthusiastic, however, they just want to write a simple holiday piece and are not coming to me with a story about the place they’ve just been. Often they give the impression of having very little experience of other parts of the world, so they are not going to be of much value. Editors want good stories, with strong angles. Tell us something we don’t know that is fascinating about a place or the people there. Give us an idea for an article that will get our readers talking down the pub.

Writing to brief: Listen carefully to the brief and write to this. Talk to the editor. I don’t work with contributors who do not accept any changes to be made to their copy. Copy has to fit to space and magazine style – we need to edit.

Writing to length: We have to allocate space for each and every article. We don’t want to fall short on words or have too many to cut. Stay as close as you can to the word count.

Reliability: Deliver copy when promised. I’ve had many contributors in the past who I have had to drop because they are just not reliable enough. Too much time is spent chasing. Deadlines have to be met. 

Available: Chances are there will be questions from sub editors about your copy. Be available and don’t take offence. They just need to make the copy clear for readers and fit it with the tone of the magazine – subs hack at everyone’s work, so it’s not personal.