Magazine Issue Management

1. Simple Feature Overview

The Magazine Issue Management system lets your team create, assemble, review, publish, and archive digital magazine issues — all from the Admin Console. Each issue is a curated collection of articles that readers can browse as a single publication on the Reader Portal.

What You Can Do

How an Issue Reaches Readers

Create Issue (Admin Console)
    ↓
Add Articles & Configure Details
    ↓
Move through workflow: Draft → Building → Review → Approved
    ↓
Publish Now  — or —  Schedule for Later
    ↓
Issue syncs to CMS (Strapi) automatically
    ↓
Reader Portal shows the issue on the Issues page and Issue Detail page
    ↓
Subscribers receive an email notification (if they opted in)

2. Who Should Use This Feature

Permissions Required

Magazine issue management uses the following permissions. Your admin role must have the relevant ones enabled under Admin Settings > Roles > [Your Role].

If you cannot see "Magazine" in the left sidebar or the "Create Issue" button is missing, ask your administrator to check your role's permissions.

3. Before You Begin

Checklist

• You have an admin account on the Hyphen Admin Console
• Your role has the appropriate Issues permissions (see table above)
• You can access the Reader Portal URL to verify published issues
• Articles you want to include in an issue are already created (and ideally already published) in the Content Management module
• Cover images and hero images are already uploaded to the Media Library (or you have them ready to upload)
• If you plan to use subscriber notifications, confirm that email templates are seeded in the system (this is typically done during initial setup)

Where to Find Everything

All magazine issue features are under the Magazine group in the Admin Console left sidebar:

Dependencies on Other Modules

Magazine issues depend on several other parts of the platform:

4. Key Terms in Simple Language

5. Step-by-Step Setup Guide

5.1 Creating a New Magazine Issue

Where to Go

Magazine > Issues in the left sidebar, then click the "Create Issue" button in the top-right corner.

Steps

The creation form has 4 steps. You move between steps using the Next and Previous buttons at the bottom.

Step 1 — Basic Information

1. Title (required): Enter the issue name. Example: Spring 2026 — Climate & Environment.
2. Issue Number (required): Enter a unique number for this issue. Example: 12.
3. URL Slug (required): This auto-fills based on the title, but you can edit it. It will appear after /issues/ in the Reader Portal URL. Example: spring-2026-climate-environment.
4. Volume (optional): Enter a volume number if your magazine uses volumes. Example: 5.
5. Frequency: Select from the dropdown — Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Half-Yearly, Yearly, or Special Edition. If you leave this blank, no frequency label is shown.
6. Theme (optional): A short phrase describing the issue's focus. Example: Climate & Environment.
7. Description (optional): A brief overview of what this issue contains. Shown on the Reader Portal.
8. Editor's Note (optional): A message from the editor. Shown on the issue detail page.

Click Next to proceed.

Step 2 — Cover & Media

1. Cover Image: Click the dashed-border area to open the media picker. Select or upload an image. This is the "front cover" of the issue.
2. Hero Image (optional): A wider banner image for the top of the issue detail page. Click to select.
3. Cover Date Label (optional): A human-readable date shown on the cover. Example: March/April 2026.

Click Next to proceed.

Step 3 — Configuration

1. Reader Mode: Choose how articles are presented to readers:
   • Article List — Traditional table of contents with article links (recommended for most issues).
   • Flipbook — A page-turning digital magazine experience.
   • Dual Spread — Two-page magazine spread layout.
2. Access Level: Choose who can read this issue:
   • Free — Anyone can read.
   • Restricted Free — Soft paywall (readers see a prompt but can continue).
   • Premium Limited — Only premium plan subscribers.
   • Subscriber Only — Only paid subscribers.
3. SEO Title (optional): A title optimized for search engines. If left blank, the issue title is used.
4. SEO Description (optional): A brief summary for search engine results.

Click Next to proceed.

Step 4 — Review

A summary of everything you entered is displayed in a two-column layout. Review all fields.

