It's hard to ignore the fact that today is Election Day in the U.S.&—the papers, TV and the Internet are full of election coverage, and some employees are coming in late after waiting in long lines to vote. Yet here at The Writer, we're editing stories for issues coming out next year, in January and February. Working so far in advance, we're always aware of a certain disconnect with the calendar. Here we are a few days after Halloween, basking in near-record warmth—it's Indian Summer in the Milwaukee area—and the stories we're working on will see the light of day at the height of the cold and gloomy winter.

The December issue, which is arriving in stores and homes now, was put together when late summer vacations were in full swing. This is, of course, a roundabout way of reminding everyone that magazines work months ahead of the publication date, and so time-sensitive queries (on seasonal and date-specific topics) should be sent at least six months in advance of the target issue. This allows editorial staffs time to consider the query, to assign and receive the manuscript, to edit and produce the final work—and to allow for magazine production, printing and shipping. There's so much involved in getting an issue to print, and it all starts with the writers who produce the content that makes it happen.

--Jeff Reich, editor

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