On Being An Editor-in-Chief

I have worked on literary magazines for a number of years.  Two of those years, I was an editor-in-chief.  One was my senior year of high school; the other was senior year of college.  Though it doesn't sound like a lot of experience (and in the grand scheme of things, it isn't), my experiences have given me much to think about.

Absolute Power Is Awesome
Although the literary magazines were democratic in choosing most things, especially which submissions were accepted, I got final say over ties or disputes.  In college, where I had far more ties or disputes (and fewer people to dispute with), plus I had a much more refined taste, there was a definite joy in being able to pick what I wanted.

The Final Result Speaks Volumes About You
In a magazine where all members of editorial staff have a fair say, are not influenced by others, and there is no debate after voting, the final result speaks to the editors as a whole.  But if the editors are divided or are lazy and the decision making is left in your hands, you will end up with a product that reflects your ideas of quality.  This is not a bad thing per se.  It is simply a fact of the matter.

Take On What You Can Handle
I did a lot for my magazines.  For both of them, I set up all the infrastructure for reading and voting anonymously.  I did some amount of advertising.  I laid out the entire magazine to make it ready for the printer.  For my college magazine, I also had to do several rounds of voting, had to make a digital version of the magazine to send out, and had to actually help out at the printer.  This was time-consuming and exhausting, but I had the time and the energy to expend on them.  I did not try to make my own cover, nor did I try to get fliers and announcements all across the world to advertise, nor did I stuff the magazine with my own work to make sure it was big, but also good.  I would be terrible at all of those things, so I didn't do it.  I had other people make the covers, spread the word, and write quality pieces.  And really, the magazines would not have been what they were without them.

Get People You Trust
There is a lot of work in putting together a magazine.  No matter how much work one person does, it just needs more than one person.  It doesn't need fifty people, though.  Maybe just three.  Despite the number of people on staff at the magazine, it came down to three people who really made it happen: me and my two closest companions.  In college, it was me, my co-editor-in-chief (one of my writing soulmates), and our secretary/treasurer, who took over as editor-in-chief after I left.  Both were classmates and people I trusted (as well as writers I respected).  I am glad I trusted them, and that they were trustworthy.

Be Proud Of What You Did
I have copies of both magazines I was editor-in-chief of.  I am proud of both of them.  I am most proud of my college magazine because of how much I put into it.  But the reason I put so much into it was that I needed to be proud of it.  For god's sake, it has my name on it.  It says that I was THE top person on this project.  Every aspect of it got my seal of approval.  I refused to put my name on anything that I considered inferior, and since I was not particularly impressed by many of the previous iterations of the magazine, it was all the more important to me.  So I did take the reigns for a lot of it.  But I don't regret it, not even a little.  I am so proud of what I accomplished.  I am proud of the work I did, in laying out pages, in the pieces I had accepted, of the letter from the editor I wrote, and of the submissions of my peers that also were accepted.  Every time I see my magazine, I stand taller and smile bigger.  If you don't feel that way as an editor-in-chief looking at your work, make changes.