Industries: the appeal of print
1) Writer's Edit journal article
Read this excellent Writer's Edit academic journal article on the independent magazine industry and answer the following questions:
1) What is the definition of an independent print magazine?
Independent magazines are defying the predictions of many that print magazines are a fading relic of the pre-digital world.
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”
3) Why does the article suggest that independent magazines might be succeeding while global magazine publishers such as Bauer are struggling?
Magazines produced by large companies like Bauer Media and News Limited in Australia are struggling to keep readers from moving online. In contrast, those behind independent magazines use digital developments to their advantage, and have a strong online presence. These creators set their own terms and rely on collaboration to achieve them.
4) What does the article suggest about how independent publishers use digital media to target their niche audiences?
Independent magazines are able to maintain a strong vision for their magazine without feeling the pressure to appeal to a wider market each issue. “It is this literal ownership that differentiates the ideas from mainstream niche magazines, where editors and art directors can be hired and fired by the owner or the owner’s delegate, the publisher”
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?
Independent magazines are able to hone in on such specific markets because they are owned and developed by the same people: the founders, editors and art directors who share a similar creative vision. This is another distinction from mainstream, large-scale magazine publications. Where monthly and weekly magazines are directed by deadlines and the bottom dollar, and thus the demands of the owner or publisher (Le Masurier 2012: 392), the release of an independent magazine issue is dictated by the pursuit of original content.
6) What does the article suggest regarding the benefits of a 'do-it-yourself' approach to creating independent magazines?
“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, the concept of a magazine community is established. Magazines such as Kinfolk, Gather, and AFJ do not seek to capture typically generic reader markets. Instead, they identify relatable communities within an ever-expanding online world. This aim exemplifies the DIWO approach, as collaborators share their united vision in print. To produce an issue of AFJ, Brimble relies on the philosophy that by sharing each others’ strengths, everyone will benefit. “Because they really love the project everybody is willing to help out”
7) The article discusses the audience appeal of print. Why might audiences love the printed form in the digital age?
According to Zinzi Edmundson, editor at Knit Wit magazine, “it’s not about speed and getting to a story first, it’s about how well you can tell that story to make it appealing months after someone heard about it. It’s deeper and hopefully more beautiful content”(Garrett Mettler 2014). While large established magazines struggle to bridge the divide between traditional print and online mediums, independent magazines are creating a new culture that combines print and online as cooperative elements to connect readers with their communities and their magazines. Brimble recognises that “the world is getting bigger and everyone has their own community” but there will always be a desire to “really connect to the stories”
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 lift out, 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.
Likewise, independent magazines struggle to reach widespread distribution in news agencies and other typical magazine retailers. Brimble’s realisation that independent magazine production is “10% creative, 90% hustle”(Brimble 2014) exemplifies this dilemma. A small print run prevents large-scale distribution, while founders need to locate venues where their readership may frequent in order to chase their market. For Brimble, it has been a matter of trial and error. She is a vocal admirer of niche magazine boutiques such as Beautiful Pages in Sydney, as this store provides a concentration of print magazines that will attract those interested in independent publishing as an art form. A stand at Sydney’s One Fine Baby fair was not deemed a successful avenue for distribution as attendees “were not there to buy magazines” (Brimble 2014) despite being part of Brimble’s target market, young families.
2) Irish Times feature on independent magazines
Now read this short feature in the Irish Times on the growth of independent magazines and answer the following questions:
1) Why are independent magazines so popular?
It may seem strange that we are seeing a resurgence in independent magazines in an era where traditional print has never been more unstable. Yet independent publishing, far from dying, is undergoing a renaissance. These are not the A4-sized, glossy, free-DVD-inside commodities that dominate the newsstand. These are as much objects as magazines, collectible and shareable in the best sense of the word.
2) Why is the magazine publishing industry set up to favour the big global conglomerates?
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?
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 the new publishers, the challenges are similar. One big issue is distribution. Shipping boxes of magazines is expensive, and with publishers taking all the risk (they pay for both shipping, and if the magazines don’t sell, the price of shipping them back), it’s key that publishers focus on getting as many direct sales online as possible. This goes back to building an audience - the more people aware you exist, the more people will purchase your magazine. That conversion rate will probably be less than 1 per cent, which shows how important it is to start building an audience before you publish.
5) The article suggests that many independent magazines only make money by diversifying into other products. What examples do they give?
Finally, read this excellent interview with Ruth Jamieson, who has written a book on the renaissance of the independent magazine sector. Answer these three quick questions:
1) What does Ruth Jamieson suggest about the 'death of print'?
I can see why it was a seductive narrative at a time when we were all very excited about digital media, but I don’t think print will ever die. New media doesn’t necessarily replace old media, it just refocuses its role. The internet is very good at delivering cheap, disposable information quickly. We used to use print for that, but the internet can do it better. But print does remain very good at other things. It can provide a more luxurious experience- you can unplug and immerse yourself in a magazine in a way that you can’t online. It’s collectable- it can sit on your coffee table and say something about who you are and it’s physical so it can appeal to all your senses.
2) What are the common themes for successful independent magazines?
Far from being the grim reaper of print, the internet is part of what’s driving the new wave of indie magazines. In the past you needed a studio to publish a magazine, today a magazine maker can access lots of relatively cheap or free tools and services to help them get a magazine out there. From the programmes that allow you to design it and publish it, to using social media to find contributors, stockists and, most importantly readers. I also think the rise of digital has created a hunger for a different type of experience, one where you can escape from the endless scroll of Facebook and immerse yourself in something. Online media is so disposable and I think there’s something appealing about the permanence of indie magazines.
3) How many of these aspects can you find in The Gentlewoman?
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