ASBPEkc in the Kansas City Star

Look for an article about the Kansas City chapter of ASBPE in the Tuesday, Jan. 31, edition of the Kansas City Star in the Business section in the By Association department.

Read it here!

February Meeting: Creating an Editorial & Sales Balance

Is your magazine grappling with editorial ethics issues? Join the Kansas City chapter of the American Society of Business Publication Editors for a panel discussion on how to hold the line between editorial and sales.

Lance Jungmeyer, editor of The Packer for Vance Publishing, and Angie Gates, advertising sales person for Grounds Maintenance magazine for Prism Business Media, will discuss such topics as advertorials, special reports and other ethics issues.

If you have a topic that you'd like to see addressed by the panel, please e-mail it to Amy. We hope to see you there!

Time: Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 15
Location: Bo Lings' private room at 9055 Metcalf, Overland Park, KS 66212
Cost: $20 for members and $25 for non-members. You can pay with cash or check at the door. The cost includes a buffet luncheon and admission to the event.

RSVP by Monday, Feb. 13, to KC Chapter President Amy Fischbach.

Other upcoming events:
March 2 and 3: The Missouri Association of Publications Invites ASBPE Members to the Publishing Summit in Columbia. For more information on the event, visit Western Winter Workshop.

March 11: The Houston Chapter of ASBPE is sponsoring a Saturday workshop at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Houston. For the registration form, click here.

Know of an event that your fellow editors should know about? Click on "Add a comment" in the gray box below and tell us all about it.

Upcoming events

Here are the dates and topics for chapter events in 2006. Locations, times, and other details will be posted as they become available.

Feb. 15: Creating a sales/editorial balance and editorial ethics panel discussion.

April 12: How to conduct effective industry research.

June 14: Looking for new ways to make money? Here's some custom publishing and special project ideas you can pitch to your boss.

Aug. 16: Writing in chunks. Ideas to make articles more reader friendly.

Oct. 11: Annual Magazine Boot Camp with four main subject areas: practical writing tips, redesign tweaks, editing and online.

Meeting recap: ASBPE-MAP 2005 Magazine Boot Camp

Four sessions covered reinventing print, making the web work, design principles, and better writing.
By Jody Shee, secretary, Kansas City Chapter, ASBPE

Fifty people attended the first Magazine Boot Camp on Oct. 19 presented jointly by the Kansas City chapter of the ASBPE and the Missouri Association of Publications. In four sessions, attendees learned about reinventing print; making the Web work for you; seven design principles; and better writing for business-to-business publications.

Reinventing print
When you consider the most effective ways to communicate in print, take principles from effective communication on the Internet, said Dr. Don Ranly professor emeritus with the Missouri School of Journalism in his keynote address.

“The Internet has changed how people read information,” he said. Magazines should change accordingly.

The characteristics of a good website are that they easy to navigate, interesting, concise, interactive and user friendly. Ask yourself if you have presented the information in such a way that saves the reader time. This translates into more blurbs, breakouts and boxes. “Is there something on each page that demands the reader stop and read it?” he asked.

Replace the word design with presentation. Your job is to get the reader’s attention, comprehension, retention and action.

Wherever you can, make a list. It could be dos and don’ts, advantages and disadvantages or numbered lists. If you write in chunks, you give readers control of what they read and don’t read.

Provide websites in the article to link readers to further information about the topic, and be sure to use the word you so that you talk to the reader, Ranly said.

Other points to help reinvent print:

• Save the reader time.
• Write for surfers, not readers.
• Include blurbs with page numbers on the cover.
• Think of the table of contents as a home page to draw the reader in further.
• Go back to the inverted pyramid using a lead that summarizes the “what” and “so what.”
• Cut your copy in half.
• Give readers a chance to talk back by providing email addresses and phone numbers.

Making the Web work for you
If your company or magazine is not on the Internet, it’s time to get started. Begin with electronic newsletters and websites.

Before you get started, ask yourself what kind of information you have to offer, who the audience is, what they expect to learn from you and how and when they want that information, said James Arnold, electronic media editor for Vance Publishing’s Food 360 division.
In an electronic media panel, he highlighted the ways you can communicate your messages electronically. These include webinars, podcasting, message boards and blogs.

As an example, he has developed a website for one of Vance’s magazines, Dairy Herd Management. After considering the audience and their needs, he developed the headings on the home page of markets, recent news, calendar, research and technology, weather and a searchable archive.

His tips for writing online:

• Know the needs of your audience.
• Write very short, but provide details.
• Keep the copy clean
• Always provide links for further research.

If your company is asking you to put something on the Internet quickly, Arnold made these suggestions:

• Feature a mini question and answer. Transcribe three or four good responses from an article interview and add this to the online version of the article.
• Provide sound bites. Take an audio snippet of the interview and place it online.
• Develop a writer’s commentary. Write a few paragraphs giving a little insight into what was learned or other interesting tidbits picked up while writing the story.
• Include a resource guide. Map out the resources used and link to them.

Another way to get online is to start a blog, something Rick Bush did in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Bush is editorial director for Primedia’s Transmission & Distribution World magazine, which covers the power industry.

After the hurricane, Bush talked to company officials, who talked to advertisers, about sponsoring a blog, which was a running commentary of Bush’s subsequent experiences and conversations in the hurricane ravaged Gulf Coast.

Lessons he learned from developing the blog:

• Make sure you have the right equipment.
• Set up your information in categories rather than one long continuous blog.
• Make it easy for people to respond to your blog.
• Strike while the iron is hot. Just do it. You don’t need expertise to get one going.

Seven design principles
Study the magazines on the racks at bookstores for cues on effective design, said Jennifer Moeller, assistant professor at the Missouri School of Journalism in the workshop session on design.

Following are her seven principles of design.

Unity. This is how you group items so there is structure and a center of interest. Use only a few type fonts, shapes and sizes. Carry a design theme through each article. Use margins and white space well.

Dominance. Consider dominance in three stages: primary emphasis, subdominant and subordinate. These could be in words, color or photos. Use this to draw readers in. Show readers the importance of a certain element.
Scale. Use surprising changes in size to emphasize a point. It may be a tight shot on a portion of an object.

Balance. Formal balance has equal symmetry. It is exact, careful and gives a formal feeling. Informal balance is asymmetric and can be more open and modern. It gives more flexibility to the design and allows for some items to have more visual weight than other items.

Rhythm. This has to do with repetition of elements. It gives movement and a sense of pattern and texture. You can place graphic elements at set intervals, flowing or progressive. The optical center of a page is two-fifths down and two-fifths over.

Shape. Play with shapes of graphics and words and using graphics inside words or to form words, and carry these shapes throughout the article.

