This is a collection of exclusive tips from leading editors. The articles herein originally appeared in Editors Only, where you'll find similar insider tips on a regular basis.

TIPS FOR WRITING TO GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES

Understanding the needs and idiosyncrasies of a "unique culture" -- that of the U.S. government -- has made one publication something of an authority on covering computer news for government employees. Government Computer News, a biweekly that has won eight Computer Press Association awards and consistently outdistances its competitors in readership, targets the buyers and users of computers in government. Chief editor Tom Temin lets us in on some of his publication's trade secrets:

--Focus on products and technology. Although the government buys all of the computers covered by GCN, government procurement is given minimal coverage in the paper. Instead, editors take a technical, product-oriented tack with their editorial. "Research over the years shows readers are less interested in the arcane points of procurement than they are in the computers," says Temin.

--Keep readers apprised of what their colleagues are doing. Government employees want to know how their associates are doing in their own agencies with computers, says Temin.

--Run product reviews. "We were the first government publication to have its own product test facility and to run every-issue product reviews," says Temin.

--Format for ease in accessibility of information. "We-re very compartmentalized, you can find exactly what you want," says Temin.

--Always take the government user's point of view. “We're very parochial about covering the government,” remarks Temin. "Even when we do product coverage -- the same product everybody's covering -- we don't cover it unless there's a government angle to it."

A RESEARCH INVESTMENT THAT PAYS OFF

Twenty-five years ago publishers of Travel Weekly, a national publication serving the travel industry, decided to learn more about the market they served. They knew that many -- their readers, their advertisers, and the company itself -- would benefit from a greater understanding of the travel agency business.

So in 1970 the publication hired the Louis Harris organization to research the agency's role in the marketplace. "We wanted a brand-name researcher to do the first objective and detailed study of the travel agency business," says Travel Weekly editor-in-chief Alan Fredericks.

What the researchers found out propelled the book to the forefront of the agency marketplace, netting it one of Folio's prestigious Editorial Excellence awards, and creating an industry benchmark for all to follow.

An Enlightened Industry

Editors published the results from the Harris study in a special biannual issue. So startling were some of the findings, remarks Fredericks, that aside from providing the travel weekly with a lot of interesting editorial material, it also helped to dispel a number of myths about the marketplace they serve. "There was very little understanding twenty-five years ago about the agency market," recalls Fredericks. One misconception commonly held was that travel agents were strictly order takers and had little influence on travelers' choices of travel services. Not so, reports Fredericks. "We found that travel agents are highly influential," he says.

The study also did a good job of educating staff, readers and advertisers on the realities of the travel agency business, observes Fredericks. "It was a very wise investment from a number of points of view," he says.

Ongoing Research

Travel Weekly has maintained its tie to the Harris organization since then, conducting studies every two years and publishing the results in a special 100-plus page folio. "The issue is a fairly extensive summary of all the findings," notes Fredericks. "We generate a lot of sidebars and stories suggested by the findings," he says.

Travel Weekly also sells the complete report to a small but elite group who are willing to pay for it. The study is additionally supported by industry advertising, since TW publishes its findings.

A Selling Tool

From a marketing point of view, Fredericks doesn't think there's anything that approximates it. "We usually create some kind of slide show around it and take it out to the market and present it at meetings for many months after it's published," he says. "It’s unique. There's a lot of interest in it."

An Industry Benchmark

But perhaps the most significant contribution the research has made is the framework it's provided editors to work within. "The findings in the study are sort of our benchmark for our perspective about a lot of industry matters," notes Fredericks. "The news that we report during the year helps us update and refine the study, and the study helps us learn more about the marketplace -- in turn, spawning ideas for future stories."

CHALLENGE YOUR READERS

While it's essential to maintain good readability within the pages of your magazine, be careful not to adopt a simplistic style of writing, advises Bruce Raskin, executive editor of Parenting. Recipient of one of Folio's Editorial Excellence awards, the monthly service publication may be on to something. Instead of opting for a "feel-good" approach when trying to help parents work through a problem, editors of the child-raising guide steer clear of offering only simple solutions. "We're not just trying to pat parents on the shoulder all the time," remarks Raskin. Instead, readers are given options to choose from. Working from the premise that a parent knows his or her child best, editors encourage parents to figure out on their own what solutions will work for them. "We're trying to challenge them to be the best parents they can be," says Raskin.

Avoid Simplistic Prose

Raskin also points out that a lot of service writing tends to be pretty straightforward and mundane. To avoid the use of simplistic prose, editors of the magazine work hard to infuse an element of style in many of the freelance submissions they receive. "We try to bring up the [quality of] writing and to rework it to whatever extent necessary to give the reader not just the information but an enjoyable experience, as well," says Raskin.

