Magazines: Industries - the appeal of print and independent magazines
Industries: the appeal of print - blog tasks
1) Writer's Edit journal article1) What is the definition of an independent print magazine?
2) What does Hamilton (2013) suggest about independent magazines in the digital age?
A small but growing body of evidence suggests that small printed magazines are quietly thriving even as the global newspaper and book industries falter” (Hamilton 2013: 43)
5) Why is it significant that independent magazines are owned and created by the same people? How does this change the creative process and direction of the magazine?
6) What does the article suggest regarding the benefits of a 'do-it-yourself' approach to creating independent magazines?
This spirit of collaboration encourages likeminded creative people to produce works together without the confines of editorial briefs typical of mainstream magazine art direction. “The term “do-it-yourself/do-it-with-others” emphasises semiotic self-determination in how citizens formulate and live out their identities and actions as citizens” (Hartley 2010 241). It is through this collaboration that the concept of a magazine community is established.
7) The article discusses the audience appeal of print. Why might audiences love the printed form in the digital age?
while Brimble’s ultimate ambition is to eventually earn profits and compensate contributors, at its early stages AFJ relies on shared passion. Contributors also gain, as they are published in print, their name becomes recognised by a new market and from this they may receive new commissions. “We also need to be attentive to the capacities and competencies of the participants, both professional and non-professional, commercial and non-commercial, to negotiate and navigate the possibilities of these emerging co-creative relationships for mutual benefit” (Banks and Deuze 2009: 426).
8) What are the challenges in terms of funding and distributing an independent magazine?
Funding is a key concern for independent magazines. As with AFJ, crowdfunding campaigns are often used to accumulate the initial costs to produce. From there, creators rely on subscriptions and high cover prices to continue to produce, while not necessarily making a profit from each print run. While highly innovative, these methods require risk and a willingness on the part of the founders as well as contributors to expect little financial reward. Commenting on Brimble’s crowdfunding campaign in the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Weekend liftout, Linda Morris observes that “this a source of much criticism of micro-circulation magazines: they cannot pay professional rates and their editorial management style comes at a cost of inquisitorial journalism” (Morris 2014). Interestingly, the high cover prices of such magazines, AFJ retails for $25 a copy, does not seem to alienate readers. The high quality of the print and unique nature of independent magazines’ content and design justifies to buyers the high price relative to mainstream weekly and monthly magazines.
2) Irish Times feature on independent magazines
1) Why are independent magazines so popular?
2) Why is the magazine publishing industry set up to favour the big global conglomerates?
That’s not to say printing your own magazine is easy – many of the independents never get past the first issue. That’s partly due to the way the magazine publishing industry is set up to favour the big publishers – those with multiple titles, large sales teams and economies of scale. These are the titles that rely on advertising (rather than copy sales) for revenue. They have a relatively cheap cover price (a 12-issue subscription to Vogue UK costs less than £20), and are filled with adverts.
3) What does the article suggest regarding finding an audience for an independent magazine?Cost is just one factor. For potential publishers, figuring out who your audience is is key. Make your subject too broad (a magazine about football) and you will get lost in the crowd. Make it too narrow (a magazine about redheads who support Bohemians) and your audience will be too small. Get it right (a magazine about League of Ireland fan culture) and you just might have a chance. And once you know who your audience is, many other elements will fall into place. To take the example of the League of Ireland magazine, you are going to sell it outside football matches, which means it can’t be too big, or too heavy. So, something closer to a zine than a large, perfect-bound magazine. And one you decide on a zine, that will inform your price: closer to €4 rather than €10. Once you know your price, you can figure out potential revenue from copy sales, and as a consequence, how much you can spend on printing
4) What are the challenges for magazine distributors?
For those that do make the plunge, the rewards are many. From the feeling of seeing your publication on sale in shops across the world, to leveraging the magazine into paying work, to the satisfaction of executing a complex creative project. As for the money, if it does come, it’s often indirect. If you do set up that League of Ireland fan culture magazine, you can host events, sell graphic prints, T-shirts and maybe set up a Patreon account where you can host football podcasts. It's easier than ever to build an audience, and while the magazine should be front and centre of what you do, it shouldn't be the only thing. And while the prospect of building a committed audience willing to spend money on what you produce (what Wired founder Kevin Kelly called "a thousand true fans") might be daunting, it's not impossible. There are many independent titles that have crossed into the mainstream. The likes of The Gentlewoman, The Gourmand, Cereal and Kinfolk all prove that with the right idea (and some savings) you can create something that lasts. So, be bold, be original, and get to work – you never know what might happen.
2) What are the common themes for successful independent magazines?
3) How many of these aspects can you find in The Gentlewoman?
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