Journalism and Publishing
Extra, extra, read all about it! This just in: The publishing world
continues to take a beating. Print publications have suffered for years as
more and more people turn to television, radio, and the Internet as news
and information sources. Stagnating print readership has prompted
advertisers to spend their dollars with electronic outlets, leading many
newspapers and magazines to operate with pared down staff.
In some ways the publishing and journalism landscape is strangely
unchanged. A free press remains the backbone of our government. Books,
newspapers, and periodicals continue to entertain, educate, and bring us
the news we need to be informed citizens. They are an outlet for critical
thinking—informed and otherwise.
The industry is overwhelmingly centered in New York City. Mass-market book
publishing resides in a decreasing number of large corporations, some of
them parts of giant worldwide entertainment conglomerates. Each of them
publishes under many imprints, the publishing world's term for brands.
Academic and scholarly books are mainly produced by publishing houses
connected to universities. There is also a huge market for technical books
for almost all occupations, from bricklayers to software engineers.
Many mass-market magazines such as Time, The New Yorker,
Rolling Stone, and Vanity Fair are also published in the
Big Apple. So are many of the special-interest magazines published by
outfits such as Hachette Filipacchi (Woman's Day,
Elle, Car and Driver, and Metropolitan Home).
However, while many of the thousands of trade magazines are also published
in New York, a good number are published in the centers of their respective
industries: Variety is published in Hollywood, and numerous
computer magazines are published in and around Silicon Valley by companies
such as CMP Media.
Daily newspaper circulation has been decreasing for about a decade, but the
vestigial empires of William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer are not
giving in. Newspapers continue to be published in U.S. cities, though the
number of cities served by two or more major papers can probably be counted
on one hand.
The major difference between the periodical world and book publishing is
that the former is supported by advertising. That means that their content
and production are both influenced by the interests of big advertisers,
though editorial staffs wage a ceaseless war for independence from the
dictates of advertising sales departments, while the publishers play
arbiter. In book publishing the focus is on securing deals with
distributors like Ingram, with huge chains like Barnes & Noble or
Borders, and Web merchandisers like Amazon.com.
Niche Markets
A few segments of the book-publishing world are enjoying growth in an
otherwise slow and struggling industry. Revenue has skyrocketed in
religious publishing—bibles, biblical studies, inspirational titles, and
religious fiction—rising faster than any other publishing segment in the
last year. There has also been increased textbook and adult trade
publication, in response to the growing number of high school and college
students in classrooms.
Journalism, or Propaganda?
The holy grail of journalism is objectivity. But achieving that holy grail
doesn't win readers. Why aim for objectivity when no one is interested?
Indeed, these days, many organizations are opting for a more
confrontational style of journalism. Quasi-journalists like Al Franken and
Michael Moore (on the left) or Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh (on the right)
spin the news to support their political agendas—not to mention engaging in
vicious name-calling. Even ostensibly higher-minded sources of journalism
seem to be losing the struggle to maintain their objectivity. Some of this
stems from conflicts of interest: Many top news sources are subsidiaries of
giant companies with all sorts of other subsidiary businesses they'd
like to protect from negative publicity. These days, many consider news
sources such as Fox News to be mouthpieces for the federal government's
agenda. Some stately sources of journalism like the Washington
Post are being called out for publishing editorials that come
practically word-for-word from the mouths of presidential representatives
like Condi Rice. Between pop journalism and proto-propaganda, there may be
less room than ever in the industry for journalists who objectively go
after hard-news stories.
Weblogs and Journalism
Weblogs—blogs, for short—are a kind of online diary, in which the author,
or blogger, writes regular postings about whatever interests him or her,
often including hyperlinks to other Web pages with information about the
topic at hand. Weblogs have changed journalism. They've broken a number
of major stories because of their standards of attribution, which are
looser than those of most reputable print and other media. They've kept
other stories on the front burner that might have fizzled out for lack of
attention. A number of top columnists are keeping blogs, in addition to
writing regular articles. There's no doubt that blogs get the news in
front of readers in a hurry and are proliferating.