• If anything needs changing, click Previous to go back to the relevant step.
• When satisfied, click the "Create Issue" button at the bottom.

The issue is created in Draft status. You are redirected to the issue detail page where you can add articles and continue setup.

5.2 Understanding Issue Status and Workflow

Every issue moves through a series of statuses. The current status is shown as a colored badge on the issue detail page, and a visual workflow stepper at the top shows your progress.

Allowed Transitions

Draft  →  Building  →  Under Review  →  Approved  →  Published
                              ↓                ↓
                          Building          Scheduled → Published
                          (send back)                     ↓
                                                       Archived
                                                          ↓
                                                        Draft
                                                      (restore)

5.3 Editing an Existing Issue

Where to Go

Magazine > Issues → click on the issue title (or the View / Edit option in the three-dot menu).

The Issue Detail Page

The issue detail page has 5 tabs:

How to Edit

1. Open the issue detail page.
2. Switch to the Overview tab (this is the default).
3. Change any field — title, description, theme, cover image, etc.
4. Click the "Save Changes" button that appears in the top-right corner when you have unsaved changes.

Note: You can edit most fields when the issue is in Draft, Building, or Under Review status. Once an issue is Published or Archived, some fields may be restricted.

5.4 Adding Articles to an Issue (Table of Contents)

Where to Go

Issue detail page → Table of Contents tab.

Steps

1. Click the "Add Articles" button at the top of the Table of Contents tab.
2. A Select Articles dialog opens.
3. Search for articles by typing in the search box (e.g., climate fiction or an author name).
4. The search results show each article's title, status (Published or Draft), author, and content type (Fiction, Poetry, Essay, etc.).
5. Check the box next to each article you want to add.
6. Click "Add Selected ([count])" at the bottom of the dialog.
7. The selected articles appear in the Table of Contents list, numbered in sequence order.

Tip: Articles that are already in the issue are excluded from the search results, so you won't accidentally add duplicates.

Important: For the Publish Checklist to pass, all articles in the issue should be in a Published state. If you add Draft articles, you will see a warning during validation.

5.5 Configuring Per-Article Settings Inside an Issue

Each article added to an issue can have additional settings specific to how it appears in that issue. These are accessed through the three-dot menu (⋮) next to each article in the Table of Contents.

To remove a Featured or Cover Story flag, open the same three-dot menu and select "Remove Featured" or "Remove Cover Story".

5.6 Reordering Articles

Articles in the Table of Contents are displayed in a numbered sequence. To change the order:

1. Go to the Table of Contents tab.
2. Find the article you want to move.
3. Use the up arrow (↑) and down arrow (↓) buttons on the left side of the article row.
4. Each click moves the article one position up or down.
5. The sequence numbers update automatically.

The order you set here is the order readers will see on the issue detail page in the Reader Portal.

5.7 Removing an Article from an Issue

1. Go to the Table of Contents tab.
2. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) next to the article you want to remove.
3. Select "Remove" (shown in red).
4. The article is removed from the issue. It is not deleted from the system — it remains available as a standalone article and can be re-added later.

5.8 Moving an Issue Through the Workflow

Workflow actions appear as buttons near the status badge at the top of the issue detail page. The available buttons change depending on the current status.

Important: When transitioning, the relevant admin team members receive in-app notifications. For example, submitting for review notifies reviewers, and approving notifies the issue creator.

5.9 Running the Publish Checklist (Validation)

Before publishing, the system runs a set of automated checks to confirm the issue is ready.

Where to Go

Issue detail page → Publishing tab.

Steps

1. Click the "Validate" button (or "Recheck" if you have already run a validation).
2. The system checks several conditions and displays the results in a Publish Checklist card.

What Gets Checked

• Errors (red ❌) block publishing. You must fix them before you can publish.
• Warnings (amber ⚠️) do not block publishing but are recommended to address.
• If everything passes, you see: "All checks passed — Ready to publish" (green ✅).

