# Publishing: Editor



## Jay Slater (Oct 2, 2009)

Dear All,

I am new to this forum and it's good to be here!

I am an experienced commissioning book editor based in London and am seriously considering a temperorary move to Spain as I adore the country, climate, food and people in the future. I speak very little Spanish but have heard that there are a number of English language publishers in Spain. Would anyone know what sites that are to be recommended?

I also have over ten years' experience working on magazines.

Any assistance would be very much appreciated.

Very best wishes,

Jay


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Jay Slater said:


> Dear All,
> 
> I am new to this forum and it's good to be here!
> 
> ...


 
That's a cue for Steve Hall, isn't it??????


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Pesky Wesky said:


> That's a cue for Steve Hall, isn't it??????


He's not around at the mo, think he's driving back from Sweden??? However, I know what he'll say. If its newspapers, magazines etc, then there is absolutely no money in it. Most are written, edited and produced by their owners, who also have other jobs to subsidise their income and a lot have gone bust!!! Funnily enough I had this conversation with Steve a while ago when I was looking for a magazine to advertise in! 

However, maybe you could formulate a business plan and get in and help one of these publications to pick up and become successful????? No money to begin with, but with time and effort, you amy turn things around?! 

The Sur in English is the only one I can think of "off the top of my head" and thats produced by Spanish workers and simply translated into english. As for book publications, proof reading, editing... I guess thats gonna be "in country" so spain would have spanish written books??

Jo xxxx


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Jay Slater said:


> Dear All,
> 
> I am new to this forum and it's good to be here!
> 
> ...


is it not possible to work via the internet?


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## Caz.I (Mar 21, 2009)

jojo said:


> If its newspapers, magazines etc, then there is absolutely no money in it. Most are written, edited and produced by their owners, who also have other jobs to subsidise their income and a lot have gone bust!!!
> 
> The Sur in English is the only one I can think of "off the top of my head" and thats produced by Spanish workers and simply translated into english. As for book publications, proof reading, editing... I guess thats gonna be "in country" so spain would have spanish written books??
> 
> Jo xxxx


Hi Jay,

I have to say I agree about there being no money in newspapers and magazines. And, as mentioned above, although there are a few English language publications, they normally want you to speak Spanish to be able to communicate with the local community and within the industry here. I know that is the case with the Sur In English and also the Euro Weekly news, which was advertising this week for an Editorial Co-ordinator and wanted someone who was bilingual.

In terms of freelance work, if you can get any, most publishers pay a pittance. In that respect, I think you would be better off trying to get freelance work from a UK publisher that you can do from home via the internet. From what I can gather, print journalists here are not paid anything like the amount they can earn in the UK.

I dont know about English language book publishers in Spain but there is an English language book distributors called Bookworld Espana which has several English language bookshops on the Costa Del Sol, possibly elsewhere but not sure.

However, maybe Madrid has some English language publishers that print English language books for academic purposes. I teach English here and I have a students book which was originally published in the UK but has been reprinted in Spain with Spanish translations added, so it maybe worth giving them a call. Mind you, once again they would probably want someone bilingual, but they may be interested in someone who could source appropriate English language material. (They are called Grupo Editorial Bruno).

Good luck whatever you decide.

Caz.I


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Had lunch with three friends in Murcia - a journo, a photographer and a videographer. Everything imploding - the number of, size of and readership of the expat publications. 

Much of what is done is done on contras. If you do speak Spanish "Intercambio" is a word you will know, if you don't it is a word you will learn. 

Sorry not to be more positive.


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## Xose (Dec 10, 2008)

Jay Slater said:


> Dear All,
> 
> I am new to this forum and it's good to be here!
> 
> ...


Hi Jay,
The world is your oyster when it comes to "where do I want to live" - in theory.
As a freelancer you could live anywhere and work for several UK based companies and avoid the mound of the hound of the baskervilles which is the Spanish market today.

There are a lot of freelance contact sites on the net. Try as many as you need to see what you could do without having to try and make a go of it with a Spanish media - unless of course you can end up working for the likes of Prisa, i.e. the big guns - but not likely without Spanish, which you wont need with the UK and American markets available online. I know the American market will be different when you get down to the detail in the language and practices, but who knows?

Hot Home Business: Proofreader/Copy Editor

Copy Editing Work from Home - Work at Home Jobs, Work from Home Jobs

Best of luck,
Xose


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Xose said:


> Hi Jay,
> The world is your oyster when it comes to "where do I want to live" - in theory.
> As a freelancer you could live anywhere and work for several UK based companies and avoid the mound of the hound of the baskervilles which is the Spanish market today.
> 
> ...


