What do you really need an editor for? The thought can easily occur in regard to the thought, that an editor edits articles that others submit. The articles are finished, right? Shouldn't they just be put in the magazine?
No, it's usually not that easy. Actually never. The articles must undergo thorough processing. What are they about? How is the content arranged? And how well does the writer use the language?
Editing is like cooking a meal. You have all the ingredients. Now they must be put together and treated with good taste!
The first step is to sort. My thesis is that articles can be advantageously shortened by a third. Redundant introductory maneuvers must go. The writer's own views and opinions equally.
The sorting also applies to the material as a whole. What is the distribution between editorial, features and news articles? There must be room for good pictures, so that the feature becomes an eye-catcher that draws the reader. Is the editor too long – it usually is – and have you remembered all the important news and upcoming activities?
You know how much space you dispose of? In order that the magazine pages does not become a wall of jumbled text, you have to sort through the substance and content of each article.
You must secure that right from the start. All the way from when you ask a writer for material for the magazine.
Kill your darlings.