Consolidation
While the Web is making it easier for unique journalistic voices to be
heard, the companies at the top of the heap in the industry are getting
ever larger. In recent years, AOL merged with Time Warner, the Chicago
Tribune acquired the Times Mirror, Gannett acquired Central Newspapers, and
McGraw-Hill acquired Tribune Education. Often this M&A activity is
accompanied by a lowering of costs (read: layoffs)—so be aware that in
publishing, as in most any other industry these days, there are very few
jobs whose future is 100 percent secure.
Vertical Integration
Profit margins in the book business are extremely tight. In recent decades,
publishers' response to this fact was to focus on developing and then
marketing the heck out of books they considered bestsellers. Thus the spate
of books by celebrities and the rapid-fire publication of books by
established best-selling authors. In more recent times, more and more in
the book business have been diversifying their operations to broaden their
sources of revenue and protect themselves from downturns in their core
businesses. Book publishers are moving into book distribution and printing.
Printers are moving into publishing. So are booksellers. Indeed, Barnes
& Noble, a behemoth bookseller, purchased Sterling Publishing, and then
began publishing and selling books under its own imprint. B&N
wasn't the first in the book business to make this kind of move, and it
won’t be the last.
Newspapers
Newspapers remain the biggest segment of the publishing world, accounting
for nearly 40 percent of the industry's revenue. The big players here
are Gannett, Knight-Ridder, Tribune Company, Dow Jones, The New York Times
Company, and The Washington Post Company. Most of these also own
substantial interests in broadcasting, cable, and new media. Traditional
newspapers, like all traditional publications, are entering a new era: Most
conventional newspapers boast online content on their own websites or those
of partners. That's undercut their core products. Why should someone
subscribe to a newspaper when the articles are easily accessible online?
Yet some insiders even foresee personalized news services in which
customers will subscribe to writings by particular journalists.
Magazines
This is a multibillion-dollar industry that expands each year, with top
publishers such as Time Warner (Time, People, Sports
Illustrated, Fortune), McGraw-Hill (Business Week)
and the Washington Post Company (Newsweek) leading in the Fortune
rankings. Niche publications focusing on health, nutrition, travel, golf,
and such are a growing presence, too—they've been thriving for the past
20 years and are slated for even more impressive growth.
Books
In the past, book publishers acted as gatekeepers, offering authors the
only viable means of producing books and persuading stores to sell them.
But the proliferation of the Web and the new accessibility of
self-publishing are challenging this staid Goliath. As technology forges
ahead, this segment lags behind—reluctance to embrace new media is common
among traditional publishers—and cynics allege that the death of print is
approaching. But having recovered from similar catastrophes, such as the
introduction of radio, television, and CD-ROM, the book publishing industry
is realistically predicted to weather the storm.
In spite of the current identity crisis, this segment is a
multibillion-dollar business of pulp titles and blockbusters that accounts
for about a fifth of the publishing industry pie. The big players are New
York's clashing titans—Bertelsmann (Random House), Viacom (Simon &
Schuster), and Time Warner (Warner Books)—whose diversified interests put
them on the path toward world domination.
A rising segment of the book world is the textbook, technical, and
scientific publishing market, accounting for half of all publishing
revenue.
Online Information
This is an ever-expanding universe. A quick browse on the Web will produce
a spectrum of publications, including encyclopedias, political weblogs,
interactive newspapers, and even novels. The rapid dissemination rate and
global reach of this medium exceed those of traditional media, with the
added benefit that websites can be easily updated. Revenue is generated by
advertisements, subscriptions, and e-commerce partnerships, but long-term
profitability is yet to be determined. The biggest players are
well-established publications that support an online presence, such as the
Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition, and focused content-based
sites such as CNET.
The news is bleak. Publishing has suffered sustained blows recently due to
massive mergers, consolidations, decreased circulation, and lower
advertising revenue. As a result, the job market is stagnant, with
employment expected to grow more slowly than other occupations through the
year 2014, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those going to work
at newspapers and magazines will find the job opportunities rising and
falling with advertising revenue.