Contrast. Stress differences to attract attention. Use contrast in headline sizes and placement as well as in colors.

Better business-to-business writing
Good business writing speaks with a voice of authority to readers and gives context to the subject and the article sources, said Sharon Bass, journalism professor at the University of Kansas in the workshop session on better writing.

In each article, give readers several points of access through appropriate subheads, and avoid empty leads. Since it is a business article, don’t feel compelled to warm the reader first. Also, avoid quotes that don’t really say anything. Paraphrase instead.

Beyond the writing, stay in touch with your readers regularly to understand their needs, what they need to hear and how effective you are.

As an editor, spend the necessary time to inform your writers of the goal of the article and what you expect form them. Tell them about the sources you ask them to contact. Make sure your writers have a clear understanding of the assignment. Don’t expect them to know what you want without telling them, Bass said.

Keep your eyes and ears open for writing inspiration. Read other magazines, talk to people in the industry and attend conventions and workshops.

Sponsors of the half-day seminar were:

• Allen Press
• Ascend Media
• Banta
• Branch-Smith
• M-real USA
• Primedia
• Quebecor
• The Ovid Bell Press
• Vance Publishing
  

Photo: University of Missouri professor Don Ranly explains how to communicate effectively in print by using principles from the Internet.

Meeting recap: Win an award

Three award winners — two who’ve been contest judges — tell how.

Winning an editorial award for your publication's writing or design not only is a boost to the writer and designer, it's an extra selling point for the magazine's sales staff, said Danica Tormohlen, editor of EXPO Magazine.

For your best shot at winning an award, enter as many of the contest categories as you can afford, enter the articles that cover major industry issues or trends, get input from other staff members on which articles to enter, make sure the design catches the judges' attention and include a well-thought-out statement of the importance of the article to the industry or the impact it had, she said.

Editorial awards
If possible, find out which contest categories receive the least entries and enter articles in those categories, said Portia Stewart, managing editor for Firstline. She has been a judge for the ASBPE Awards of Excellence for the past three years.

• Included on her checklist for how to win an award:
• Enter the category most suited to the article.
• If the contest requires a statement of the magazine's mission and readership, use that to mention the unusual efforts that went into the article and reader response to it.
• Make sure it's an example of the staff's best work, even if the article topic is a common one for the magazine.
• Select articles that would capture the attention of someone outside the industry because it is well-written and interesting.

Tormohlen has helped judge many B2B awards, including American Business Media's Neal Awards, ASBPE's Tabbie Awards and Folio: magazine's Eddie Awards, and, this year, EXPO received a B2B Best Web Site Redesign award. She was one of three panelists at the August Kansas City ASBPE chapter meeting on How to Create an Award-Winning Entry.

The panelists' advice:

• If possible, find out which contest categories receive the least entries and enter articles in those categories, said Portia Stewart, editor for Firstline. She has been a judge for the ASBPE Awards of Excellence for the past three years.
• Enter the category most suited to the article.
• If the contest requires a statement of the magazine's mission and readership, use that to mention the unusual efforts that went into the article and reader response to it.
• Make sure it's an example of the staff's best work, even if the article topic is a common one for the magazine.
• Select articles that would capture the attention of someone outside the industry because they are well-written and interesting.

Design awards
The design of the entry is crucial to capture the judges' attention. Enter only those articles that feature high-quality, high-resolution photos, said Jennifer Ray, senior art director for Club Industry's Fitness Business Pro magazine and American School & University magazine. She has won several awards for her design work.

She suggested asking the following questions before you submit an entry:

• Does the design stand out and stop the reader?
• Do the graphics visually tell a story?
• Is there strong contrast between the background and the cover line?
• Does the image provide the main impact?
• Do the image, type and color work well together?
• Does the design carry through the article?

Photo: Portia Stewart, managing editor for Firstline magazine for Advanstar; Jennifer Ray, senior art director for American School and University and Fitness Business Pro; and Danica Tormohlen, editor of EXPO magazine for Ascend shared their tips for winning an editorial or design award with the 47 attendees at the Aug. 10 ASBPE meeting.

Meeting recap: Editorial advisory boards

Panel members offer their thoughts and experiences with advisory boards.
By Jody Shee, secretary, Kansas City ASBPE Chapter

The advantages of maintaining an editorial advisory board outweigh the amount of work it is to keep them up — whether the board has eight or 25 members, said the two panelists at a recent Kansas City ASBPE chapter meeting.

Board advantages
Since the advisory board is made up of experts from all segments of the magazine’s industry, they know the market well and can offer a wide range of article ideas, important feedback and can serve as magazine advocates at industry meetings that the editorial staff can’t attend, said Marnette Falley, director of business content for Advanstar Veterinary Healthcare Communications. She is editor of Veterinary Economics.

She finds that the magazine’s 25 editorial board members take ownership and talk about the magazine positively at the meetings they attend. She asks for exclusivity with the board members, meaning they agree not to contribute to articles for competing publications.

As the editor, if your background is in journalism and not in the industry you write and edit for, you can and should tap into the advisory board’s knowledge and experience to strengthen your editorial content, said Pamela Kufahl, editor of Club Industry’s Fitness Business Pro magazine.

The eight board members often help her flesh out the real news and issues that press releases don’t often address when she calls the board members for their input, she said. Board members also can put you in touch with experts you either were unaware of or who don’t normally talk to the press, but will talk to you if mention the influential board member’s name.

Member types
Look for industry influencers from each of your audience segments to be on your board. As you attend conferences and seminars, evaluate the speakers for the respect they receive, their enthusiasm and industry knowledge, Kufahl said. Also, look for at least one individual who thinks about issues differently and challenges them.

Find individuals with contributions to the industry that you want to acknowledge in the magazine, Falley said.

Both Falley and Kufahl advise against allowing manufacturers/suppliers who would be advertisers to be on the board for the conflict of interest it could present.

Get togethers
If possible, assemble the board members for a meeting at an annual industry convention, Falley said. Otherwise, try to meet with and/or contact the members casually throughout the year. Send them thank you notes, treat them to lunch at industry shows, call them and ask for their advice on article ideas or for sources.

If you are working on a redesign and want input from the board on designs, don’t merely ask for their thoughts. They don’t talk the same editorial language you do. Instead, ask them to compare layouts for which they prefer, she added.

Most of the contact Kufahl has with board members is on the phone asking for their opinions on article ideas or for their input to include in articles, she said. She also arranges to meet with them at shows.

Board challenges
Editorial boards are not without challenges. Since Falley requires exclusivity with the magazine, she sometimes has to reiterate this with board members when she sees them quoted in other publications, she said.