Some of the techniques that have helped the publication achieve good readability and an award-winning caliber of writing include:

--When hiring freelance writers, look for authors with writing styles that complement and enhance your publication's particular style.

--Keep writers apprised when they deviate from established style guidelines.

--Ask for as many rewrites as necessary before actually beginning the editing process. "We'll go back and ask for anywhere from one to three rewrites and then go in and edit as necessary," says Raskin.

--Ask writers to change only what you deem essential; fix the things yourself that you can fix.

--Practice "top editing" on all manuscripts accepted for publication. "Once a piece goes through an editor, it then goes through a number of top editors," says Raskin.

—Allow copy editors more leeway in the editing process. "Our copy editors tend to do more than what I would call 'straightforward' style and grammar," reports Raskin. "They do some tightening and a little rephrasing here and there, too," he explains.

"We really pride ourselves on the quality of editing that we do," asserts Raskin.

WRITING TO A YOUNGER AUDIENCE

Easing into a style that speaks on level with the under-twenty set can be a challenge for many writers. How should editors communicate with this segment of their readership? "You have to be able to convey a sense of fun, but at the same time not be patronizing," asserts J.D. Owen, managing editor of Boy's Life. His magazine's mission is to entertain and educate America's youth. "It is extremely difficult to write for this publication," remarks Owen. "Not every writer can do it." To break new writers in, Owen requires most try their hand at writing columns first. "If you can learn to write a column for us, you can probably be coached to write a larger article," observes Owen.

Quantum editor Timothy Weber uses a different approach. Published by the National Science Teachers Association, Quantum covers mathematics and physics for motivated high-school students and college undergraduates. Most of the material in the magazine comes directly from Quantum's sister publication, published in Russia. Articles are translated in Moscow and edited there by several field editors versed in physics and math before being heavily edited by Weber. "My task is to turn their English into truly colloquial English," says Weber. To that end, the editor incorporates phrases that "sound like English and not like a bad translation from Russian."

Weber also rewrites heads and subheads, and infuses editorial with illustrations and riddles that are suited to his audience. "The Russian approach tended to be very straightforward," notes Weber. "More of an adult journal style." Although his publication is edited for teens, its educational focus on math and science precludes a style that incorporates elements to entertain. "Quantum is for relatively motivated students," points out Weber. "We're not selling math or physics -- our readers already love math and physics." On that level, Weber manages to relate to his student-readership. While most of the material is externally written, several of the columns are authored by American teachers. "The American authors have a better grasp of the American student," observes Weber. "Yet," he adds, "the Russians take their readership very seriously and respect their reader." But above all else, he says, "We don't patronize our readers."

READERS FIRST

If you've got 50,000 readers, you've 50,000 reasons for not letting advertisers have their way with your book, especially if those readers aren't served first, contends Jack Farley of the Farley Company. Indeed, one of Farley's mottos is: "That publisher who serves his reader first, serves his advertiser best." But Farley's business isn't editorial -- it's in ad sales.

When magazine publishers come to his firm for representation, Farley has to convince many of them to put the needs of their readership before the demands of advertisers. "I have more publishers who come to me saying, 'We'll lay out the magazine and if the advertiser wants a right-hand page, we'll give him a right-hand page.' I say, 'You will not.'"

No Readers, No Sales

Farley has learned from experience that to keep up ad sales, it's critical to have an established core of readers reading those ads. "There're reams of research that’s been published on the topic -- even by the American Business Press," remarks Farley. “We, of course -- with all of the publications we work with -- have been able to redocument [their findings]."

In fact, Farley claims that his firm has had much better luck working with editorial readership information than with advertising readership information. "Most people who sell advertising want to tell you how well your ad's read. But I want to know how well that magazine's read. Then it's the advertiser’s responsibility to get his ad read. All we can do is guarantee you that we'll get the reader in there."

Changing Strategies

While many advertisers will fight tooth-and-nail for the first right-hand page in a book, Farley contends they're far better off on a left-hand page facing editorial that's going to get read, than on a right-hand page that's going to be flipped through. "A column could be well-read in the middle or back of the book," says Farley. "My ad facing that is much better placed than on the first right-hand page in the book."

How Much is Enough?

Although his firm specializes in business-to-business publishing, Farley estimates the typical reader of magazines that aren't product-driven (e.g. Time, Newsweek) reads them 95% for the editorial, 5% for the ads. A business magazine, on the other hand, may be read 60% for its editorial and 40% for information in the ads, Farley generalizes. "Some industries, by their nature, are more product-driven," observes Farley. "In those cases, the reader is comfortable with more advertising." Farley admits his respect for the editor is somewhat uncommon amongst those in his profession. "Not every ad salesman thinks that the editor comes first," he notes. "But," he reasons, "[editors are] the ones who are making it happen."

