For the subway-riding, cocktail-drinking among us, it can be tough to remember that magazine journalism exists—and thrives—outside of New York City. But it does and, as it turns out, there are lots of advantages to magazine life outside of the Big Apple. Ed’s recent survey reveals how the other half lives.
So where do the survey-takers live? Most hail from sunny California, while Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey round out the other popular home bases of respondents. About 60 percent of the survey-takers work for regional or national consumer mags, while 15 percent work for websites, 14 percent work for trade mags, and 9 percent work for newspapers. The major difference between these staffs and NYC magazine staffs: More than half of the respondents’ offices have less than 20 people in it!
But some things, like not getting paid a ton (see Ed’s salary survey revealed: http://www.ed2010.com/2007/11/ed-s-salary-survey-revealed), stay the same across state borders. The majority of you are working for under 20K, while 28 percent are making 31-40K, and a measly 3% making over 61K. But if you’re thinking of making your magazine career outside of New York, don’t despair. Most survey-takers are recent graduates or still in college, which could account for the low salaries.
Still, a whopping 74 percent of respondents have considered relocating to New York, while nearly 10 percent of you have previously worked there. Their reasons for working outside of the Big Apple are split between the expensive lifestyle New Yorkers lead and survey-takers’ love for their current location, but their reason for wanting to work in NYC is clear: 85 percent think there are more opportunities.
Carla Jean Whitley loves Manhattan, “You never know where your career path will lead!” she says, but feels at home only in Birmingham. The hostess and associate editor at Birmingham magazine meets monthly with Edsters for events ranging from magazine swaps to happy hours.
“Birmingham is a large enough city that we attract many of the bands I want to see, plenty of theater, and enough nightlife to keep most people happy. But we’re small enough that you’ll quickly find that you have a friend in common with nearly everyone you meet,” Whitley says.
Courtney McClellan, assistant editor of the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, restarted the idle Boston chapter last November and they’ve already had three happy hours (including one last week!). “The publishing world here is small, so it’s easy to be linked to others in the field by just one mutual friend or co-worker,” she says. More reasons McClellan loves Boston: “It may not have all the glossies that New York publishes, but if the goal is to get experience, then this city has a lot to offer, especially from university publications and academic journals.”
Suzanne Kayes Oliver, Atlanta hostess and Senior Editor of Atlanta Magazine’s HOME, Suzanne Kayes Oliver, feels similarly about her town. “[Since it’s small], you see a lot of the same faces, which is great for networking.”
Are you working in mags outside of New York? Ed is proud to have 18 active city chapters, ranging from Austin to Portland to Toronto, so get connected with your neighbors! If you’re interested in becoming a city chapter host, Ed’s looking for editors on staff at magazines in Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and several other cities. E-mail Emily@ed2010.com to start a chapter.
-Yelena Shuster, Ed Reporter