Kufahl notes that sometimes board members have a hidden agenda for what they want to accomplish with their position on the board. Make sure it doesn’t conflict with your agenda. It’s also difficult if you have to report something negative about the person or his/her company in an article.

Photo: Panelists Marnette Falley (left) and Pamela Kufahl sharing tips on managing an editorial advisory board.

Meeting recap: How to conduct an internal editorial audit

Lifetime Achievement Award winner Vern Henry shares his experience on conducting audits.
By Tarre Beach, secretary, Kansas City ASBPE Chapter

Editorial audits accurately measure a magazine's content with its mission and offer B2B editors and publishers an opportunity to compare and contrast their product with their competition, said Vern Henry, Advanstar Communications corporate editorial director.

Henry, who recently received the ASBPE Lifetime Achievement Award, said getting feedback from all the editorial, circulation, and advertising departments helps give a clearer picture of a magazine's strengths and weaknesses. Audits are a good time for a magazine staff to step back and ask questions, he said. Rather than waiting until your magazine is in trouble, it's best to conduct an audit when your magazine is succeeding and try to do one annually.

The two-time nominated Pulitzer Prize candidate and winner shared the step-by-step process with 40 attendees at a recent ASBPE Kansas City chapter meeting. After listening to his presentation, both editors and designers expressed interest in conducting an audit to improve their publication's content and visual appeal. Here's how you can conduct an audit at your magazine.

1. Develop a checklist and give it to your editorial staff a few weeks before the audit. Break down the checklist into the following sections: market research, incorporation of data, cover plans, news focus, column evaluation, and use of editorial advisory board. The goal of the checklist is to better understand the market, hot-button issues and the competitive landscape.

2. Adhere the editorial pages of a single issue on a long sheet of paper and view the magazine as a whole. Usually the most recent issue is used, but the auditor will normally look at about six consecutive issues to get a feel for style, voice and policy. At the luncheon Henry used Advanstar's Veterinary Economics as an example. He pointed out differences in type, how well the illustrations worked and where more visuals could be used. He said editors should be assured their work is not going to be torn apart in an audit, but instead scrutinized for value. As an auditor, he said he always strives to be gentle and offer insight rather than criticism.

3. Look at the pages together through a process called a walkthrough. Stories aren't closely read for accuracy or informative value, but the auditors look for other elements such as frequency of entry points, type face readability, first-glance content value, usefulness of headlines and decks and use of visuals. This process usually takes about five hours.

4. Recommend changes. Combined with the checklist and a six-issue review, Henry will pull out specific details to outline what is working and what isn't and give his recommendations in a final report. Finally, he will check to make sure the recommendations are implemented in a follow up.

Photo (top): Advanstar’s Vern Henry says editorial audits should include feedback from circulation and advertising.

Photo (bottom): Audience listens to Vern Henry’s tips.

Meeting recap: State of the Industry: Flat but growing

SBPE's Kansas City chapter holds “State of the Industry” panel discussion to find ways to improve sales, connect with readers and prepare for the future.
By Tarre Beach, secretary

“Flat growth is the new growth,” Ron Wall, executive vice president of sales & marketing and a founder of Ascend Media told the Kansas City chapter of the Association of Business Publishers and Editors. According to him, advertising revenues and page counts have yet to see a strong rebound, but the fact that they have not decreased further is a good sign. Speaking as part of a three-person panel at the ASBPE's recent “State of the Industry” discussion in Overland Park, Kan., Wall addressed the issue of B2B publishing's future with a hopeful attitude. “Print B2B magazines aren't going away,” he said.

Fellow panelist Bob MacArthur, vice president of Primedia Business Magazines & Media, said B2B editors and publishers must embrace e-newsletters, virtual trade shows, Internet news blasts and webinars to strengthen and renew ad sales and increase circulation.

MacArthur reminded the approximately 30 attendees to be prudent and not repeat the B2B Internet mistakes that occurred in the late ’90s. “You've got to have advertisers on board. That was the problem a few years ago. We put the cart before the horse.”

MacArthur took a quick poll to see how many at the meeting were already creating some original content for websites. More than two-thirds of attendees raised their hands. “Now what about webinars and virtual trade shows?” When only a few indicated their publications were producing these, MacArthur recommended both of these options were where the B2B industry would find real growth.

Staff Size
In addition to slow sales and smaller books, business publishing professionals have also seen a reduction in staff sizes, making many editors take on multiple roles at their magazines.

One attendee asked when staff sizes would return to normal. Fellow panelist Jack Cashill, executive editor of Ingram's, a business magazine for the Kansas City Metro area, suggested that with the growing accuracy of the Internet, editors are better equipped then they were 10 years ago. “I can write a 2,000 word story with good information now in a few hours what used to take me a few days.”

During a short discussion, some attendees agreed that not withstanding the aid of the Internet, staff sizes could not remain small for much longer if content was to remain high quality. Wall said part-time staff positions would herald the upswing for the industry and that some publishing companies were already employing part-timers to do some research. Freelancers also were mentioned as a positive step toward the reduction of workloads. Part of the issue for most editors is that they are being asked to more with less. Wall suggested implementing an incentive plan for editors. “Incentives tied to content brings excitement to the magazine and invests editors in their publication's marketability. It's great for readers. It's great for staff.”

Electric Success
MacArthur shared that as much as 50% of Primedia's print subscribers are getting e-newsletters e-mailed to them weekly or even daily. Primedia has approximately 150 e-newsletters sent out for its B2B magazines. Providing a successful example of that is Telephony, Primedia's telecommunications and broadband industry publication. MacArthur said Telephony alone has 15 different categories of news updates available to subscribers.

Important to the success of all electronic products, however, is print support, he said. “E-newsletters are never going to take over for your magazine. This is not a matter of canabalizing readers or content. Electronic media should be seen as an ancillary product for print, not a replacement,” MacArthur said.

Part of what makes electronic products so attractive is that costs are so low. But MacArthur warns that electronic products' take advantage of so much of print's resources that it must share in print's total budget costs. In several cases this is not being done. With more experience electronic budgets may break away, but for now staff salaries, overhead and other resources are paid by the print side.

Wall added that B2B publication's should have a 65% print and 35% electronic balance to succeed today.

Connecting With Readers
Representing a more consumer-business readership, Cashill discussed how to connect with readers and advertisers in down times.

