How Do Magazine Editors Generate Creative Story Ideas For Every Issue?

Question

How far in advance do most editors usually have to plan ahead when creating story ideas?

Where do they get a lot of these ideas from, too?

What are some unconventional places to look for some ideas?

Answer 1

Since a magazine generally only publishes once a month, it isn't so much how do they find stories, but more how do they narrow down the many choices.

Most magazines appeal to a certain demographic, so they tend to use stories, articles that appeal to that demographic.

They see the news stories coming in on the AP and make selections from there.  Many other sources.  The writers on staff and the freelance writers make submissions.

I was usually only about 3 months ahead.  I had a small magazine, only about 10 pages with no advertising.

Answer 2

Most magazines get their stories from freelance writers. Freelance writers query the editors with specific ideas that they generate on their own. If you're a frequent contributor, the editor may ask you to write on a specific topic. But it's usually after you've proven yourself many times.

An issue is typically planned 6-9 months in advance.

You can actually look here on YA. Questions can spark ideas. Forums are also a good place to find article ideas.

Answer 3

A lot of magazines publish editorial calendars up to 12 months ahead. This will detail special reports and features but obviously doesn't include breaking news items. The advantage in doing this is to allow PR agencies and companies to contribute to stories, as well as allowing potential advertisers time to plan their budgets to be included in anything relating to their area of expertise.

I publish a monthly magazine and we have weekly editorial planning meetings to discuss current issues and update other stories we're working on. Most of our ideas come from our reporters.

As for ideas for places to look, you could do a lot worse than ask your readers. Why not develop a reader panel and find out the sort of stories they want to read?

Good luck.