What is a magazine's MASTHEAD and where can I find it in the magazine?!
Question:
What is a magazine's MASTHEAD and where can I find it in the magazine?
Answers:
Think of the masthead as the directory of the magazine. It's where you can find the staff. In most magazines, the masthead is located AFTER the table of contents. Typically, there are a few ads between the TOC and the masthead. Most women's mags place it very close to the letter from the editor.
The first page of the masthead deals with the staff that works the creative angle of the magazine. The second page deals with those who handle the business side. So, focus on the first page.
It's important that you know the hierarchy of the publishing staff. The most important person is listed first and down the food chain. The first person listed is the Editor-in-Chief. NEVER contact the EIC. First of all, he/she will never receive it and if by some miracle they do, the EIC doesn't deal with that aspect. Send the press release to a lower staff member.
Most mags break up the masthead by departments. Listing the highest staff member also holds true in the individual departments as well. The editor comes first, then deputy/assistant editors, etc, so on and so forth.
In order to effectively communicate with the publishing world, you have to know how it operates. Otherwise, you're going to run into some roadblocks. Do you have a partner? Someone who can help with the marketing/advertising aspect of your business. You need someone who can speak the lingo....
Once more, best of luck to you!