Using the acronym SAP (Survive, Attract, Pacify), Cashill said editors must attract readers and pacify advertisers to survive. He then outlined three things that can help a business publication do this:

1. Readers want to see themselves in your publication. Ingram's does that by profiling the most successful 40 people under 40. This encourages advertisements from the people profiled as well as those that administer to the company/persons profiled.
2. Readers want to see others in their industry. Ingram's also has a forum every month on a different industry where leaders in that industry are invited to discuss the issues driving them. Making this forum attractive has been essential to its success. Letting people know their competition will be there helps get people in seats. Ingram's own “State of the Industry” forums are nearly always sold out.
3. You must be practical. Give your readers information that's useful to them. Showing by example, Cashill also said lists are a very popular way of getting your reader's attention quickly and giving them fast facts.
   

The Right Research
You've got to know your readers to be able to serve them properly. Wall said research is a sure-fire way to do that. In a time when most B2B publications are cutting research, Wall recommends that budgets make room for research again.

“You should want to know more about your readers. If you cut your research budget recently that was a mistake, put it back. This helps you have a strong voice,” Wall said.
Wall also suggested that special-themed issues, which can come out of extensive research, should be used sparingly. They are nice, but can be over done. “[Special themed issues] take readers away from your uniqueness, which is why they are subscribing to your magazine. If you aren't unique then readers will migrate to your competition,” Wall said.

Board introduced
The first ASPBE Kansas City chapter event of 2005 also introduced the chapter's new board:

• president Amy Fischbach, staff writer, EC&M magazine, Primedia Business Magazines & Media;
• vice president Bill King, chief editor, Expansion Management, Penton Media;
• secretary Tarre Beach, editor, Baking Buyer, Sosland Publishing;
• board members Jessica Harper, managing editor, Veterinary Economics, Advanstar Veterinary Healthcare Communications; Jody Shee, editor, Produce Concepts, Vance Publishing Corp.; and Spring Suptic, assistant editor, Veterinary Economics, Advanstar Veterinary Healthcare Communications.
  

Unable to attend were treasurer Danica Tormohlen, editor in chief, Expo Magazine and ProAV, Ascend Media; and board member Jim Lucy, chief editor, Electrical Wholesaling, Primedia Business Magazines & Media.

Photo: From left: Panelists Ron Wall, Bob MacArthur and Jack Cashill.

Meeting recap: The art of interviewing: 30 years of listening hard

Reporter John Lofflin shares tips garnered from his long reporting career.
By Amy Florence Fischbach, vice president of the Kansas City chapter and staff writer for EC&M magazine

Writers must treat an interview like a conversation, says John Lofflin, a veteran journalist and journalism professor. “It's the not the questions you ask, but it's the way you listen,” he says. “If you have genuine curiosity and get your sources to teach you about a subject, you’ll always get the information you need.”

Lofflin says learning from his sources has been the driving force in his career. He has conducted about 3,000 interviews in his 33 years as a journalist. Through his years of experience, he developed the following rules for interviewing, which he shared with B2B editors at an ASBPE meeting in Kansas City, Mo. He learned many of these strategies the hard way as a reporter for a Nebraska daily, freelancer for Money magazine, and special assignments editor for Veterinary Economics.

1. Never sit down in the waiting room. If you sit down and pick up a magazine, youíll be there a long time. Stand up, start pacing, and keep everyone a little bit on edge.
2. Always be nice to the secretary. Secretaries do a lot of the work around an office and often run the place. Treat them with respect.
3. Never drink during an interview. Drinking and interviewing is as bad of a combination as drinking and driving, Lofflin says.
4. Always ask a good question as you’re leaving. Interviewers always need to ask one last question as they’re standing up, packing up their notebook, and starting for the door.
5. Immediately transcribe your notes. After you walk out the door, find a place to work on your notes. You will remember far more than you think you remember, and while the interview is still fresh in your mind, you can fill in the blanks.
6. Never interview more than one person at a time if you can avoid it. Lofflin once interviewed three sources simultaneously during an intense deadline, and he had to stay up all night wading through his notes.
7. Be prepared for anything during an interview. Writers need to have a certain mindset for an interview and be ready for any challenge that comes their way. For example, Lofflin remembers interviewing a source in the rain, and the ink on the paper washed away as he was writing. Since then, he has learned to use a pencil rather than a pen to take notes.
8. Don’t order hard-to-eat foods in a restaurant. Never order fried chicken because you have to eat it with your hands. Another no-no is pasta. “You should never think about eating during an interview,” Lofflin says. “Just order the salad and let it sit there.”
9. Block off enough time for the interview. Spend as much time as necessary with your sources in order to get solid background information, colorful details, and strong full-bodied quotes. Lofflin always asks his sources to block off an hourís worth of time for an interview, and at the conclusion, he asks them if he can call them again for a follow-up hour-long interview.
10. Take good notes and don’t depend on a tape recorder. Lofflin learned his lesson the hard way when he recorded only the sound of the windshield wipers when he gave his source a ride from the airport. Because he wasn’t able to take notes, had to remember what was said and reconstruct it.
    

Lofflin discovered these rules of interviewing through more than three decades in the journalism business. He says he originally became a journalist because he enjoyed writing, but he’s stayed in the business because of the interviewing. “Writing is fun, but you’re only writing creatively for an hour or two,” he says. “You’re always interviewing. That's where the real fun of it is.”

Asking the Right Questions
Many interviewers prepare a list of questions before an interview, but this isn’t always the best approach, especially for feature material. When an interviewer works from a list of questions, the source may feel like they’re being given an oral exam. For investigative interviews, Lofflin works from a more traditional list of questions, following them almost like a script.

For feature articles, however, he often uses the following conversation starters:

• “You're kidding?” Then the person says, “Oh no I'm not.” And off they go.
• “I don’t understand that. Can you explain that to me?”
• “What happens next?”
• “Can you take me back to that moment? What were you wearing? What was the weather like? Who else was in the room?”
  

Meeting recap: Making the editor-designer marriage work

Keep the union blissful by communicating more effectively.
By Jessica Harper, KC Chapter Secretary and Managing Editor, Veterinary Economics

The all-too-familiar conversation:

“I just don’t like the layout. It’s not working,” the editor said.

The art director shifts, annoyed at this vague critique of a spread she’s just spent two hours perfecting. “What don’t you like about it?”

“I’m not sure,” the editor said.

Sound familiar? You aren’t alone. Many business press editors aren’t experienced at critiquing layouts, but they need to provide feedback on the magazine’s artistic direction. The problem: Such a conversation doesn’t provide helpful feedback, and it can damage your relationship with your designer. And the relationship between editor and art director can make or break a magazine, said Carol Holstead, associate professor of journalism at the University of Kansas, speaking at the Kansas City Chapter’s May meeting. “Good relationships require communication.”

Five Communication Tips
1. Learn about each other’s trades. “Art directors need to know something about words, and editors need to know design language,” Holstead said. The Non-Designer’s Design Book by Robin Williams, Peachpit Press, is good basic start for editors, she says.

