Length of Journal and Other Tips
The printing process allows us 128 pages in length for journals. However, we are encouraging journal editors to limit the number of pages to 48 to 80 pages in most cases.
The printing process requires journal length to be a multiple of four pages, including the covers—for example, 60, 64, 68 and so on.
To figure out how many pages your collected articles will fill, a rough guide is that two pages of double-spaced 12-point type in Word (similar to the layout of this “article”) is equivalent to one page laid out in InDesign.
In determining the length of the journal, keep in mind the eventual space you will leave around articles, how much art will appear on each page, and so on.
Remember that people learn in different ways and take this into account as much as possible in editing and planning your journal.
Most people have reading issues of one kind or another. An excellent presentation of the best articles might be more important than fitting in a lot of them. Many people won't read everything. Many people will just skim through the journal and read what captures their attention. It's partly a question of the purpose of the journal: how much is it to be like a reference? How important is easy, aesthetic, enjoyable reading? And so on.
Editors at Rational Island do additional editing after we get the articles from the editors. All editors involved should cut out any unnecessary “padding” in an article so that the main point is clear. This also saves space. It’s okay to edit mercilessly.
Consider relying on Present Time to get wider readership for important articles, which will also make it possible to have a shorter journal.
Katie Kauffman