Chief Sub-editor

Subbing is one of the most crucial stages in the production of any publication. As a chief sub, you are required to be part of the team that painstakingly checks all content to ensure that the style is suitable to Activate and the section without limiting individual style. Subs also check for any grammatical or spelling errors and that consistency in format (dates, times etc.) is maintained throughout.

As chief-sub editor, all the final decisions fall ultimately to you. Although you will have a team of subs working with you, it is your responsibility to make 100% sure that all the subs are subbing everything to the same standard. It’s essential to keep your team dedicated and motivated. Subs who simply glance over pages quickly because they’re too lazy to think of a better phrase for ‘in order to’ are not worth having on your team, so train and encourage them to do things properly.

The chief sub is responsible for keeping the Activate Style Guide up to date and ensuring that all writers and subs make use of it! It is his/her responsibility to know the existing style guide off by heart (No, we’re kidding. Just know it well. Really well). You will quite likely find that there is a word, phrase or agenda that isn’t currently covered in the style guide. It’s your job to make a decision on what style or format will be used and to add it to the guide. If you can get all the writers to stick to the style guide, your job will be much easier!

When the new batch of subs arrive in February, it is the chief sub’s job to arrange workshops and training to ensure that all the subs are familiar with the subbing symbols in the style guide and know how to correct common errors.

The Assistant Chief Sub-editor’s position fills the same as the chief sub, although the final responsibilities fall to the chief sub.

How it works: meetings, subbing sessions, and what happens on paste-up

Meetings

Activate is produced every two weeks. Every Monday there is a meeting for all the staff. That includes the news, sports, features, African affairs, arts & entertainment and pictures editors; the head designer; the chief and assistant chief sub; the marketing and advertising managers and the executive committee. At the first meeting of the cycle, the previous weekend’s paste-up is evaluated and preliminary story ideas are pitched for the next edition. On the following Monday, all stories, pictures, graphics and cartoons are finalised.

Subbing Sessions

African Affairs and Features are subbed on the Wednesday night during the second week of the production cycle, and Sports and A&E the next Thursday. Because of the nature of news, we sub it as late as possible, usually early on Saturday morning of a paste-up weekend.

Keep in touch with your team via email and remind them when you’re going to be subbing. Keep an attendance register; you’ll need it at the end of the year when subs ask for reference letters.

The content editor will edit the stories for satisfactory content and have them printed and ready for you and your team to start subbing by 7pm on a Wednesday and Thursday night. Once each story has been carefully subbed by about three subs, the chief and assistant chief sub can begin the process of making the relevant changes on the computer. This means that long after your subs have gone to bed, you’ll be tearing your hair out looking for synonyms (or rolling on the floor laughing at some of our writers’ idiosyncratic styles!).

Put all the subbed content into a clearly marked file on the computer so the designers can access it easily.

Paste-up

We aim to print at least three drafts of every page so that by the time the paper goes to the printers on Monday morning, everything is perfect. You can expect to be in the office all Saturday, Sunday and Sunday night during paste-up. It’s crucial that there is a sub in the office throughout paste-up to clarify changes with the designers and the editor. You’ll often have to cut paragraphs or write an extra few lines so that stories fit on the page.

The kind of person you need to be

The chief and assistant chief sub-editor need an eye for detail, a good grasp of English grammar, efficiency, dedication and a willingness to work long hours. If you’re going to survive a year as a sub, you’ll also need a good sense of humour. You need to be able to train and work with a team, many of whom are just doing it to get into J2. The chief sub and his/her assistant need to get on well – you’ll be spending a lot of time together. You need to be confident and able to criticise writers for poor work and section editors for not getting stories in by deadline. You must be able to take criticism constructively. If can do all this and keep your head while those about you are losing theirs, you will be a sub, my son/daughter.