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. Magazines, like newspapers, have their own styles or personalities. Part of this is the look, or graphics of the magazine, but the other major part is the writing style. Magazine writing generally is in essay form with longer, more fully developed paragraphs. Usages are more formalized, also. This subject gets more attention in later chapters.Despite occasional changes in established publications or the debut of completely new ones, you will find that magazine writing itself Page 18tends to be somewhat constant. After all, good writing is good writing. Magazine articles, generally, do tend to be more descriptive and detailed than newspaper writing, but this is partly due to the additional space given to major features in magazines. And, as noted earlier, these articles are a bit more subjective as writers offer their perspectives on the subject.Just remember that, regardless of the writing approach and topic, you will find the magazine industry to be quite different from what it once was. Individuals beginning careers as magazine writers in the postwar 1940s and 1950s found general interest magazines flourishing. Due to the influences of television and other mass media influences on society, leisure time demands are quite different two generations later. To meet this challenge, magazines began to specialize. Your writing challenge is to handle specialized subjects with the authority of an expert. This is still another reason magazine feature writing differs so much from newspaper feature writing.AMERICA'S LEADING MAGAZINESEach spring, the American Society of Magazine Editors presents its National Magazine Awards, known as "Ellies," for excellence in magazine publishing. To be honored signifies that a publication has reached the top of its class. The awards are often referred to as the "Oscars" of the magazine industry.In 1997, Vanity Fair was named for "general excellence" among the nation's largest magazines. Outside, Wired, and I.D. (formerly known as Industrial Design) magazines also were recognized for general excellence in smaller circulation groups.The awards were also presented for specific categories. New Yorker, long admired in the industry for its overall quality, was honored for essays/criticism and fiction. The feature writing category was won by Sports Illustrated. Other top publications and the categories in which they were recognized were Smithsonian (special interests), Outside (reporting), Fortune (public interest), I.D. (design), National Geographic (photography), Scientific American (singletopic special issue), Money Online (general excellence for new media), and Glamour (personal service).Since 1966, when the "Ellies" were first presented, New Yorker has won 21 of these awards. National Geographic has won eight, and Outside has won six (Blinkhorn, 1997~ Carlson, 1997~ Colford, 1997). Page 19Feature Writing for NewslettersDespite a billiondollar revenue stream and tens of thousands of employees, newsletters have not always been given recognition in the publishing business (Nelson & Danis, 1995). The industry is quite fluid and ripe with opportunities. Some newsletters have grown larger than some newspapers and magazines in terms of circulation and staff size, although most are quite small. The NIAF News, for instance, is the newsletter of the National Italian American Foundation. It circulates about 20,000 copies six times a year to individuals interested in their ItalianAmerican heritage. The Washington, DCbased newsletter has found a major market with content that "discusses national and international news concerning Italians, particularly Italian Americans" (Gagné, 1997, p. 684). The newsletter includes regular features about research, books, member profiles, and a calendar of events. The newsletter is provided to members of the foundation. Newsletters such as the NIAF News have existed for as long as newspapers and magazines, but they are enjoying a growing role in mass communication today. Newsletters mean new and growing markets for feature writers. Many newsletters are produced by comparatively small staffs and need both talented staff writers and freelance writers.Just about everyone reads a newsletter of some sort on a regular basis. Some might even come to you, your business, or your family residence unsolicited. Newsletters are necessary because they, like newspaper and magazines, contain news and information (Greenberg, 1992). Newsletters are highly specialized, reflecting the interests of members of groups, clubs and organizations, institutions, and other entities that need to communicate information. Newsletters give members of organizations information and sense of belonging. Newsletters sell. They inform. They motivate. "Successful newsletters convey specialized information to narrow markets," wrote newsletter industry executive Goss (1988, p
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