Industries: the appeal of print
Writer's Edit journal article
1) What is the definition of an independent print magazine?
This special feature will focus on a growing area of independent publishing that may surprise you; that of the print magazine. The independent print magazine is characterised as “published without the financial support of a large corporation or institution in which the makers control publication and distribution…“independent” in spirit due to a maverick editor or publisher who leads the magazine in an exploratory, noncommercial direction” (Thomas 2007 40).
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).
3) Why does the article suggest that independent magazines might be succeeding while global magazine publishers such as Bauer are struggling?
This market has been referred to as the “global niche” (Hamilton 2013: 44) and highlights the differences between independent and established mainstream magazines. 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?
It could be said that this return to less frequent, small print runs of well-executed magazines marks a greater appreciation of graphic design, community and also a cultural push away from trend-focused mass-market publications that tell people what they should be doing and buying. While rejecting many of the typical characteristics of large-scale magazines, independents face new challenges: raising funds to produce and print issues, distributing online or through atypical channels, and relying on free labour and shared passion to create original content.
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?
Today a magazine publisher does not need the financial strength of a large-scale organisation to successfully launch a magazine. Independent magazines resourcefully utilise technological advances as well as social media to operate. Thanks to developments in areas such as digital printing and electronic file transfer, “people with expert knowledge of a special interest area can potentially take advantage of the low barriers to entry in the industry to originate their own magazine titles and use contract printers to create the finished product” (Cox and Mowatt 2008: 513).
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?
As Brimble explains when asked why AFJ was not produced as a digital magazine, for here efforts, and for those who purchase the magazine, she prefers “something real [that] will never go away. Because nothing beats the experience of print. There is beauty in the ritual of holding a physical magazine in front of you” (Brimble 2014). This physical print magazine is the output of years of work, both online and in meeting and working with contributors and supporters. Other independent magazine creators, like Jordan Vouga, art director and founder of Ancestry Quarterly, share this attitude.
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.
Irish Times feature on independent magazines
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.
These are magazines that play with the form, from open binding to multiple paper stocks. Their subject matter is as diverse as their production techniques, from mental health to trans rights, from football to street wear. They are driven by a passion, both for their content, and the printed form, and thanks to technology, they are able to reach audiences around the world.
From Twitter to Instagram, from Patreon to Kickstarter, it’s never been easier to build an audience, and sell your creation to them.
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 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?
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.
1) What does Ruth Jamieson suggest about the 'death of print'?
A magazine can transport you to another world and immerse you in new ideas, and a few years ago there seemed to be this sudden resurgence in print. While a lot of mainstream mags continued to struggle, more and more indie mags were launching. It seemed to me that there was this new breed of independent, creatively-led magazine that was thriving. At the time people still asked, “is print dead?” but it seemed obvious to me that it was very much alive and kicking. I wanted to put that question to bed. I wanted to celebrate the new wave of independent magazines that was breathing new life into an old medium, and, on a personal level, I loved the thought of spending six months researching all my favourite magazines.
2) What are the common themes for successful independent magazines?
3) How many of these aspects can you find in The Gentlewoman?
