Lead Like an Editor: Hire Passionate Teams, Tell Stories That Inspire, and Build Brands People Love

by Victor Maze

Overview

"In today's crowded marketplace, selling a quality product is not enough. To stand out, businesses must tell compelling stories and build relationships with potential customers--and prospective employees--who have become evermore discerning, supporting companies that align with their own values. While this may seem daunting, it can be done. In fact, magazine editors have mastered these skills for decades, creating trusted brands that attract loyal followers in their longtime readers and dedicated staffers, who often live out the messages of the publications in their own lives. With more than two decades of experience building brands at the world's largest media companies, Victor Maze pulls back the curtain, revealing the leadership secrets of top editors--many of whom have gone on to run the content and marketing departments of major corporations ranging from Netflix to Nike. Lead Like an Editor transforms the way you lead people, tell stories, and achieve success."--

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781966045007
Publisher:	Be Amazed Group, Inc.
Publication date:	11/13/2024
Pages:	300
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

Victor Maze is an award-winning creative director and journalist who has spent the past two decades leading art teams at the world's largest publishers. He currently serves as creative director of VERANDA, the luxury design brand owned by Hearst, and was previously design director at COASTAL LIVING and art director at PARENTING. Outside of work, Victor's passions include travel, pop culture, and theater.

Editorial Reviews

2024-12-27
An editor offers a new framework for business success.

At first, readers might be puzzled by the title of Maze’s nonfiction debut. Lead like an editor? Does that mean frantically dealing with last-minute deadlines, or pampering freelance writers who couldn’t pick a past participle out of a police lineup? The author has a more fundamental idea in mind: “All brands—from shiny tech start-ups to centuries-old banking institutions—seek new and authentic ways to connect with consumers. It’s not an easy thing to do, but for editors, it comes naturally.” Maze has worked on the staffs of several magazines (and is currently creative director atVERANDA Magazine), and in these pages he contends that the skills of editors—including meeting deadlines, reaching customers, writing good copy, and adapting to changing industries—are exactly what entrepreneurs need today to put their own stamps on their fields. In fact, Maze refers to his approach as MY STAMP, an acronym for “Mindset,” “Yourself,” “Structure,” “Team,” “Audience,” “Message,” and “Product.” As he elaborates on each of these elements, the author draws on experiences he’s had at various magazines, from a student production at Northwestern to the laid-back atmosphere atCoastal Living, where “we literally toasted ourselves at every possible occasion.” Each chapter is furnished with bullet points and key takeaways, but the book’s main strength is Maze’s upbeat, friendly presence on the page. He displays all the savvy of a magazine veteran, but none of the off-putting cynicism, which will make his advice more accessible to new entrepreneurs. Too much of his counsel feels over-familiar; he writes, “Make sure each team member is truly suited for the tasks you assign,” for instance, and “Know your audience.” But Maze makes a compelling project of mapping editorial values onto the business world—and he’ll certainly gain a few recruits to the ranks of editors.

An intriguing, genre-jumping look at the basics of management.

Kirkus Reviews