E is for Editor
An editor at a magazine may do many things: review and respond to queries and submissions, manage a budget, manage freelancers, edit articles, schedule and attend photo shoots, attend trade shows, post on the magazine's Facebook page, talk to advertisers, judge contests run by the magazine, respond to customers, brainstorm, proofread, write blog posts, attend staff meetings, tweet, and work with a host of internal departments such as art, production, circulation, and marketing. And that is on a slow week.
A contributing editor writes articles; it's a fancy title for an established freelancer. She might write a regular department or column or a certain number of articles. Or maybe she's a celebrity that gives the publication a certain cachet by having her name listed. Even though she has the word "editor" in her title, she usually doesn't do any editing at all.
So how do you get this position? Here's how I got mine: I was doing some freelance work for several months while an editor was on leave. One of the other editors asked how I'd like my bio listed for a couple of pieces I wrote. I suggested that they list me as a contributing editor in the masthead. She talked to her boss (the editorial director) and then said yes. From listening to some of my writer friends, this is fairly common. I've never heard of someone applying for a contributing editor position at a print magazine with a formal job application, although I have seen that with online publications, especially new ones.
More Editorial Job Titles
- Authors, Writers, and Editors from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Editorial Staff Members from Freelance Writers at About.com
- How to Figure Out Which Editor to Query from The Renegade Writer
- Types of Editors from Wikipedia