Fishbowl Five + 1 with Amy Astley, Editor-in-Chief of <i>Teen Vogue</I>

Amy Astley has the rare distinction of being handpicked by Vogue matriarch Anna Wintour to take the reins of sister pub Teen Vogue. Astley was just 34 when she was given the lofty title of editor-in-chief, and she’s held on to it for the last 11 years, while earning the mag Adweek’s Startup of the Year award, growing circulation to nearly a million right off the bat, and inspiring countless budding fashionistas along the way. With the newly released edition of The Teen Vogue Handbook: An Insider’s Guide To Careers in Fashion, Astley and her team are dispensing their best career advice for newbies hoping to join their glamorous ranks. Here, she shares her top tips with Mediabistro on breaking into the competitive industry. FBNY: How can a young journalist make a good first impression with an editor? Astley: The thing that resonates the most with me is a good attitude. Every boss is different, but for me if someone is energetic, cheerful, excited to be there -- I can forgive a lot of mistakes. That’s not true for every boss. But for me, their attitude is really, really important. FBNY: What’s one not-so-obvious skill you need to succeed in fashion journalism? Astley: I don’t know if it’s not-so-obvious, but I think that anyone young should be completely, 100 percent fluent on as many platforms of social media as they possibly can be. What I’ve found is that many senior editors (myself included) will look to younger staff for advice and feedback on social. It’s an area that young people can really kind of own. It’s less of a learned skill and more of a native, intuitive thing for them because they grew up with it. Now in fashion, there is so much sharing on social media. Fashion used to have a veil of secrecy and mystery pulled around it. Now, the veil has lifted and social media has a lot to do with it. But really any kind of unexpected skill is a huge plus. I’m thrilled when I have people on my staff who are incredibly knowledgeable about art or photography or music. Any time we have people with a hidden passion or interest or skill, it’s incredibly useful. FBNY: What are your tips for moving up the masthead? Astley: The editors who move up on the masthead for me are people who show they’re eager to take on more work, and that they can work beyond the framework of their job title. If I see someone who’s really stretching themselves and eager to take on more, you start to think about them in a different way. You have confidence that they can handle it. You have to show that you want more, that’s a key thing. FBNY: What pitching tips do you have for freelance writers? Astley: The more [freelancers] can do to tailor their pitch, to make it very specific, to reach out to the correct editor (which takes research), the better. Really do your homework. Get it to the right person. It wastes everyone’s time to go to the wrong person with the idea. Study what the magazine seems to like, and what it avoids. Your pitch should be brief, with good examples. FBNY: What advice do you have for writers hoping to hone their voice? Astley: You have to find your own voice, and it’s difficult. You need to know that it can take some time. Using someone else’s voice isn’t going to get you anywhere, because they already exist. You have to write a lot, even if it’s something that never gets published. Write for your own blog, write captions on Instagram. Ask friends and family for their opinions. People like Lena Dunham, who emerged practically fully-formed straight out of college, that’s rare. Don’t get discouraged. You can take your time. Not everyone has to be a wunderkind, super-successful at age 22 or 25. FBNY: Tell me about The Teen Vogue Handbook. Astley: So, this is the new edition, it’s 90 percent new material. The first edition was published in 2009 and in the ensuing five years the industry has changed so much that we really felt it was due for an update, mostly because of all the new digital jobs. When I put the book together in 2008, there weren't any fashion bloggers of note (I know, it’s hard to believe!) We didn’t have the job of social media manager in our book, because it didn't exist. Now, that’s such an important role, and I want to make sure kids know about it. The Handbook was originally inspired by the readers themselves. They all asked me the same questions over and over, and I felt they deserved meaningful feedback. They’d say, ‘Where did you go to college? Where should I go to college? How do I become an editor? How do I become a stylist?’ They’re so interested, and the information just wasn’t out there. I think the book is very inspiring and informative. It’s practical and it’s dreamy, like Teen Vogue. I had a lot of fun working on it and I hope our readers love it.

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Fishbowl Five + 1 with Amy Astley, Editor-in-Chief of Teen Vogue

Aneya Fernando

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Aneya Fernando