Exercises that spur communication about design can also be helpful. For example, gather several business publications and spend a couple hours looking through them. Point out what you both like, what you don’t like, and what might work for your magazine.

2. Hold an art meeting. “Talk about articles that are going to be in the issue,” Holstead said. “If nothing else, talk about the cover story.” Holstead recommended holding these meetings early in the process, so you have time to work on some things in house using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator and, if budgets allow, freelance out a few pieces. Local schools are great places to tap for hungry artists looking to get published, she said.

3. Keep an open mind. “Don’t shoot down an idea right away,” Holstead said. “Try to trust your designers, and let them do what they’re good at. It also encourages them to stay if they have input. Why couldn’t a designer suggest headlines? Sometimes a designer will be roughing in an article and will put in the best headline.”

Jan White, magazine consultant and author of Editing by Design, agrees that making the art director feel a part of the editorial team is a positive. “The more the art director feels [like] a journalist, the better the art director will become,” said White in a presentation at the National Editorial Conference in Philadelphia in June. To help facilitate communication, he suggested editors and designers be situated as closely together as possible in the office environment and outside, too. “You want [them] to have lunch together,” he said.

4. Don’t be territorial about the work. “The editor has the final say, but open the discussion by asking the art director’s opinion,” Holstead said. “Keep files of designs that you like. These can help stir up the pot when trying to come up with ideas.”

5. Hire right. If you have the opportunity as an editor to weigh in during the hiring of an art director, take advantage of it. Things to look for include versatility in design pieces, a sense of style, and a sense of humor, Holstead said.

Parting Thoughts
In today’s frantic competition for reader’s attention, you can’t fall into the trick of thinking that because your magazine’s No. 1 people will gravitate to it, White said. “People are lazy,” he said. “We have to make it as easy for them. You have to blend content with form: writing with design. It is absolutely essential that word people (editors) know that design is not added, it is an integral part [of the package].”

“Above all, you should feel proud of the package you’re delivering to your readers,” Holstead said. “It’s easy to underestimate the value of design in business-to-business magazines. [But remember], the visual part gets these busy people into the magazine.”

Becoming an Old Pro at Critiquing Layouts
After the designer has created rough layouts, you need to provide feedback. This may be a challenge if you aren’t experienced at it, but it gets easier with practice, according to Carol Holstead, associate professor of journalism at the University of Kansas. Here are some questions she suggested asking to get yourself started:

• Does the design communicate the story clearly and effectively?
• Will it entice readers into the story?
• Will readers see the most important element first (headline or art)?
• Does the layout flow logically? Pay particular attention to stories with lots of entry points such as photos, sidebars, graphics, and pull quotes.
• Does the design tie all the pages of the story together?
• Does the design express the magazine’s personality? Does it provide continuity?
  

Meeting recap: From good to great

Three ways to improve editorial that you didn’t learn in school.
By Jessica Harper, KC Chapter Secretary and Editor, Bridge Builder magazine

At the Kansas City chapters’ recent meeting, Sharon Bass, a magazine consultant and professor at The William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas, tackled how to freshen editorial with three methods she wouldn’t dare teach her students.

1. Style trumps substance
Working within a specific industry, business publication editors are often burdened with covering the same topics. Writing and obtaining excellent articles all the time isn’t realistic, so do it with style, Bass said. “Instead of spending the time trying to salvage a compromised story, let some of that fly, and get a great photo,” she said. “It might make you feel like you’re cheating, but get over it.”

After reading many trade publications, Bass’ overall critique is: add more photos, charts, and graphs. She also recommends allotting more space for using artwork but not necessarily making photos larger. “Play around with scale, especially in departments,” Bass said. “Go opposite of what most people think.” For example, if a publication covers a large piece of machinery, readers are accustomed to seeing that object on a large scale. Instead, run a small photo of a bulldozer and a large image of protective goggles.

Another less-than-conventional way to spruce up a limp article is to incorporate more wit and humor. “Bring in what seems real like anecdotes from business stories of real people,” she said. “A cheap way to bring in fun is to run cartoon reprints. A cartoon could give the launching ground for an article.”

If just looking for a photo to spice up an article, a great tip to keep expenses down is to find artwork in the public domain. Whatever the solution is to add style, remember it has to be appealing to your readers and not necessarily the staff, Bass said.

2. Killer applications
Bass’ second tip for editors is to stop spending too much time on pieces that are overdone or topics that are covered each year, such as a trade show, and allocate more resources to a couple hot issues. “Invest time in a strategic group of articles for each year,” she said. “What are the most important issues for readers? What has people talking? Go immediately to work for the readers in order to help run their businesses well.”

While planning an article series, Bass recommends picking a topic that lends itself to being broken down into smaller pieces in several issues. Also, avoid subjects that people would’ve read anyway, such as a salary survey.

3. Play small ball
Little things have big meaning to your readers. The way to play small ball is to think in terms of tips. Bass said 60 to 80 percent of the tips should be low cost and low involvement. Come up with solutions that readers can try today as soon as they finish reading the article. An example from one of Bass’ favorite magazines, Real Simple, was to use olive oil while shaving. Practical advice like that keeps Bass reading each issue.

A simple way to get tips is to pull out the best points in a longer article. “You can put a good idea in a 1,500-word article, but readers are busy. Unless you pull the idea out, readers will miss it,” Bass said. This method also works with articles you’ve already printed. Go back to the best pieces of the year and pick points that deserve additional attention.

The best place to gather tips, according to Bass, is from the readers themselves. Open up your ears at conventions and association meetings. Industry experts are also great people to ask for priceless advice. Be sure and spread out tips during the year to keep readers coming back.

Playing small ball, providing killer applications, and putting style at the forefront ensures articles won’t become monuments to editorial egos. “Turn the world upside down, and give up editorial,” Bass said. “Make sure readers can extract something in 20 seconds.”

Meeting recap: Launching an e-mail newsletter

Kansas City chapter takes advice from the experts.
By Jessica Harper, Editor, CraneWorks, and Chapter Secretary

Providing your readers with more timely news can build relationships and drive revenue. E-mail newsletters are a more intimate form of communication than print publications, according to Prescott Shibles, New Media product development team leader for Primedia Business, Overland Park, Kan.

Shibles equates this new medium to knocking on readers’ bedroom doors versus their front doors. Certainly, frequency and time of day are important while making this call. Other imperatives for a successful launch involve the recipients’ list, back-end delivery, and content.

At the recent Kansas City Chapter meeting, Abi Ahrens, director of online audience development for Primedia Business, and John Velie of Bensoft/Buzz Marketing and Publishing, Kansas City, Mo., joined Shibles to expound on launching an e-mail newsletter.