And increasingly, newspapers and magazines are managing costs by hiring
reporters, writers, and editors on a freelance basis. This will further
stiffen the competition in an already bleak market. Applicants with
specialized skills in niche markets, especially those with technical
expertise or knowledge of subjects that appeal to minority audiences, will
have a leg up on the competition.
Publishing is still one of the bright and shining career options for
humanities majors and people who love to read, think, and discuss their
ideas, but it will continue to be one of the more difficult professions to
break into. An internship or apprenticeship is often the best idea for
recent grads—you'll gain valuable experience and make industry
connections. You might also consider moving to a smaller town or city,
where there'll probably be less competition for local media jobs than
you'd find in the big city. Seasoned reporters concede that whatever
one's education, on-the-job experience is where most skills are
cultivated. Once you enter the field, there are myriad possibilities due to
the diverse interests of corporate employers.
The diversification of the media giants has had interesting repercussions
on the job market. As recently as 15 years ago, if you began life as a
print reporter, you did not generally end up in television or book
publishing. If you covered hard news stories, you did not moonlight in PR
and other promotional copywriting jobs. The mix is much more fluid now. And
although a few old-school journalists decry these developments, they make
your job prospects more interesting than they once would have been.
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The Power of the Press
The pay may be lousy, the hours may be long, but even the cub reporter for
a small local paper can break very big stories. And this is still a fairly
honorable crowd. You'll usually get the credit you deserve for your
scoop. Move on up to a bigger job at a more recognized publication and
captains of industry and PR people earning three times your salary will
actively seek to curry favor. Most journalists and publishers won't
openly admit it, but their jobs are ego trips. The power you wield can be
immense.
Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say
If you've been told ever since first grade that you have a problem with
authority, you're too opinionated, too blunt, and too outspoken, this
is the career for you. With the possible exception of sales and promotion,
people in these jobs tend to be nonconformist and even downright eccentric
at times. They're skeptical and tough, but they're also honest and
fair, for the most part. No one minces words or pretties them up for the
greater corporate benefit. (Of course, earnest beginners and senior
management are regularly tempted to try, but as their efforts are usually
met with gleeful derision and scorn they invariably wish they hadn't.)
Work with Words
Sometimes it's tedious. Sometimes it's repetitive. But you
won't find a lot of jobs out there that allow this much creative
expression and diversity, with money as compensation. Working with words—or
words with pictures—is stimulating. Even working with people who work with
words is stimulating. "This will sound a little corny," says one
editor, "but I really think my job is exciting. I've been doing it
for a long time, and I still think it's really cool to be on top of the
news all the time."
Holier Than Thou
Thou refers to anyone unfortunate enough to work on the business
side, in television, or in public relations. In fact, thou
probably includes any human not currently filing from a war zone or writing
a blistering exposé of corporate malfeasance. Think of the worst snobs you
know. Journalists and the lonely few still publishing worthy books are much
worse than that. David Eisenhower once said, "Journalists are an
interesting bunch, but nowhere near as interesting as they think they
are." How high is your moral superiority quotient? It needs to be very
high to survive in this crowd.
Faster! Faster!
The daily deadlines for newspapers are beginning to look positively
leisured and calm compared to the exigencies of online media. Television
news upped the deadline ante years ago and radio and wire reporters have
always had to write faster than they think, but now even "in-depth
analysis" is done in 25 words—or 25 seconds—or less. If you like to
reflect before putting pen to paper and you don't work well under
pressure, even book publishing may be a bit too revved up for you these
days.
Those Who Can, Do...
Those who can't, go into journalism and publishing. Chroniclers are by
definition the ones who stand on the sidelines of life and observe. With
the passage of time what they chronicle becomes history, but they are not
the actual players. Sooner or later everyone in this industry, even the
publisher, has to come to grips with the fact that he or she is not the one
who matters in the story or book or show. Sportswriters usually can't
play the games they cover; finance writers typically can't make
killings in the market, even if the SEC were to suddenly decide this
should be allowed.
