Daily affirmations of a word mercenary
Columbia Publishing Course Category
Summer of 2001, at the recommendation of some guy I met at Burning Man, I attended the Columbia Publishing Course, formerly known as the Radcliffe Publishing Course. The nation’s preeminant book and magazine publishing program, CPC is part of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.
Now, before you go getting all excited, lemme say this: CPC didn’t help me find a job. Not even one interview. The economy was pretty bad summer of 2001, and that was BEFORE 9/11. That said, I had some interesting experiences, met some amazing people, and learned a lot about what I wanted to do with my career … which is be a writer, not a magazine editor.
I put this category together because I noticed a lot of people coming to my site from Google searches for the course. I assume most of these searchers are students considering application to CPC. Below, you can read about my experience. To read it in chronological order, you’ll need to start at the bottom.
Keep in mind that I was not a traditional CPC student (several years out of college, already working for an alternative publication, and with blue dreadlocks). My experience was not necessarily the typical one. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.
Magazine Workshop
23
Jul
2001
In: Columbia Publishing Course
Week five of the Columbia Publishing Course is the magazine workshop, in which we’re grouped into teams and have to launch a mock magazine. I’m in the TEENS group, and we’ve decided to publish a youth activist lifestyle magazine, called either Ruckus (and aligned with the Ruckus Society) or Megaphone. Still working on the details.
I spoke to Ray Klein, photo editor of Lotus Magazine, last night and told him about what we were working on.
“You? Editing a youth activist magazine?” he said with mock surprise. “Boy, imagine that!”
Take Your Pic Photos from
19
Jul
2001
In: Columbia Publishing Course
Take Your Pic
Photos from this week are online. Just a few.
Burning
19
Jul
2001
In: Columbia Publishing Course
This morning we had a speaker come talk to us about magazine circulation issues. After posting a P&L (profit and loss) statement on the overhead, illustrating a magazine that seemed to be selling well but was losing lots of money, he asked us “Why would anyone stay in this business?”
Answers were offered about how subscription income hadn’t been factored into the P&L, about how agency sells weren’t shown, and the speaker nodded dubiously and said “What else? Why would ANYONE want to do this?” I raised my hand. He called on me.
“Because they have a burning desire to bring quality content to the readership,” I said.
Everyone laughed, including the speaker. “Well, a burning desire does help,” he chuckled. The class continued to titter.
“But that wasn’t supposed to be funny,” I said, more to myself than anyone else. At 26, aren’t I supposedly too old to be an idealist? Will I be forever cursed with my determined optimism?
Mull It
18
Jul
2001
In: Columbia Publishing Course
Today was perhaps the most important day of the Columbia Publishing Course for me. And I’m not sure quite what that means. I came here because Lotus Magazine inspired me, taught me that being an editor and developing those relationships with writers and readers is intoxicating. It’s satisfying. It’s soul soil for the happy heart worm. I loved it. Every day was spent thinking about those 60 writers (many of whom I still miss) and the 30,000 readers, fighting for content that best represented and served them. It was, in the words of my father, Good Work. I felt as though I was reaching, helping, teaching. It felt, well, important.
I came to the Columbia Publishing Course to find out if that importantness was a magazine thing or something else (heaven forbid it be something else–the process of elimination could take a long time). The last three weeks has been all about wading through the book half of the course to reach today. Because today we met in small groups with editors of prominent magazines (Esquire, Vanity Fair, Atlantic Monthly, etc) to discuss editorial processes. I signed up with Will Dana from Rolling Stone.
“Writers are people who can’t DO anything else,” Will explained at one point. “These are the people who, for whatever reason, can’t work 9 to 5 jobs. They just don’t fit in cubicles. They’re motivated and driven and determined to do something else.”
I had to put my head down and laugh. It’s sort of funny to hear yourself described by someone who doesn’t know you.
Later, during the panel with all seven of the amazingly impressive magazine editors (Allure, The Source, Glamour, etc), I listened intently to the excitement of working on a story with a writer, the thrill of hearing someone mention something and it turning into an article, the pride of editing work that changes people’s lives, and I wondered which side of the words I want to be on.
I still can’t decide.