List creation
Gathering the recipients for your e-mail launch may be as simple as snagging a circulation list, but Ahrens said the best way to go is opt-in only. As electronic junk mail has thrived in the last few years, receivers are apprehensive of unsolicited e-mail. Going opt-in only ensures all subscribers want the communication.

One way to accomplish this is to install a “subscribe” button on the website and drive readers from the magazine to the site. Whether using a circulation, opt-in base, or otherwise-acquired list, be sure to keep it clean. Remove outdated addresses and provide an option to unsubscribe.

Distributing content
Several free e-mail distribution programs are available, as well as third-party suppliers who will handle sending and tracking. If choosing a service provider, make sure they are familiar with the many e-mail clients. Also check their ethics, Velie cautions. “Some unscrupulous providers will use the ‘unsubscribe’ option only as a way to update e-mail addresses.”

After the delivery avenue is set up, you must determine when to send. Weekly is a popular choice, according to Ahrens, exemplified by most of Primedia’s newsletters. Daily and semiweekly are worthy secondary choices. But don’t venture beyond. “Anything further than one month, and a user forgets they have subscribed to your newsletter,” Shibles said.

The best time to knock on the chosen day is morning or evening — prime browsing times for many professionals. But keep it short. Because you’re asking readers to spend their precious time reading your e-mail (when 15 others await), Shibles recommends sending out no more than four screens.

Within those four screens, remember to keep content fresh. The newsletter has to be able to stand on its own — apart from print and Web. Despite the quick and temporary nature of e-mail, view the newsletter as a long-term proposition. “Ask yourself what this newsletter will look like in five years,” Velie said. “What if it becomes your prime publication? How will you generate income in an electronic environment?”

Top 10 Keys to Newsletter Success

1. Keep it brief. Newsletter subscribers are more likely to skim at the time they receive it. Longer letters may get put aside for later reading, which reduces the chance they will get read at all.
2. Don’t be a tease. Make sure you are providing value in the e-mail itself. Don’t force a user to click through to get to what they really want.
3. Write for scanning. Business readers are busy. Give them what they need to know quickly and efficiently.
4. Format for scanning. For text newsletters, set margins at 70 characters or fewer to avoid awkward line wrapping. Use every trick in the book (caps, asterisks, dashes, and white space) to set items apart. For HTML, develop a scan-friendly design.
5. Tie into the Web site. For each story and ad, include relevant URLs. If the content is only published in the newsletter, link to other relevant material on your site.
6. Embed ads. Surround ads and offers with relevant content. Make sure editorial content appears at the very top of the newsletter. Readers seeing only an ad in their preview panels will be likely to delete the message.
7. Refine the content formula. Newsletters can contain news content, but they don’t have to. Time-sensitive information (stock prices, gossip, deals, and limited-time specials) and reference information (tips, how-to content, and demographic analysis) are good alternatives that extend the newsletter’s shelf life. Add incentives (contests, giveaways, and free research) to appeal to readers.
8. Brainstorm creative subjects and headlines. Use peers to create irresistible leads. Tie-ins to popular movies, sayings, and current events increase the likelihood of a recipient reading.
9. Be personable. Allow personality to come out in the newsletter. Readers appreciate a sense of humor and style, and if they know what to expect, they’re more likely to open it.
10. Examine feedback. Use link tracing to find out which stories were most popular and look for trends in reader interest. Responses from your users can be the best source to find out what they like.
    

Photo (top): Abi Ahrens and Prescott Shible
Photo (bottom): Abi Ahrens and John Velie field questions from the audience.

Meeting recap: Yoga for Editors

At the chapter’s first event, editors were urged to stay flexible.
By Jessica Harper

Adept at stretching their minds, business publication editors need to circulate that energy inward and prepare to hold multitalented positions, according to several publishing executives at the ASBPE Kansas City Chapter’s first meeting. Succinctly put, “Stay flexible, and don’t complain,” said Bill O’Neill, executive vice president of Vance Publishing, Lenexa, Kan.

Echoing his sentiments were three other panelists:

• Becky Turner Chapman, publisher of Thomson Veterinary Healthcare Communications, Lenexa;
• Dennis Triola, group publisher in the entertainment technology division for Primedia, Overland Park, Kan.;
• and last-minute panelist Cameron Bishop, chief executive officer of Ascend Media, which recently announced the acquisition of Overland Park-based Atwood Publishing and Las Vegas-based Gem Communications.
  

About 55 editors, publishers, and advertising executives from area trade publications attended to get a take on the state of the business press. Two main themes prevailed: diversifying revenue streams and learning content creation.

Diversifying streams
Using both reader and advertiser avenues, companies are developing new routes of revenue, especially in Internet-related technologies, tradeshows, and supplemental publishing. About 10 years ago, Thomson Veterinary’s two publications accounted for approximately 80 percent of the operation’s revenue. Now, they bring in 50 percent, while diversified revenue streams — an annual tradeshow, meetings and events, book publishing, list business, Internet ventures, and others — account for the remainder.

Turner Chapman said expanding to new products achieves three main goals:

• It ensures the publications uphold editorial integrity when the market is tight and advertisers want more;
• it helps maintain jobs; and
• it takes the original property to the next level.
  

Because readers develop personal relationships with brands, those products can be positioned to branch out.

Publishing companies can gain on two sides because they have an information product, and they also have an audience that is a product. Partnering with clients fosters an environment where publishing companies can “do more with the same amount or less,” Triola said, to establish beyond traditional print. “Reprints, supplements, advertorials, and special events — these are the types of payoffs where everybody wins,” he said.

Creating content
When working with newer products or traditional print, editors have to filter it down to the essential for their industry. “It’s not about driving eyeballs,” O’Neill said. “It’s about driving the right eyeballs — knowing your readers and advertisers.” As trustees of the relationship, O’Neill said editors must determine how to subset their audiences to create value by asking what readers are consuming and how are they doing it.

Once editors know these answers, they can package and deliver content in new formats to select markets. “We make money if our readers, or content users, make money,” Bishop said. “[It has to be] faster, simpler, easier, and better to enhance their careers.” Packaging content in new ways ties into diversifying streams. Together, the two themes will work to sustain and grow publishing businesses, while catering to content users. Although Bishop emphasized “the tangible feel of print is not going to go away,” the word from the panel is to be prepared for new positions.

Photo: Panelists stressed the importance of new products at the Kansas City chapter’s first event.

Read summaries of previous ASBPEkc events

2006 ASBPE/MAP Magazine Boot Camp

• Boot Camp success
  Highlights from the workshop
• A bit about blurbs
  Don Ranly offers tips to tweaking headlines, blurbs and captions into shape.
  

