Correct way to fill out a template for a magazine publisher?

March 9, 2007 12:36 PM

A technical question that's probably easy-peasy for those in the know: I have to use a template to send Word documents to a magazine publisher for a publication I'm working on. Only problem is, I'm not 100% sure of the correct format.

So let's say the template looks like this:

MagTitle Chapeau The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

MagTitle Heading Quick brown fox!

MagTitle Lead. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

MagTitle Credits by the Quick Brown Fox

So should the filled-out template then look like this - with "MagTitle Chapeau" and so on left IN the document?

MagTitle Chapeau This would be the chapeau

MagTitle Heading A great heading!

MagTitle Lead. If you want to know about this, you should read this article!

MagTitle Credits by different

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I'm 99% sure I've got it right, but I guess I want to be 100% and Google hasn't been a lot of help. It's been a while since I've worked on a mag and I'm loath to display my ignorance to the client unless absolutely necessary.

Oh, and thanks!

posted by different to Grab Bag (3 answers total)

Depends on the publisher, but if their template is plain-text based, I'd say, "Yes."

Incidentally, you won't look ignorant if you ask your editor. You'll look like an author who wants to make your editor's life as easy as possible. :)
posted by Merdryn at 1:09 PM on March 9, 2007

Yes, please ask your editor. As an editor who has been on the receiving end of such documents, I was always delighted to hear from an author who need help using the template correctly - it saved time and trouble for everyone.
posted by rtha at 6:52 PM on March 9, 2007

Response by poster: Thank you both kindly!
posted by different at 5:21 PM on March 11, 2007