MASTERING A MAGAZINE MAKEOVER

When editors of School Foodservice & Nutrition finally went ahead with a long-planned redesign, many in the industry were stunned by what appeared to be an entirely different magazine. "The look was such a dramatic difference that we had members calling and saying they hadn't received their publication -- not understanding that this was it!" recalls managing editor Patricia Fitzgerald.

And although readers did a double take upon receiving that first revamped issue, feedback regarding the remake has reportedly been extremely positive. "We get compliments from both readers and advertisers, saying they are just so pleased with the look and the reading of the publication -- both of which have come along hand-in-hand," says Fitzgerald.

Enhancements to editorial and design were so impressive, the publication on more than one occasion caught the eye of awards judges, snagging the Gold for "Most Improved" in the Society of National Association Publications 1995 Excel Awards. Here's how they made the transformation from an "adequate" to exceptional magazine:

--Changed name to better reflect publication's mission. "We changed the name of the publication from School Food Service Journal to School Foodservice & Nutrition," says Fitzgerald. "We wanted to make food service one word to reflect how that industry is changing. We added nutrition because that's been a key factor in the message that The American School Food Service Association wants to get out, which is that it is a nutrition-based program." According to editor Adrienne Gall Tufts, journal was dropped simply because, "The magazine never had been -- and never would be -- the hard-edged research or technical publication that journal implies."

--Had a vision. Tufts was able to "easily pinpoint the publication's potential for enhancing the association's professionalism," she says. "I could see not only what the magazine had to do, but what it could be."

--Assessed work ahead. Prior to implementing a redesign, editors first had to deal with "an inefficiently organized communications department, lack of human and financial resources, technological missteps, and leadership reluctance to change," recalls Tufts.

--Evaluated staffing assignments. This resulted in identifying the need for a director in the communications department, realigning two designer positions to focus on the kind of work to which each was best suited, and adding a production manager and a "much-needed" full-time editorial assistant.

--Changed target audience. "If readership needs are diverse, target those in the main group," advises Tufts. Editors of School Foodservice & Nutrition quickly shifted gears, going after upper-level managers and directors instead of just the lower-level staff they had targeted in the past. Their rationale: Individuals recruited in those categories would likely recruit more of their employees as well. "This new vision for member recruitment shaped the vision for the magazine," remarks Tufts.

--Established a clear direction for the publication. Once editors had identified the wants and needs of their newly targeted audience (through informal discussions, surveys and focus groups), "the magazine could dive into its revitalization efforts," says Tufts.

--Boosted resources. Gradually added to per-issue design budget (up from $700 to $2,500) and secured a freelance budget of $2,000 per issue. "With our budget for freelance we hired more professional writers," says Fitzgerald. Quality freelance material eliminated the need to depend on member submissions.

--Paid $10,000 to contract with outside design studio. "Overhauls require a significant amount of time and money and must be seen as investments," warns Tufts. By working closely with the publication's staff to understand their goals, the outside firm became an extension of staff, she says.

--Combined reader input and publication vision to create compelling content. Editors instituted new departments, cut back on the number of features (expanding their length and depth), dropped columns deemed "useless" or giving an unprofessional look to the magazine.

--Inserted "snapshots" boxes presenting highlights at the beginning of each article. These enabled readers to scan articles quickly for major points and then read them fully later, says Tufts.

--Invested more time in copyediting. "Before I was hired, the managing editor's job had been split between managing the magazine as well as many other projects in the communication's department," recounts Fitzgerald. "The magazine is primarily my job and I do an awful lot of copyediting for a better, stronger voice." Judges noted that the "departments are easier to read and more newsy in content" -- an apparent reflection of her effort.

GET THEM TO READ IT

If you want your publication to be the one busy readers pick over others, make it user-friendly, advises Federal Computer Week editor Anne Armstrong. Her publication covers the people, policies and technologies that influence how the federal government buys and uses computer and communications equipment. "Most people in the computer industry get stacks of tabloids on their desks on Monday, so you're competing with many other publications," remarks Armstrong. "The reader's going to go to the one he or she can read quickly." Here are a few of the editor's hard-fast rules for enhancing her publication's "user-friendliness":

--Never use an acronym that isn't explained or spelled out. "People tend to know acronyms in their own business, but they don't necessarily know them for other places."

--Speak to your readers at their level of comprehension. "We assume our readers are computer-literate, so we don't go down to the level that some of the daily press has to, like explaining that a mouse is a pointing device," says Armstrong. Conversely, FCW editors don't assume that readers are able to grasp all of the implications of changes in technology. "We try to put the changes in context," she says.

--Use design techniques, like pull-out boxes, to highlight information. "We're trying to do all of the traditional things that are happening in design to make it easier for the reader to get information," says Armstrong.