My ex husband is a freelance sub editor, journalist and author for major organisations and newspapers in the UK. I know that altho he works from home, he is required to visit their offices 3 or 4 times a month and is very much tied to the UK. According to him ( and I guess he wouldnt necessarily tell me the truth), the pay is appalling, certainly not enough to live on - not sure I believe a word tho!

Jo xxx


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## Caz.I (Mar 21, 2009)

jojo said:


> My ex husband is a freelance sub editor, journalist and author for major organisations and newspapers in the UK. I know that altho he works from home, he is required to visit their offices 3 or 4 times a month and is very much tied to the UK. According to him ( and I guess he wouldnt necessarily tell me the truth), the pay is appalling, certainly not enough to live on - not sure I believe a word tho!
> 
> Jo xxx



No, don't believe him. I used to work as a freelance sub editor in the UK and the pay certainly wasn't appalling - reasonably good, actually - and compared to wages round here (in Andalucia) would probably be considered a great salary!


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Caz.I said:


> No, don't believe him. I used to work as a freelance sub editor in the UK and the pay certainly wasn't appalling - reasonably good, actually - and compared to wages round here (in Andalucia) would probably be considered a great salary!


yeah, well I've kinda guessed that over years of trying to extract maintenance out of him!! But he's still adamant that he's as poor as a church mouse, eventho he got a fairly hefty redundancy from the Telegraph a few of years ago - and now works for them as a freelance, so nowt actually changed accept he no longer has to travel to London everyday and does the same job from home, along with a few other very poorly paid commisions!!!!!!

Jo xxx


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Sorry to see that the Evening Standard has gone freesheet. End of an era.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

SteveHall said:


> Sorry to see that the Evening Standard has gone freesheet. End of an era.


prints dead Steve LOL!!!!!

Jo xxx


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

jojo said:


> prints dead Steve LOL!!!!!
> 
> Jo xxx


It may be dead but they say they are more than doubling their print-run. Editorial content will be prostituted to the whims of the advertisers.......again


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

SteveHall said:


> It may be dead but they say they are more than doubling their print-run. Editorial content will be prostituted to the whims of the advertisers.......again


There used to be a limit to the ammount of ads per paper and the sale price didnt cover the cost of anything, more a token gesture! 


Like this forum and the advertising rules on here, ads are boring and too many of them dont make fun reading. Eventually too many ads reduce readership!

Things change and progress, sometimes for the better sometimes not, but "theres nowt as permenant as change"

Jo xxx


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Wow! Jojo and Steve are seen to agree 100% in public. 
There is hope for civilisation ...or at least a civilised cortado.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

SteveHall said:


> Wow! Jojo and Steve are seen to agree 100% in public.
> There is hope for civilisation ...or at least a civilised cortado.



You should always agree with me cos I'm always right!!!

Jo xxx


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Indeed. 

"Rules of the House" 

(1) Jojo is always right 

(2) When Jojo is wrong rule (1) will apply


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Jay Slater said:


> Dear All,
> 
> I am new to this forum and it's good to be here!
> 
> ...


 
Have just seen this. Seems to go against everything we've been saying ...
Costa Link Magazine - Costa del Sol Jobs


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Have just seen this. Seems to go against everything we've been saying ...
> Costa Link Magazine - Costa del Sol Jobs


There are ALWAYS commission-only advertising re vacancies. I can put anybody in touch with two companies who permanently interview. 

What there is not is contract/employment vacancies. 

OOps, three companies - just thought of another! 

Have a great week guys


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

SteveHall said:


> There are ALWAYS commission-only advertising re vacancies. I can put anybody in touch with two companies who permanently interview.
> 
> What there is not is contract/employment vacancies.
> 
> ...


I just meant that it *says* it's in expansion...


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

As Steve says there are always commission only tele sales/sales vacancies around. I had one for a couple of weeks, I made 60€ in the first week and nothing in the second week (mainly cos the phone system kept breaking down, which was why I left! They tell you that your potential earnings are extreemly good and that maybe possible - but the reality is nothing like. I've done telesales and sales in my dim and distant past and its a numbers game, the more you phone, the more chance you get, but ultimately, its a soul destroying job, you tend to make more in the first few weeks cos you're keen, but then it tails off and its simply not cost effective to even go to work, hense the high turn over. These jobs usually entail sitting at a phone with a list of phone numbers and you literally go down the list selling whatever it is the company produce - cold calling! 

