Four Reasons Why Editors Should Forget About Processes for a While

Much of an editor's job is dealing with processes to make sure their publication gets out on time. 

It is important to be a master of those processes. They might include working with a designer to create pages which support the article. Or, working with a freelancer to transcribe recorded interviews, or uploading content to a website which can be included in an e-newsletter. 

Without being on top of all this work, you have no publications. But, it is easy to become a slave to those processes. You can spend weeks in the office to make sure your magazine or website is up to date and ready. 

But, it does prevent you from getting out and seeing the world about which you write, edit or gather articles. 

Top Reason for Getting Away from the Process

1. Context - Getting out of the office and into the field enables you to see how what you write about fits into the world. It can give you a sense of scale, popularity or potential on your specialist subject. 

2. Opinions - Meeting people is the best way to find out what they really think about something. Speaking with experts in your field can reveal interesting angles on a topic which are difficult to find out if you get stuck in the office. Also, people's opinions can often be stronger and better expressed when they are in a familiar place, so you get better insights. And, you can hear more opinions when you are out of the office. 

3. People - How else can you get to know people well without seeing them face to face. Despite all the conference calling/FaceTime-type technology, it is never as good as 'being there'. Swap cards, hook up on LinkedIn and keep in touch. It is a simple formula for making good contacts. 

4. Making the effort pays off - Editors get asked to many events, not all of which they can make. You have to be selective with which events you attend, otherwise you really would never get anything done. However, often making the effort to go to an event which looks worthwile and fits into your plans can bring rewards. Many competitors do not want to or cannot afford the time or money to get to the event. By making the effort, to travel a bit further or longer can give you acess to exclusive stories and gain you the respect of the people running it. They often then make you the first editor they contact for the next story because they appreciated the effort you made in the past.

An example

Today, I went to an event at Dumfries House (photo above) in Scotland. There were around forty people from all types of companies in the field I write about. I met ten new people, learnt some interesting facts, saw the scale of the operation at the house and made at least four good contacts. I was one of two members of the press invited. The other journalist was writing for a specific local title to Scotland. In other words,I had  a semi-exclusive story which I know will interest my readers. 

I also made some great contacts. 

You can do none of this sitting in the office getting bogged down in the process. Get out regularly and make a big difference to your publication.