Put the web to work
Effective ways to build your Internet presence

Customize for success
Increase revenues with custom publications

Research and reveal
The three panelists discuss how to conduct effective industry research.

Editorial ethics
Panel discusses towing the editorial ethics line.

ASBPE-MAP 2005 magazine boot camp
Four sessions covered reinventing print, making the web work, design principles, and better writing.

Win an award
Three award winners — two who’ve been contest judges — tell how.

Editorial advisory boards
Panel members offer their thoughts and experiences with advisory boards.

How to conduct an internal editorial audit
Lifetime Achievement Award winner Vern Henry shares his experience on conducting audits.

State of the industry: Flat but growing
ASBPE's Kansas City chapter holds “State of the Industry” panel discussion to find ways to improve sales, connect with readers and prepare for the future.

The art of interviewing: 30 years of listening hard
Reporter John Lofflin shares tips garnered from his long reporting career.

Making the editor-designer marriage work
Keep the union blissful by communicating more effectively.

From good to great
Three ways to improve editorial that you didn’t learn in school.

Launching an e-mail newsletter
Kansas City chapter takes advice from the experts.

Yoga for editors
At the chapter’s first event, editors were urged to stay flexible.

Past questions of the week

Welcome to the home for past questions of the week. While retired from active duty, these questions still enjoy being pondered. And feel free to comment.

1. How do you redraw the line between editoral and ads?
2. What role should editors play with regards to advertorials?
3. Does your magazine solicit ads based on the mentions of potential advertisers in articles?
4. Should editors permit advertisers or sources to review articles prior to publication?
5. What are some of the ethical issues involved with placing editorial content online?
6. How should editors handle advertiser freebies?
7. How does your editorial staff handle interactions with public relations personnel?

Editor's Digest repository

Online articles with tips to help improve your product.

New and unsorted

From June:
Press releases are more popular than reported news, says study from InformationWeek
Another article that makes one proud to be in trade publishing. Paul Conley gives his take in
Bad news about B2B news. And you get his thoughts on the industry's dependence on editing press releases instead of providing original news.

And for those of you who are tired of hearing about blogging and why your publication should be doing it, don't read the rest of this post. For the rest of you, the blogging world awaits.

Blogging for beginners series from ProBlogger
There are lots of posts here on conceiving and building a blog.

The giant blogging terms glossary from Quick Online Tips
Learn what exactly why something called "ping" is so important to keep your RSS readers in the know.

Blogger software comparison chart from Online Journalism Review
I believe the ASBPE chapters will be encouraged to use Blogger. The Boston chapter also has it's blog up and running. Martha Spizziri is the Boston blog administrator. She also handles the national ASBPE website. For those of you going to the national ASBPE conference, you can hear her talk about the blogging challenge on Friday.

How to get traffic for your blog from Seth Godin's Blog
A blogging to-do list to get more visitors to your blog.

Comparison of services to create online polls from Smiley Cat
Of course the one poll service I have used, PollMonkey, isn't included in this list, probably because it offers broader uses for standard websites. (But it receives my recommendation none the less.) This post reviews Vizu, FreeBlogPoll, BlogPoll, SnapPoll, Quimble, iMediaPOLL, dPolls and a few others. (Sorry, gang, I just got tired of linking to all those poll sites.)

On editing
Grammar Slammer from English Plus
An online grammar tool. English Plus sells more expansive versions for computer download.
Posted May 2006

Do questions make good headlines? from GameDaily BIZ's Media Coverage (found via B or not 2B)
Make sure your questionable heads are drawing your readers in without making them feel cheated.
Posted March 2006

Exercises in grammar, usage and Associate Press style from Newsroom 101
If practice makes perfect, these free tutorials will make our chapter members the sharpest pencils in the ASBPE box.
Posted March 2006

On interviewing
How to get people to talk to you from mediabistro.com
This article focuses on the hard-to-get interview, but also offers great tips to apply during any interview.
Posted March 2006

The wonderful world of digital recorders from MBToolBox
Internet phone options offer the ability to record conversations. A handy tool for all of you phone interviewers.
Posted March 2006

Power tools for professional interviews from Absolute Write
The head says it all. Improve your interviewing skills; read the article.
Posted March 2006

On writing
Writing tool #29: Report for scenes from Poynteronline
Break out of your standard storytelling style. Don't just give your readers the facts. Paint them pictures.
Posted March 2006

Advice for students: Writing by hand from Lifehack.org
A good reminder on the benefits of the pen and pad over the computer.
Posted March 2006


On blogging
A quick thought:
"If your magazine is thinking about launching a blog, it's a good idea to have an idea of what the blog will do that is different from what the magazine does. Sometimes the difference is nothing more than a more frequent publishing schedule. But the smartest folks in publishing will use a blog to extend a magazine brand deeper into the lives of its readers."
You can read all of Paul Conley's post here.
Posted March 2006

A brief blogging lesson from B or not 2B
A short, to-the-point reminder for bloggers on keeping readers
Posted March 2006

List of blogging terms from Wikipedia
An introduction to words used in the blogosphere
Posted May 2006

The bottom line on blogging from The Kansas City Star
The article by David Hayes focuses on the big Kansas City companies venturing into the blogospehere. The most useful bit, in my opinion, was a sidebar on considerations before starting a company blog. The questions include:

• What is your goal?
• Does it have support from the head honcho?
• Do you have an internal blog champion who will promote the blog inside the company and keep it going?
• What will the ethics policy be for company bloggers?
• How will you integrate your blog into the company? In other words, promotion, promotion, promotion.
• How will you engage readers and make the blog interactive?

And one more important suggestion from Hayes, "Network. Visit other blogs that talk about your business or industry. Comment. Link to those blogs, and to prominent customer blogs."
Posted March 2006

Competing with non-magazine blogs from MagazineEnterprise360
You have a print publication. They don't. What they do have are engaging, informed blogs. What you have in print doesn't matter online. Online it's your blog vs. theirs. Are you going to let them win?
Posted March 2006

Stealing inside the blogosphere from asap
While getting mentions on other blogs and links back to your blog are great ways to grow, beware of the copiers. Are you showing off your Creative Commons license?
Posted March 2006

Intermittent blogging and traffic from B or not 2B
Failure to regularly blog will cost you readers. Keep up on your posts and watch readership grow.
Posted March 2006

Newsroom bosses with weblogs: A list from Blue Plate Special
Leaders in newsprint offer insights online. These are newspaper guys and gals, but their blogs may offer you some ideas for your publication's future blog.
Posted March 2006