You can make a reasonable living if you're tenacious and can keep up the momentum or really have a good product to sell, but its not a regular income and if you dont sell anything, you dont get paid anything!

Jo xxx


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Pesky Wesky said:


> I just meant that it *says* it's in expansion...


They ALL say that! 

"Company on its knees, shrinking circulation and reduced page numbers with appaling reputation for badly-edited chip wrapper is looking for some mug/newbie who may/may not get paid" translates to "Mega-global publishing emporium with inter-planetary development plans seeks professional sales person an untouchable executive package. Prestige publication much-valued by advertisers and readers alike ..." 

One thing that still seems to be happening is that new expat magazines seem to be popping up. I knew of YET another Costa del Sol magazine launching this month. At the same time the three "biggies"Costa del Sol News, Sur and The EWN have all lost page numbers ...and the Town-Crier gave up the fight completely at one stage. Good luck to them all. It's a far cry from when I first came here when people would fight for a copy of The Entertainer. It was available from the Beehive in Benalmádena ONLY to paying customers back in 1991. Happy days!


I have a list of expat media if anybody wants a list.


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## Suenneil (Feb 17, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> I just meant that it *says* it's in expansion...


Hi Pesky

Unfortunately "expansion" "growth" "increased demand" etc are often used by companies over here, they always have done ... and in my experience use it for a number of reasons;

1. It obviously make them sound good to potential recruits, existing readers, existing advertisers (they wont want to lose any business!)

2. Advertising as an expanding company encourages more applicants

3. Advertising as an expanding company over the past 12 months has usually been an indication of a high turnover of staff! (commission only jobs are everywhere - but in a lot of cases there is no real money to be earned .... so people start one week and leave in 2 .... and the next one starts and leaves ... and the next one ......

Seriously I know a lot of people in our area who constantly move from job to job - desperate to work, desperate to earn money - start at these places that are commssion only and rarely make a euro!

Im sure there are some out there that do make money ...... but not that many of them.

I had a meeting a month or so ago with a Publisher of an English Magazine here on the coast - and he paid his staff 600 euros a month!!!!! all of them were working 9 hours a day in drab offices, cold calling and not a chance of hitting the stupid targets that were being set ... meaning the 600 euros was it!!!

Sue x :ranger:


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Suenneil said:


> Hi Pesky
> 
> Unfortunately "expansion" "growth" "increased demand" etc are often used by companies over here, they always have done ... and in my experience use it for a number of reasons;
> 
> ...


 Cold calling is certainly not smth I'd get into because I'd be absolutely crap at it. I know a few people who have done it, usually as a temp job, because they couldn't stand more than a few months at a time doing it. I do know 1 young Spanish guy who was doing it for a year and was really successful. In fact after a few months he was a team leader and was then given firing and hiring responsibilities. I think he was the only one in the place who could really sell!!
Anyway, perhaps :focus:??


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## Caz.I (Mar 21, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Have just seen this. Seems to go against everything we've been saying ...
> Costa Link Magazine - Costa del Sol Jobs


Never heard of this one before, but with editorial as thin as that (a few jokes, and one or two snippets of gossip), I guess they are going to be shrinking rather than expanding. At least most of the other free newspapers and magazines have something to read.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Caz.I said:


> Never heard of this one before, but with editorial as thin as that (a few jokes, and one or two snippets of gossip), I guess they are going to be shrinking rather than expanding. At least most of the other free newspapers and magazines have something to read.


Thats the trouble with adverts, they're so damn boring that when a newspaper has too many, it maybe profitable for them but it'll be short lived cos no one will read the thing and then the advertisers will go. You need the news, gossip and info to attract readers, not adverts. Its a fine line for publications that have to rely on adverts to finance them

Jo xxx


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## Caz.I (Mar 21, 2009)

jojo said:


> Thats the trouble with adverts, they're so damn boring that when a newspaper has too many, it maybe profitable for them but it'll be short lived cos no one will read the thing and then the advertisers will go. You need the news, gossip and info to attract readers, not adverts. Its a fine line for publications that have to rely on adverts to finance them
> 
> Jo xxx


Exactly. There's too many "entrepreneurs" who think sticking a bunch of adverts together in a magazine format is a winning formula for business success.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

giorgioarmani said:


> Wow what a fantastic discussion!
> 
> I'm impressed and very interested in reading the views and opinions on print media in Spain.
> 
> ...


Did we??? EEEK... PM me on here... I think???, I've had such trouble with my e-mail

jo xxx


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