Getting it all together

When contributors contact the Editor of the RSA Review, they are surprised to learn that the Review does not have a permanent staff of people, or an office within the National Headquarters of the RNZRSA.

We have taken this opportunity to explain how the Review is produced, so that you as readers and hopefully contributors can appreciate the process.

	THE TEAM: (back row from left) Margaret Snow (Welfare & Pensions), Ann Heath (Distribution), Margaret Broughton (Last Post, Reunion Diary). Front row: Editor Paul Harrison and Advertising Manager John Ellison. Absent: Pat Herbert (CEO) and MaryAnn Spillane (Accounts).

The Review Editor (Paul Harrison) and Advertising Manager (John Ellison) are contractors, who work on each issue of the Review as required. Supporting them are several members of the RNZRSA National Office who have as secondary duties the need to provide copy for specific sections (see photograph caption for details).

The production process for each Review commences immediately following the printing of the previous issue. The Editor flags material that has been held over because of space constrictions and then commences the collection of new material for any feature or important issues that may be relevant for the next issue.

Working in consultation with the RNZRSA CEO Path Herbert, key issues are identified and background material is obtained.
In the meantime a myriad of letters, e-mails, faxes, are arriving from RSA Members and the general public seeking assistance (Lost Trail, Reunions, Unclassified Section,) or providing material for consideration (personal anecdotes, feature items etc)

Approximately six weeks prior to the next printing date, the Editor, CEO and the Advertising Manager have discussion on the major content, then the Editor commences allocating space on the template for the issue.

Once the Advertising Manager has confirmed space required for adverts (the key means of offsetting production costs) the Editor can then finalise the final layout and priority of order for items.

At two weeks from the printing date, the Editor makes the final allocation of material for the issue and articles that have been prepared, e-mails, letters and faxes converted into an electronic word processing format are completed. Submitted photographs, and other images are also converted into an electronic format for insertion.

The Advertising Manager is also busy using the same range of software to prepare the advertising pages, designing and/or converting submitted material into the formats used by the Review. He then e-mails the completed pages to the Editor for insertion onto the Review template.

The final pieces of the Review to arrive are the Reunion Diary and Last Post listings. Once these are incorporated, the final 28 or 32 pages are electronically “laid” up by the Editor, proofed and then all pages are converted into an electronic format for forwarding to the printers at Hastings.

The Review is sent to the printers on a CD ROM all ready for printing in the final version. From the CD ROM the printers produce printing film, make final checks for colour balances, and then feed the film into the printing presses for the 100–105,000 copies required.

The number of copies to be printed is determined by Ann Heath at the RNZRSA National Office, and is drawn from the current membership listings at that time, and the additional copies distributed to other organisations outside of the RSA membership.

Meanwhile, back at Wellington, the process for the production of the next issue of the Review commences.