Will Dana also reminded us that these days many large magazines “just become vehicles to deliver eyeballs to advertisers.” Did I love Lotus because it was a magazine, or did I love Lotus because it was a small magazine with the readership’s best interests in mind (or at least in the executive editor’s–aka MY–mind)? Please add this to my East Coast/West Coast dilemma, and get back to me if you have any thoughts.
Photo here.
Up Front
17
Jul
2001
In: Columbia Publishing Course
I have buked the alphabetical order of our seating assignments and am now seated right up front at every single CPC lecture. This puts me in the exciting position of “teacher’s pet,” which makes me laugh. L.H. likes to make loud comments during presenters’ speeches, and when you’re sitting next to her you get to hear all her little outbursts of “It’s SO true!” and “I’m not sure about THAT!”
This course is, unfortunately, much less focused on magazines than books. Books got two weeks of lectures, magazines get one. Magazines are seen as flashes in the pan, while books are perennial. While it is a bit disappointing to have my topic of choice not be THE topic of choice, it also means that I have dramatically less compitition for speakers’ attention after their presentations are over. After each book speaker thanked us and weathered our applause, they would be quickly surrounded by a semi-circle of 20 to 30 students. Magazine presenters get a group of maybe 10. That’s just fine.
I’m tired these days, still recovering from the book workshop last week. I’ve taken two naps today, and am preparing to go to sleep early tonight. But I’m in full brain whore mode, asking every speaker what they know of magazine work on the west coast, and trying to keep my hair as tidy and presentable as possible.
Houred
16
Jul
2001
In: Columbia Publishing Course
I recovered from my woozy-wobbly morning relatively well…and managed to make a grand showing down at the Geary-designed offices of Conde Nast. How chi-chi it was! How delightfully I didn’t fit in! I ate tiny expensive hors d’oeuvres, toured the Geary cafeteria, and learned (most importantly) that Wired is Conde Nast’s only SF magazine, and that Bon Appetit and Architectural Digest are their only Los Angeles mags. I pointed this out to Lindy, and tucked it in my “good things to know” brainfile.
This afternoon I phoned Donna B, the editor who had expressed interest in the Doctor Ruthless book. She told me she’d passed my promotional material on to an editor who she thought would like the idea, and then asked me “You’re SURE you’re not interested in doing book promotion in New York…?” (she had very directly asked me last Friday what my plans were, and I’d indicated that I was aiming for the west coast).
I hemmed and hawed and said no, I hadn’t ruled anything out, it was just a question of getting a job that paid enough for me to afford living in New York. She responded sympathetically. I asked her to keep me in mind if she heard of anything, however. She said she would, and told me that she thought I had a knack for publicity. I thanked her profusely and blushed.
Magazine Workshop
23 Jul 2001 In: Columbia Publishing CourseWeek five of the Columbia Publishing Course is the magazine workshop, in which we’re grouped into teams and have to launch a mock magazine. I’m in the TEENS group, and we’ve decided to publish a youth activist lifestyle magazine, called either Ruckus (and aligned with the Ruckus Society) or Megaphone. Still working on the details.
I spoke to Ray Klein, photo editor of Lotus Magazine, last night and told him about what we were working on.
“You? Editing a youth activist magazine?” he said with mock surprise. “Boy, imagine that!”
Take Your Pic Photos from
19 Jul 2001 In: Columbia Publishing CourseTake Your Pic
Photos from this week are online. Just a few.
Burning
19 Jul 2001 In: Columbia Publishing CourseThis morning we had a speaker come talk to us about magazine circulation issues. After posting a P&L (profit and loss) statement on the overhead, illustrating a magazine that seemed to be selling well but was losing lots of money, he asked us “Why would anyone stay in this business?”
Answers were offered about how subscription income hadn’t been factored into the P&L, about how agency sells weren’t shown, and the speaker nodded dubiously and said “What else? Why would ANYONE want to do this?” I raised my hand. He called on me.
“Because they have a burning desire to bring quality content to the readership,” I said.
Everyone laughed, including the speaker. “Well, a burning desire does help,” he chuckled. The class continued to titter.
“But that wasn’t supposed to be funny,” I said, more to myself than anyone else. At 26, aren’t I supposedly too old to be an idealist? Will I be forever cursed with my determined optimism?
