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Having to work harder in recession? Then spare a thought for the chap I helped on a course last week. As well as being the editor, he is also the designer, news reporter, feature-writer and sub.
You probably think he’s just turning out a 16-page A-fiver. Wrong. The publication is A4 and typically 100 pages.
Although he works from home, he confessed that he struggled to get the mag done, even when he beavered away every weekend. The poor guy thought it was his fault for working inefficiently.
The only holiday he’s had over the past year was a French trip, where he turned out two features (and pictures, of course). Phew! That’s filled 10 pages!
And instead of doing what most journos do on such trips (going out for decent meals paid for by the hosts, getting pissed at your hotel bar at least once during the week), he sat in every night with his laptop, working on pages for the next issue.
You might say he’s dumb to put up with it. But he loves the subject (I’ll spare his blushes by not telling you the title), and because he knows no better, assumes that’s the way it is elsewhere.
Not yet, maybe. But over the past year, I’ve seen plenty of titles that once supported six staff now brought out by two. Advertising’s gone through the floor and is down into the inner core.
Blame what you like (Gordon Brown, greedy bankers, global warming), but those heady days of walking out of one job and immediately finding another into another are gone, at least for the moment.
And more magazines and newspapers may soon have to face the day when one or two names fill the flannel panel.
There wasn’t a great deal I could do to help that harassed editor. Even consoling him with: “Look on the bright side: at least you’re not having to sell ads as well,” didn’t help.
“Don’t tell them that!” he said. “If they find out I once sold space, they’ll have me doing that as well!”