On websites
Web first, print later from mediabistro.com
What position does your website hold? David Hirschman says websites are no longer just the dumping ground for old print. Visitors are looking for new material. On an interesting note, my publisher is contemplating redesigning our website and then basing both our print magazines' redesigns off of that. Talk about web first...
Posted March 2006

The 50 best Web sites from Hypertext
This list is compiled by the Chicago Tribune team. It covers broad categories. And don't spend too much time in the celebrity and kid sections. Fun as they may be, you may never reach the information and media and news sections.
Posted March 2006

On journalism and management
The future of magazines from Content Matters
Shift the focus of your monthly from news coverage to industry insights.
Posted May 2006

Don't write the obituary yet; 5 reasons magazines are here to stay from the New York Review of Magazines
Author Nicole Oncina's list:

1. Magazines are one of the few places to find thoughtful long-form journalism
2. Magazines are to have and to hold
3. “The Montage is the Message.”
4. Magazines are status symbols
5. McLuhan Loves Magazines

Posted May 2006

The twilight of objectivity from Slate
A good article on the shift from objective news coverage to opinion-based coverage. News and issue coverage on the internet through blogs and podcasts is becoming more personalized, communal and thought-driven, should print media reconsider it's bias against reporter bias?

For more on this topic, read Objecting to objectivity from PaulConley.
Posted March 2006

I agree with you, completely from Slate
A brief report of the findings reported by two economists about bias in the media.
Posted March 2006

Converting stakeholders into shareholders from B or not 2B
Your stakeholders (aka readers and advertisers) want something far different from your publication than your shareholders (publishing company owners). So, what if your stakeholders were your shareholders? How would that change your product?
Posted March 2006

What I told the French from MagazineEnterprise360
Paul Conley: “Magazines don’t need to start a blog, although there are many reasons why they may choose to, but they do need to become more bloglike.” This along the lines of what we heard from Don Ranly and Sharon Bass at the ASBPE-MAP 2005 Magazine Boot Camp.

Ranly says that the introduction of a new media changes all media. Blogs will change print.

And Bass followed in her discussion. Write in chunks and bites. Readers of blogs don't want to have to scan down further than what is viewable in the window. Her advice is to apply that same philosophy to print.
Posted March 2006

Dignity is deadly, part two from Passionate
Outlines the differences between start-up and corporate culture. This isn't b2b, or even magazine, specific, but I think it offers some insights into how our publications can drift from bold to blah.
Posted March 2006

Local b2bers

These listings include area publishers. For the larger publishing groups, only the publications with editorial staffs in the Kansas City Metro are listed. If you know of a company or magazine that should be listed here, let me know.

Advanstar Veterinary Healthcare Communications
Firstline
Veterinary Economics
Veterinary Medicine
Custom Communications

Ascend Media
EXPO Magazine

BankNews Publications

Prism Business Media (formerly Primedia Business Magazines and Media)
Broadcast Engineering and Broadcast Engineering World
Club Industry's Fitness Business Pro
Electrical Wholesaling
Millimeter
Radio
Transmission and Distribution World
Video Systems

Sosland Publishing
Food Business News
Milling & Baking News
World Grain

Vance Publishing (Food360 division)
The Packer
Produce Merchandising


Other

Allen Press

Arma International

Autism Asperger Publishing

MFA, Today's Farmer

VFW Magazine

Walsworth Publishing Company
Commercial book printing
School yearbooks

Positions available

To find current open positions posted to the ASBPE KC blog click on the hiring label. If you'd like to broaden your search, try ASBPE's national job bank and listings of business publishers' websites.

ASBPEkc Freelancers

Tarre Beach
Topic areas of specialty: Small business profiles, art, food-trend stories.

Rebecca Bridson
Profiles and technical articles on swimming pools/spas and anything pertaining to health, nutrition, fitness, exercise physiology, sports, etc.

Sandra Ferguson
Specialties include philanthropy (major gifts and planned giving), nonprofits, higher education and finance. Was on the editorial staff of Broadcast Engineering.

Mike Harrington
Experience includes 20 years of trade, business and consumer magazine writing and editing. Specialties: fast turnaround of business feature articles, technical editing, promotional writing.

Heather Kirkwood

Ellen Parson
Background is more than 10 years of professional experience as a writer and editor in the trade publishing industry; specialties include any kind of business writing; technical editing; layout work with copyediting (such as producing special supplements or advertorials); promotional marketing; copywriting; proofreading; and e-newsletter writing/editing/production.

Jody Shee
Background includes 15 years as trade magazine writer/editor. Experienced in book publishing and writing electronic newsletter copy. Main topics of experience and interest are food, health and business issues. Also experienced with project research, report writing and presentation of
results. Former secretary of the KC chapter of the ASBPE. Member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and the International Foodservice Editorial Council.

Spring Suptic
Experienced in editing and designing newsletters and program guides for associations; writing and editing easy-to-digest business management articles and news briefs; and precisely editing clinical and technical articles.

Tom Zind
Does virtually any kind of writing — chiefly journalistically oriented news and feature writing for trade and consumer publications, but also selected types of advertorial/promotional/marketing writing for publications and businesses.

ASBPEkc officers

President
Amy Fischbach, Managing Editor
Fitness Business Pro
Prism Business Media
9800 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, KS 66212
(913) 967-1807

Vice President
Bill King, Chief Editor
Expansion Management
Penton Media
12120 State Line Road, Suite 317, Leawood, KS 66209
(913) 338-1503; fax: (913) 338-1508

Secretary
Jody Shee, Freelance writer
11587 W. 146th St., Olathe, KS 66062
(913) 851-4941



Treasurer
Danica Tormohlen, Editor in Chief
EXPO Magazine and Pro AV
Ascend Media
11600 College Blvd., Overland Park, KS 66210
(913) 344-1303; fax: (913) 469-0806


Board Members

Elizabeth Ashby, Editorial Director
Produce Merchandising, The Grower and
Citrus & Vegetable Magazine
Vance Publishing
10901 W. 84th Terrace, Lenexa, KS 66214
(913) 438-0632

Jeff Gelski, Associate Editor
Milling & Baking News and Food Business News
Sosland Publishing
4800 Main St., Suite 100, Kansas City, MO 64112
(816) 756-1000, ext. 867

Jim Lucy, Chief Editor
Electrical Wholesaling
Prism Business Media
9800 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, KS 66212
(913) 967-1743; fax: (913) 514-6743

Spring Suptic, Associate Editor
Broadcast Engineering and Broadcast Engineering World
Prism Business Media
9800 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, KS 66212
(913) 967-1644

Immediate Past President and current National Vice President
Portia Stewart, Managing Editor
Firstline
Advanstar Veterinary Healthcare Communications
8033 Flint, Lenexa, KS 66214
(800) 255-6864