Hip Hop in Print: The Editor: Courtney Carerras (YRB Editor-in-Chief)
Website: YRB.US
“Keep the rolodex full if you’re plan on being an editor. Constantly reach out to new writers, take submissions, even take personal time to read submissions because they’ll always pitch ideas to you.”
Halftime: What’s the science behind the name Yellow Rat Bastard and how did you first hook up with the Mag?
Courtney Carrerras: The name was there way before I got involved with them. It started out as a clothing store down in Soho. The store was doing really well way, they decided to do a catalog and that spawned into a having one or two interviews in it and the concept of being its own publication was birthed from that. I used to own The 411, a hip-hop trade publication kinda like the Hollywood Reporter. I created it with three business partners and did everything from A-Z to get it out there and from there I just started to do freelance writing. I was editor-at-large for the Source for three years. I did their Timeout column and Source Sports. Honestly, I would just go to newsstands, bring a notebook and write down the names of other magazines. I saw Yellow Rat Bastard and I sent my clips to them. They called me, said they liked my work, and asked if I would do freelance for them. I did a couple covers for them and my payments were late, so I wouldn’t do anything for them anymore. Then I was in LA for five months about a year ago and I had just came back in January and somehow the publisher heard I was back in New York and he offered me the editor in chief position. We sat and had breakfast and I said yea.
And now the checks come on time.
Courtney: Yea, he paid me what he owed me when I came back to New York because I was the devil on the phone.
I did a story for a mag before and it took them like a year to pay me my money, I don’t fuck with them anymore.
Courtney: Yea, half the time it’s not intentional. It’s just that the material might look nice and the distribution might look good but most magazines are in the rut. That’s the honest truth.
What are your basic responsibilities and day-to-day duties as the editor in chief?
Courtney: Well because the magazine is independently funded and it’s self-published I do just about everything. When I first came in there, I revamped what the entire magazine was going to look like. I decided departments for the actual publication like the Radar Section, The Jump Off, the leads that go into the Big Well Section, the book reviews and music reviews because it didn’t have any of that. So, I had to incorporate that. My day to day is just making sure I have a theme for each issue. I have to hit all the PR people, get to them and send letters. I need an assistant. I wind up doing the invoicing.
What’s the basic formula you use to layout the entire issue?
Courtney: I have an editorial team and I just make sure everyone is responsible for their section. My photo editor will do a huge photo editorial but I make sure I go to the shoot. Everything that’s happening I’m the first and last look. Nothing should slide by me. It’s the editor in chief’s job to look at the whole magazine as a book. It’s gotta have personality that the audience is expecting. My fashion guy might have the flyest fashion but it doesn’t make any sense with the issue I created so I have to keep everybody on the same page. I even do the paginating. I paginate the ads into the magazine and that’s not supposed to be the editor’s job. I just don’t trust anybody else to do it so I do it. I organize the issue release parties we have and get the sponsors for it. I just do everything for this magazine.
