Common Magazine Terms Defined

As I jumped into a discussion of magazines in my freelance writing class earlier today, I discovered I was talking in what many students in my class thought was a foreign tongue.

As so many people do when they're speaking the language of their profession, I rattled off magazine-specific terms and phrases in my discussion as if everyone sitting around the table with me knew what I meant.

As it turns out, once I stopped to ask them, most did not.

So I slowed down and spent some time explaining a few of the most important terms to my students, because the truth of the matter is, if you're going to be a successful magazine freelancer or editor or even designer, you need to speak the language.

Here are a few of the most common terms we discussed or will be discussing soon:

Departments/Front of Book (FOB)/Back of Book (BOB)—Departments are the sections generally found at the front of the magazine (or front of book—FOB) and the back of the magazine (or back of book—BOB). Departments usually feature smaller articles focused on a specific topic, which are grouped together in the same section of the magazine. (Side note: At many publications, departments are a great place for freelancers to "break in" to the publication.)

Features/Feature Well—Features are the key content of the magazine. Most publications include a variety of types of features each month—say, a profile or two, an investigative piece, maybe a service article of some type. The length may vary, but generally these articles are longer and more in-depth than what you'll find in the departments. Feature articles are usually grouped together in the feature "well," located at the center of the magazine.

Coverlines—The short titles or article descriptions that appear on the cover of the magazine and are used to "sell" the content in that issue (sometimes called "sell lines").

Masthead—A partial- or full-page list at the front of the magazine (usually near the table of contents and/or editor's letter) that credits the magazine staff including editors, designers, proofreaders, photographers, and executives associated with the publisher. (Sometimes lucky freelancers even get listed in the masthead as contributors.)

Table of Contents (TOC)—The listing of all departments and feature articles included in that particular issue of the magazine—often with brief descriptions of each—found near the beginning of the book.

Hed—Magazine slang for "headline," or the title of each article.

Dek—Magazine slang for "subtitle," or the words located near the title that provide additional clues as to what the article is about. (Not all department pieces include a dek; most feature articles do.)

Subhead—Short phrases or words used within longer articles to break up different sections of the story and provide organization.

Byline—The name of the author listed with the article to give him/her credit.

Cutline—The words that appear near a photo to describe the image or its context (also called a "caption").

Folio—The line that usually appears near the outside bottom of most magazine pages, which generally lists some combination of the page number, name of the magazine, and/or date of the issue.

Initial cap—The first letter of a word designed in a different typeface and/or larger type size to stand out (sometimes also called a "niche cap"); it's often used to introduce the first letter of the first word in a feature article.

Dingbat—Also called an endmark, it's the small image or icon some magazines use to signify the end of an article.

Pull quote—Words pulled from an article that are designed to serve as a textual element on a photo or a visual break on a text-heavy page.

What common magazine terms did I forget? Let me know!

Magazine Love

I am now and forever will be a lover of magazines. I horde them. I subscribe to way too many (that pile up in my office because I can’t find time to read them all cover to cover like I want to do). And I’m always finding new publications I want to try out too. It’s an addiction, really. I’ll admit it.

Some are old stand-bys. For years, I’ve subscribed to Utne Reader. Yoga Journal. Real Simple. National Geographic Traveler. Natural Home. Better Homes & Gardens. These are my old standbys, the publications I can’t live without, that I dive into with excitement each time they arrive.

Each year, I seem to add a few new ones to the list. I used to steal my mom’s copies of Sunset every time I was home. Now I finally have my own subscription. After a childhood of reading Natural Geographic, I’m now a member myself. Speaking of membership magazines, I get Sierra and Nature Conservancy. I love Readymade. And Pink. I read Folio. Ode is terrific too.

Of course, each year that I add to my list, I also have to subtract a magazine or two from it. In high school, I used to read Sports Illustrated from cover to cover. Now I look at it infrequently, only when a cover at the newsstand catches my eye. Same with Newsweek. I read Wired for a while but let that subscription lapse. That’s what happened with Health too, which was a long-time favorite that got neglected a few years ago.

Plus there are those magazines that disappear of their own accord. I lost my beloved Jane. And The Green Guide. I enjoyed Country Home. I know there are many more that have disappeared, but thinking about failed publications is sad so I'm not going to dwell on that much-too-long list.

Now I’m thinking of subscribing to Mother Jones. Discover. Science. See my priorities shifting?

The only problem is, when the heck will I read them all?

I also picked up the new issue of Food Network Magazine at the grocery store yesterday, after looking for it for weeks. And there are a couple of natural, healthy living magazines I haven’t seen before I might have to flip through.

See? It’s an addiction.

But, and this is the beauty of the freelance writing life, all of these magazines are also part of work. I may savor them with a glass of lemonade on the weekend or read them while on the elliptical at the gym. But anytime I read magazines, I’m thinking of story ideas. I’m thinking of topics I might pitch to the magazines I’m reading and to other publications too. Magazines are fun to read, but they’re also resources. Inspiration.

At least that’s how I justify my addiction.

What magazines are on your must-read list? I’m always looking for new publications to explore, so I’d love to hear what you can’t live without.