Another assumption is that we have "cake" jobs. Well, I'll let the above be partial testimony to say that's not true. But it depends on the magazine, or more importantly, the magazine's staff. If you look at some bigger publications, you'll rarely find the actual editor's name on many, if any, editorial pieces. They have a big enough job of organizing and culminating the content of the magazine as it is. But for niche-market publications such as this, it's a whole 'nuther ballgame. Just take a look at the bylines-it's pretty much 75-percent myself and my associate, Grant Peterson. Together, we come up with the story ideas, and more often than not, follow through with each and every one ourselves. Thanks to a small but diminutive budget, I can purchase a story or two from a freelancer, but by the time everything is all said and done, we still do the majority of the edit. Along with creating the stories, we then have this rigorous routine of getting them from our often greasy hands to a Copy Editor, who then picks our Slanglish apart and turns it into the Art Director. But we're not done yet, as we still have to proof each and every single page (twice) after they've been laid out. Furthermore, the entire magazine as a whole has to be proofed by us before it gets shipped to the printer. Then, when it's finally done, we start the whole process over again...and again.
Along with the "in-office" duties, there's the other big part of the job that requires plenty of time out in the field-I'm mostly talking about the various events each year, but field time also involves going to shops, attending trade shows, and visiting manufacturers. In total, that adds up to a lot of days out of the office, but doesn't necessarily translate to "making pages." And if you think covering an event is gravy, well, let's look at a typical Goodguys show for an example: Along with the travel, we have to shoot the event. In between shooting the event, we usually have to pick a Top Ten as well. Then, there are still all the truck features we have to handle. That's one weekend you can call anything but relaxing. It's hard work, believe me. And during the summer months in a place like, oh, let's see, Des Moines, Iowa, the heat and humidity are not our friend, that's for sure.
So, maybe now you can see how this particular job can easily be a labor-intensive profession. And all the points I made are the "physical" aspects-I haven't even touched on the mental detriments associated with the role of being a magazine editor...I don't have enough space for that! Suffice it to say, though-again-I couldn't see myself doing anything different. Well, unless Coors decides to launch a nationwide taste-testing campaign and they need someone to hand out the free samples!