Why should wannabe consumer magazine editors consider working at trade magazines?
I started out working on a small trade book, but I was able to take the expertise I built up in that particular field and use it to move progressively into more mainstream titles. For some people, working on a trade magazine or niche consumer title can be a very rewarding career. But I always wanted to do journalism at big magazines that have a real impact on the national dialogue. The key to getting from a small magazine to a big one is building up some specific knowledge that can be useful to the next magazine. For example, if your dream is to work at Vogue, you might look for work on small fashion or beauty trade magazines or websites. Build up some expertise, make some contacts, write some good stories, and then you’ll have a lot more to offer at a major magazine. What was your most embarrassing moment as you rose to the top? It’s probably hard for anybody to believe in our keyboard-centric world today, but I could barely type when I started out. Fortunately, nobody thought to ask
