Acquisitions Editor

At the end of September, I took on the job of “Acquisitions Editor” for FellowScript magazine.  It’s a magazine published quarterly by InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship, a Canada-wide organization for writers of Christian faith. I’ve been a long-time member and subscriber and have written for the magazine from time to time, including the “President’s Column” during my tenure as the president of InScribe.

Although I’ve done some editing before, this position is new to me. I’ve never worked behind the scenes on a magazine. I’m the one “cold-calling” potential writers for submissions when the usual methods don’t bring in enough content. I’ll be on the lookout for potential new voices and also reach out to past contributors who haven’t submitted anything for a while. I may also have to do some developmental or copy editing.

The first issue I’ll have had a part in comes out next February. Now that submission deadlines for that issue have passed, I can thankfully say I managed to wrangle six really good articles from writers! It wasn’t that difficult, although it did take some time and persuasion!

Another new idea is to include a “Best In Blog” column in each magazine. InScribe has two active blogs with some amazing content being published online almost daily. It’s a wealth of great content that could–and should–be published to a wider audience.

I’ve written for InScribe Writers Online Blog for many years (and was the blog moderator for quite a few of those years, too). Writers commit to a monthly roster and write to a theme. It tends to be casual, and fun, and is a wonderful way to get to know each writer’s “voice”. This year we’ve been writing from the “alphabet”.

Then there is our InScribe Professional Blog on topics specific to writing. (I contribute to that one too, occasionally.)

I’ve got a few other ideas, but they will have to wait until after I attend my first official meeting in January. I’m looking forward to this new challenge & have already been enjoying the role!