Mull It
18 Jul 2001 In: Columbia Publishing CourseToday was perhaps the most important day of the Columbia Publishing Course for me. And I’m not sure quite what that means. I came here because Lotus Magazine inspired me, taught me that being an editor and developing those relationships with writers and readers is intoxicating. It’s satisfying. It’s soul soil for the happy heart worm. I loved it. Every day was spent thinking about those 60 writers (many of whom I still miss) and the 30,000 readers, fighting for content that best represented and served them. It was, in the words of my father, Good Work. I felt as though I was reaching, helping, teaching. It felt, well, important.
I came to the Columbia Publishing Course to find out if that importantness was a magazine thing or something else (heaven forbid it be something else–the process of elimination could take a long time). The last three weeks has been all about wading through the book half of the course to reach today. Because today we met in small groups with editors of prominent magazines (Esquire, Vanity Fair, Atlantic Monthly, etc) to discuss editorial processes. I signed up with Will Dana from Rolling Stone.
“Writers are people who can’t DO anything else,” Will explained at one point. “These are the people who, for whatever reason, can’t work 9 to 5 jobs. They just don’t fit in cubicles. They’re motivated and driven and determined to do something else.”
I had to put my head down and laugh. It’s sort of funny to hear yourself described by someone who doesn’t know you.
Later, during the panel with all seven of the amazingly impressive magazine editors (Allure, The Source, Glamour, etc), I listened intently to the excitement of working on a story with a writer, the thrill of hearing someone mention something and it turning into an article, the pride of editing work that changes people’s lives, and I wondered which side of the words I want to be on.
I still can’t decide.
Will Dana also reminded us that these days many large magazines “just become vehicles to deliver eyeballs to advertisers.” Did I love Lotus because it was a magazine, or did I love Lotus because it was a small magazine with the readership’s best interests in mind (or at least in the executive editor’s–aka MY–mind)? Please add this to my East Coast/West Coast dilemma, and get back to me if you have any thoughts.
Photo here.
Up Front
17 Jul 2001 In: Columbia Publishing CourseI have buked the alphabetical order of our seating assignments and am now seated right up front at every single CPC lecture. This puts me in the exciting position of “teacher’s pet,” which makes me laugh. L.H. likes to make loud comments during presenters’ speeches, and when you’re sitting next to her you get to hear all her little outbursts of “It’s SO true!” and “I’m not sure about THAT!”
This course is, unfortunately, much less focused on magazines than books. Books got two weeks of lectures, magazines get one. Magazines are seen as flashes in the pan, while books are perennial. While it is a bit disappointing to have my topic of choice not be THE topic of choice, it also means that I have dramatically less compitition for speakers’ attention after their presentations are over. After each book speaker thanked us and weathered our applause, they would be quickly surrounded by a semi-circle of 20 to 30 students. Magazine presenters get a group of maybe 10. That’s just fine.
I’m tired these days, still recovering from the book workshop last week. I’ve taken two naps today, and am preparing to go to sleep early tonight. But I’m in full brain whore mode, asking every speaker what they know of magazine work on the west coast, and trying to keep my hair as tidy and presentable as possible.
Houred
16 Jul 2001 In: Columbia Publishing CourseI recovered from my woozy-wobbly morning relatively well…and managed to make a grand showing down at the Geary-designed offices of Conde Nast. How chi-chi it was! How delightfully I didn’t fit in! I ate tiny expensive hors d’oeuvres, toured the Geary cafeteria, and learned (most importantly) that Wired is Conde Nast’s only SF magazine, and that Bon Appetit and Architectural Digest are their only Los Angeles mags. I pointed this out to Lindy, and tucked it in my “good things to know” brainfile.
This afternoon I phoned Donna B, the editor who had expressed interest in the Doctor Ruthless book. She told me she’d passed my promotional material on to an editor who she thought would like the idea, and then asked me “You’re SURE you’re not interested in doing book promotion in New York…?” (she had very directly asked me last Friday what my plans were, and I’d indicated that I was aiming for the west coast).
I hemmed and hawed and said no, I hadn’t ruled anything out, it was just a question of getting a job that paid enough for me to afford living in New York. She responded sympathetically. I asked her to keep me in mind if she heard of anything, however. She said she would, and told me that she thought I had a knack for publicity. I thanked her profusely and blushed.
Hey there. I'm Ariel Meadow Stallings, a native Seattleite who's written my way up and down the Left Coast. Electrolicious is where I post daily randomata, but I also write for a living. My first book, Offbeat Bride, was published last year.
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