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|
Top 10 Major Players, by 2005 Revenues
|
|
Rank
|
Company
|
Revenue ($M)
|
1-Year Change (%)
|
Employees
|
|
1
|
Time Warner
|
43,652
|
3.7
|
87,850
|
|
2
|
Bertelsmann AG
|
23,210*
|
10.1*
|
76,266*
|
|
3
|
News Corporation Ltd.
|
23,859
|
16.7
|
44,000
|
|
4
|
CBS Corp.
|
14,536
|
-35.5
|
32,160
|
|
5
|
Cox Enterprises, Inc.
|
11,552*
|
8.0*
|
77,000*
|
|
6
|
Reed Elsevier Group plc
|
8,888
|
-4.1
|
36,500
|
|
7
|
The Thomson Corp.
|
8,703
|
7.5
|
1,300
|
|
8
|
Gannett Co., Inc.
|
7,599
|
2.9
|
52,600
|
|
9
|
Pearson plc
|
7,046
|
-6.2
|
33,389
|
|
10
|
Advance Publications
|
5,909**
|
6.2**
|
29,200**
|
*2004 figures. **2003 figures.
Sources: Hoover's; WetFeet analysis.
|
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These titles and descriptions vary depending on the segment of the industry
and the specific organization. And since the overall industry trend seems
to be toward the incredible shrinking editorial staff, expect to see many
of these jobs conflated soon if they haven't already been.
Editor
Lou Grant's time in the sun has come and gone. Editors now have to pay
close attention to readership surveys, market trends, and everything
that's happening in new media in addition to just making sure that the
news is covered. In large publishing organizations, editors usually preside
over specific desks—national, foreign, finance, arts, new fiction, or
biography. In smaller houses and publications, they do it all—and a fair
amount of the writing and layout as well. In the Internet world, these
people are sometimes called producers, and are responsible for supervising
in-house and freelance writers and artists and planning budgets and
schedules. Salary range: $32,000 to $150,000 or more at major national
publications.
Reporter
Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane, by contrast, would find that very little in
their job description has changed. As one veteran says, "It's
still the same old love—a fight for the story and glory." Reporters
now often prefer to be called journalists and writers, and laptops
frequently replace notebooks and stubby pencils. But it's still a lot
of talking on the telephone, chasing ambulances and fire engines (or the
equivalent), and writing feverishly to make a deadline.
What makes it all worthwhile is the byline. Everyone else may only get to
be famous for 15 minutes, but reporters get their name and, increasingly,
their faces out there all the time. It used to be that anyone who wrote
readable features for his or her high school paper could get a reporting
job. Now a number of them have graduate degrees in journalism or
communications. But the profession is one of a dwindling number to embrace
people with a well-rounded, liberal arts degree. Glamour quotient: very
high. Work quotient: even higher. Salary range: $26,000 to $150,000; a few
very high-profile columnists may earn double that.
Copyeditor or Proofreader
A job that involves chasing the commas and checking the facts is a bit like
that of a CPA. No one loves you. No one pays any attention to you. But
without you, the paper/magazine/book/online feature program goes out
riddled with typos and errors. If you don't mind cleaning up after
others, this is flexible, steady work. It's also one of the last truly
democratic institutions in the industry: You take the copy test, and you
pass or you fail. Either you know the difference between restrictive and
nonrestrictive clauses or you don't. You have an edge if you're
also knowledgeable about a particular subject, but meticulous attention to
detail is the only qualification necessary. Salary range: $10 to $50 per
hour or more; full-time positions pay somewhat better than most reporting
jobs.
Photographer or Graphic Artist
We know it's not fair to lump these two together, but we're going
to assume that if you're interested in visual information, you
understand the differences between the two. Increasingly, this work is
contracted out to freelancers. Job seekers who need a steady income: Your
best bet may be to sign up with a reputable local agency. Once you have a
good portfolio and can pick and choose your assignments, you may decide you
prefer the diversity and freedom anyway. Salary range: $22,000 to $73,000.