Tip: For already-published issues, this tab shows "Health Check" instead of "Publish Validation" — same checks, different framing.

5.10 Publishing an Issue Manually

Prerequisites

• The issue must be in Approved status.
• The Publish Checklist should show no errors.

Steps

1. Go to the issue detail page.
2. Click the "Publish Now" button (shown with a green/primary color and a send icon).
3. The system:
   • Runs the Publish Checklist one more time automatically.
   • If validation passes, updates the issue status to Published.
   • Syncs the issue to the CMS (Strapi) so it appears on the Reader Portal.
   • Sends email notifications to subscribers who have new content notifications enabled.
   • Creates in-app notifications for relevant admin team members.
4. The status badge changes to "Published" and the published date appears in the Information panel.

What Happens Behind the Scenes

• The issue and all its article associations are synced to Strapi.
• The Reader Portal picks up the new issue within 60 seconds (due to revalidation).
• Subscribers with newContent email preference enabled receive a branded email with the issue title, theme, article count, cover image, and a "Read Now" link.
• If subscribers have topic preferences set, they only receive the notification if the issue contains articles matching their interests.

5.11 Scheduling an Issue for Future Publication

Prerequisites

• The issue must be in Approved status.

Steps

1. Go to the issue detail page.
2. Click the "Schedule" button (shown with a purple tint and a calendar icon).
3. A "Schedule Publication" dialog opens.
4. Select a date and time in the future using the date-time picker.
   • The dialog validates that the selected time is in the future. If you pick a past time, an error message appears.
5. Click "Schedule" to confirm.
6. The issue status changes to Scheduled, and the scheduled date/time appears near the status badge.

What Happens at the Scheduled Time

• A cron job (publish-scheduled-issues) runs periodically (typically every 5 minutes).
• When the scheduled time has passed, the cron job:
  1. Finds the issue and runs the Publish Checklist.
  2. If validation passes, publishes the issue (same as manual publish — Strapi sync, subscriber notifications, the works).
  3. If validation fails (e.g., all articles were unpublished in the meantime), the issue is reverted to Approved status and the schedule is cleared. An error is logged.

Cancelling a Schedule

If the issue is in Scheduled status and you need to cancel:

1. The workflow actions area will show an option to cancel/unschedule (returning to Approved).
2. The scheduled date is cleared and the issue is ready for you to publish manually or reschedule.

5.12 Archiving or Unpublishing an Issue

When an issue is no longer current, you can archive it.

Steps

1. Go to the issue detail page (the issue must be in Published status).
2. Click the "Archive" button.
3. The issue status changes to Archived.
4. The issue is unpublished from Strapi, which means it is removed from active display on the Reader Portal.

Note: Archived issues may still appear in the archive/back-issues section of the Reader Portal depending on your page template configuration. The key difference is that archived issues are no longer promoted as current.

5.13 Restoring an Archived Issue

If you need to bring an archived issue back:

1. Go to the issue detail page (the issue is in Archived status).
2. Click "Restore to Draft".
3. The issue returns to Draft status. You can then edit it, move it through the workflow again, and republish.

5.14 Configuring SEO Settings

Where to Go

Issue detail page → SEO tab.

Fields

1. SEO Title: Enter a search-engine-optimized title (up to 60 characters). A character counter shows your progress. If left blank, the issue title is used.
2. SEO Description: Enter a summary for search results (up to 160 characters). A character counter is shown. If left blank, the issue description is used.
3. Canonical URL: If this issue is also published at another URL, enter the canonical URL here. Example: https://example.com/issues/spring-2026.

Search Preview

Below the fields, a Search Preview box shows how the issue will appear in search engine results:

• Title (blue, underlined) — from SEO Title or issue title
• URL (green) — from the issue slug
• Description (gray) — from SEO Description or issue description

Click "Save Changes" to save your SEO settings.

