How a magazine gets made - Episode 31
Ever wondered how a glossy print magazine comes together? As a former editor at Nylon Magazine, I had the privilege of seeing it all unfold—from brainstorming cover stars to finalizing layouts for the printer.
In 2016, we produced 10 issues a year, with combined editions for June/July and December/January. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the process.
Create & consume:
What I’m creating this week: shooting a holiday brand deal I can’t wait to share with you soon, and also trying to film some long-form stuff for YouTube by the end of the year
What I’m consuming this week: Amber Burn’s vlogs—she lives in Philly and I genuinely am convinced we’re friends but lots of cozy vlogs, exploring neighborhoods, books and she’s under 10k so I wanted to spotlight her!
In this episode:
Cover Stars and Issue Themes
Selecting a cover star was one of the first steps. Our goal was to feature someone big enough to attract readers, ideally tied to an upcoming project—whether a new album, movie, or campaign. Each issue also had a distinct theme:
March: Spring Fashion
April: The Beauty Issue
May: Young Hollywood
June/July: The Music Issue
August: Denim Issue
September: Fall Fashion
October: It Girl Issue
November: America Issue
These themes gave each issue a clear focus and helped guide the content and visuals.
The Teams Behind the Pages
Creating a magazine is a team effort, with multiple departments working together:
Editorial: Conceptualized stories and wrote the content (this is the team I worked on!)
Fashion/beauty: Pitched fashion and beauty ideas and styled in-house photoshoots.
Art and photo: Assigned photographers and designed the layouts.
Sales: Partnered with advertisers for full-page ads and branded content.
Each team played a critical role in bringing the issue to life.
The Making of an Issue
Once we knew the theme, we’d brainstorm stories and assign them to writers and editors.
For example, our February 2017 issue featured a small back-of-book piece on Dua Lipa—a rising star at the time who would undoubtedly land a cover today.
Deadlines were tight, and we often worked up until the last minute to meet the printer’s cutoff.
Editors typically "owned" specific pages or sections, depending on their expertise and seniority.
My Role as an Assistant Editor
As an assistant editor, I managed several front-of-book (FOB) and back-of-book (BOB) pages. Here are a few highlights:
FOB (front of book) pages I worked on:
Table of contents (TOC): Organized the order and wrote descriptions.
Contributors: Coordinated with contributors, collected recommendations, and finalized their bios.
Behind-the-scenes: Wrote about cover shoot styling and makeup details.
Par Avion: Transitioned from sorting fan mail to spotlighting social media posts from our readers.
Masthead: Ensured every contributor’s name was correct and updated.
Fashion News: Collaborated with the fashion market editor to write mini-stories and conduct interviews. Sometimes, I assigned pieces to interns for byline opportunities.
Culture Club: Wrote arts-focused pieces and occasionally covered food, music, and reviews. These stories were typically half- or quarter-page features.
BOB (back of book) pages I worked on:
Nylon shop: Highlighted products featured in shoots.
Shopping list: Compiled retailer information for every fashion item we showcased.
Bag check: Crafted headlines and subheads for this recurring feature.
Stories That Made Nylon Unique
What set Nylon apart were its unconventional features. Some of my favorites included:
A women-led motorcycle rally in South Dakota
Exploring macabre culture
A Chicago dance studio blending hip-hop and ballet
A cowgirl beauty pageant
A tour of diners across America
A deep dive into adult space camp
These stories captured the quirky, creative spirit that defined Nylon.
In summary
Looking back, working on a print magazine was a whirlwind of creativity, collaboration, and deadlines. Each issue was a labor of love, reflecting the passion of everyone involved. I’m so grateful for my time at Nylon and the opportunity to be part of such an iconic publication.
Want to hear even more behind-the-scenes details? Listen to the full episode now.
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