Editorial Assistant
This is now the gateway for those with fire in their belly, the
pay-the-bills job for actors taking a break, the catchall job for all the
overflow from the copy desk and every other overworked, understaffed
department. Editorial and desk assistants now have significantly more
responsibility than they did in the past. Some publications rely on
editorial assistants for major articles instead of hiring experienced staff
writers or freelancers. It used to be a lifetime stigma, stamped somewhere
on your forehead for every editor to see; it's now something of a badge
of honor. Salary range: $24,000 to $36,000.
Publisher
This is the business side of the industry—the world of dollars first, words
second. Publishers make sure that enough ads are coming in, that enough
book tours and Oprah appearances are scheduled, and that enough people are
buying or watching or clicking to keep the editorial wheels turning. This
is a thankless job, mostly because you get none of the credit and all of
the blame. But it also offers a good deal of satisfaction to those who
manage to turn a profit or rescue a failing venture. And amidst all the
upheaval and change in the industry right now, publishers enjoy increasing
amounts of leverage in editorial direction and development. Salary range:
$50,000 to $200,000 or more.
Ad Sales
Folks in these careers sell space (in the newspaper or magazine—or on the
website—they work for) to anyone willing to pay, from local merchants to
foreign tourist boards, to finance editorial operations. The sales force
makes cold calls, follows up on leads, and takes clients out for nice
dinners and rounds of golf. Editorial likes nothing better than grumbling
loudly and enviously about the sales force’s expense-account perks, but
they're hard won. This is discouraging and difficult work—only the most
zealous survive and move up to the less-demanding plateaus of publishing.
It's one of the only areas in this business where you don't need a
college degree for an entry-level position; enthusiasm and the ability to
persuade most of the people most of the time are the only musts. Salary
range: $25,000 to $100,000.
Sales Reps
This is known in book publishing as being in the field. You trundle around
to bookstores, colleges, and any other possible sales outlets for your
wares. If you're lucky, you follow in the well-worn path of cordial
relations established by your predecessors. The less fortunate find that
their best orders are snatched up by competitors, and they spend all their
time cultivating new and nonpaying customers. It's usually a three-year
stint, and if you survive, you'll be welcomed back to headquarters and
given a less difficult desk job. Anyone who has endured this rite of
passage swears by it. "It's the only way to really know the
customer," says one. "You can read all of the [marketing] data
you want, but being in the field is what really matters." Salary
range: $27,000 to $78,000.
Marketing and Promotion
This job varies from one segment of the industry to another. In magazines
and newspapers the marketing staff's job is to get the publication into
as many hands as possible. It may involve developing new subscription
programs or checking out newsstands. In the book world, it may involve
arranging book tours for your hot author. In the Internet world, it
probably involves trying to get as many visitors as possible to your
website. Despite grumbling from the hard-core editors, this job is
increasingly important to the success of publishing ventures in all
segments of the industry. Salary range: $25,000 to $100,000.
Traditionally, the tough part of breaking into journalism and publishing
was the long apprenticeship period you'd have to survive. This still
holds true on the editorial side for many traditional newspaper, magazine,
and book publishers. On the business side, many publishers are bringing in
people with real business skills. Most of these spots still get filled on
an ad-hoc basis with either entry-level or experienced people, but a few of
the bigger players may have internships available for candidates coming out
of college. If you'd like to land a spot in the industry, consider the
following:
-
The obvious criteria include enjoying reading, writing, and news. If
you're on the business side, you should not only share these
interests, but also be able to deal effectively with large egos and a lot
of sanctimonious grief. For those applying for editorial slots, however,
you too walk a fine line. One college text publisher is emphatic that he
doesn't hire anyone with literary yearnings. "These are very
mundane jobs," he says. "We work with teachers and students
first and words second."
-
Competence and calmness count for a lot in this business. So does
modesty. Don't oversell yourself, even in ad sales.
-
No need to update your resume fonts or enclose your clips in an
expensive-looking portfolio. You're only as good as your words, and
visual distractions won't fool anyone in this business. Keep it short
and simple. Less is almost always more.