5.15 Viewing Issue Analytics

Where to Go

Issue detail page → Analytics tab.

What You'll See

• Summary cards at the top showing:

  • Total Views
  • Total Shares
  • Total Comments
  • Article Count

• Article Performance Table below, with columns:

  • Article name
  • Views
  • Shares
  • Comments

This data is aggregated across all articles in the issue. It is available for Published and Archived issues.

6. How to Verify It Worked

6.1 Verify in the Admin Console

6.2 Verify in the Reader Portal

After publishing an issue, check the Reader Portal (allow up to 60 seconds for the page to refresh):

6.3 Verify Subscriber Notifications

After publishing an issue:

1. Check with a test subscriber account that has new content email notifications enabled.
2. The subscriber should receive an email with:
   • Subject: New Issue: [Issue Title] — [Site Name]
   • Body containing: cover image, issue title, theme, article count, and a "Read Now" button linking to the issue.
3. If the subscriber has topic preferences set, verify they only receive the email if the issue contains matching content.
4. Subscribers with new content notifications disabled should not receive the email.

6.4 Verify Scheduled Publishing

1. Schedule an issue for a time in the near future (e.g., 10 minutes from now).
2. Verify the issue shows Scheduled status with the correct date/time.
3. Wait for the scheduled time to pass (plus up to 5 minutes for the cron job to run).
4. Refresh the issue detail page. The status should now be Published.
5. Check the Reader Portal — the issue should be visible.
6. Check subscriber notifications — they should have been sent.

7. Worked Examples

7.1 Example 1: Creating and Publishing a Monthly Issue

Scenario: You are the managing editor at Hyphen Magazine. It's time to publish the March 2026 issue, which focuses on climate and environment.

Step-by-step:

1. Go to Magazine > Issues and click "Create Issue".
2. Step 1 — Basic Information:
   • Title: March 2026 — Climate & Environment
   • Issue Number: 15
   • Slug: march-2026-climate-environment (auto-generated, adjust if needed)
   • Volume: 3
   • Frequency: Monthly
   • Theme: Climate & Environment
   • Description: Our March issue explores the intersection of literature and the climate crisis, featuring new fiction, poetry, and essays from leading voices in environmental writing.
   • Editor's Note: This issue has been a labor of love. We are proud to present twelve powerful pieces that grapple with our relationship to the natural world.
3. Step 2 — Cover & Media:
   • Upload a cover image (a striking nature photograph or illustration).
   • Upload a hero image (a wider landscape banner).
   • Cover Date Label: March 2026
4. Step 3 — Configuration:
   • Reader Mode: Article List
   • Access Level: Restricted Free
   • SEO Title: March 2026: Climate & Environment Issue — Hyphen Magazine
   • SEO Description: Explore fiction, poetry, and essays about the climate crisis in Hyphen Magazine's March 2026 issue.
5. Step 4 — Review: Check everything, then click "Create Issue".
6. You are now on the issue detail page in Draft status.
7. Click "Start Building" to move to Building status.
8. Go to the Table of Contents tab. Click "Add Articles".
9. Search for and select your 12 published articles. Click "Add Selected (12)".
10. Reorder the articles using the up/down arrows. Mark the lead piece as Cover Story and two others as Featured using the three-dot menus.
11. Click "Submit for Review" to move to Under Review.
12. The editorial reviewer opens the issue, reviews the articles and metadata, and clicks "Approve".
13. Now in Approved status, go to the Publishing tab. Click "Validate". Confirm: "All checks passed."
14. Click "Publish Now".
15. The issue is now Published. Check the Reader Portal at /issues — the March 2026 issue appears with its cover image. Click into it to see the full table of contents.

7.2 Example 2: Building an Issue from Selected Articles and Arranging Them

Scenario: You have 20 published articles from the past month and need to curate 10 of them into a quarterly issue, organized by section.

Step-by-step:

1. Create a new issue: Title Q1 2026 — Best of Winter, Number 4, Frequency Quarterly, Theme Best of Winter.
2. After creation, click "Start Building".
3. Go to the Table of Contents tab.
4. Click "Add Articles" and search for your Fiction articles. Select 3 fiction pieces and click "Add Selected (3)".
5. Click "Add Articles" again. Search for Poetry. Select 3 poems. Add them.
6. Repeat for Essays (2) and Interviews (2).
7. Now you have 10 articles. Arrange them in the order you want readers to encounter them:
   • Use the up/down arrows to group Fiction pieces first (positions 1–3), then Poetry (4–6), then Essays (7–8), then Interviews (9–10).
8. Mark the strongest Fiction piece as Cover Story.
9. Mark one Poetry piece and one Essay as Featured.
10. Review the Table of Contents — articles are numbered 1 through 10 in your chosen order, with the appropriate badges.
11. Submit for Review, get approval, then publish.

7.3 Example 3: Scheduling an Issue to Go Live Later

Scenario: Your April 2026 issue is ready but should not be visible until April 1st at 9:00 AM.

Step-by-step:

1. Create the issue with all details, articles, and media. Move it through Draft → Building → Under Review → Approved.
2. On the issue detail page (now in Approved status), click the "Schedule" button (purple, with a calendar icon).
3. In the "Schedule Publication" dialog:
   • Select date: April 1, 2026
   • Select time: 09:00 AM (in your local timezone)
   • Click "Schedule".
4. The status badge changes to "Scheduled" (purple). The scheduled date appears: "Scheduled for April 1, 2026 at 9:00 AM".
5. On April 1st around 9:00–9:05 AM, the cron job runs and:
   • Validates the issue (Publish Checklist).
   • Publishes it — syncs to Strapi, updates status to Published.
   • Sends subscriber notification emails.
6. To verify after the scheduled time:
   • Open the issue detail page in Admin Console — status should be Published.
   • Visit the Reader Portal /issues — the April issue should appear.
   • Check email — a subscriber notification should have been sent.

If you need to cancel the schedule:

1. While in Scheduled status, click the unschedule/cancel option.
2. The issue returns to Approved. The schedule is cleared.
3. You can now publish manually or set a new schedule.

7.4 Example 4: Updating a Published Issue

Scenario: You published the March 2026 issue, but realize you need to add one more article and fix a typo in the description.

Step-by-step:

1. Go to Magazine > Issues and open the March 2026 issue.
2. On the Overview tab, fix the typo in the Description field.
3. Click "Save Changes".
4. Go to the Table of Contents tab. Click "Add Articles" and add the missing article.
5. Use the up/down arrows to place it in the correct position.
6. The changes are saved. Since the issue is already Published, the system will sync updates to Strapi.
7. Verify in the Reader Portal (wait up to 60 seconds):
   • Open the issue detail page — the corrected description should appear.
   • The table of contents should now include the newly added article in the correct position.

Note: Minor metadata updates (title, description, theme) and article additions can be made to published issues. The updated data is synced to the CMS and reflected on the Reader Portal.

7.5 Example 5: Archiving an Issue

Scenario: The March 2026 issue has been live for two months. It's time to archive it so the current issue takes center stage.

Step-by-step:

1. Go to Magazine > Issues and open the March 2026 issue (currently in Published status).
2. Click the "Archive" button.
3. The status changes to Archived (gray). The archived date is recorded.
4. Behind the scenes, the issue is unpublished from Strapi.
5. Verify in the Reader Portal:
   • Go to the Issues listing page (/issues). The March 2026 issue should no longer appear in the primary listing.
   • Depending on your page template configuration, it may still appear in a back-issues or archive section.
6. Verify in the Admin Console:
   • On the Magazine > Issues list, switch to the "Archived" status tab. The issue should appear there.

If you need to bring it back:

1. Open the archived issue.
2. Click "Restore to Draft".
3. The issue returns to Draft status. Move it through the workflow and republish when ready.

8. Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them