Are niche print magazines dead?

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Are niche print magazines dead?

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SandraD

posts: 20

Jul 02, 2008 3:19 AM ET Quote Report Abuse

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I`m really thinking I need to be in publishing or something.

are niched print magazines dead?

aulelia

posts: 1

Jul 02, 2008 5:40 AM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Hi SandraD,

I hope I can be of help to you with the following advice.

Firstly, I think the whole concept of print magazines being dead is one that will probably rage on for the next five years. Some print magazines will not be able to survive the Internet (real-life mags) but then again, look at magazines like British Vogue - it is doing brilliantly here in the UK and so is women`s weekly Grazia and the Internet cannot substitue for lush fashion spreads.

It wholly depends on your market.

I started my first magazine this year (I am in my early 20s). It was a free magazine but to date, I have shipped it from the UK to as far as St. Vincent & the Grenadines in the West Indies, the US, Germany, and Denmark. I did all of this through my blog.

My magazine, Kerosene, was fairly niche in that it was about the African diaspora. Check out a review for it here ( link ).

I think you need to ask yourself basically what you are trying to achieve:

(a) Do you want to create a whole new type of niche magazine that shakes the magazine publishing industry to the core?

(b) Do you want to create a magazine that is financially viable but one`s whose subject matter is wholly exclusive which is what niche is about?

I think these questions are extremely important to ask yourself before you commit to making that journey into magazine publishing.

I am not sure what market you are aiming for regarding niche magazines but I think if you hope to create a financially viable magazine, think outside the box and try to find content that will appeal to the target market that has disposable income to spend on magazines.

Most of the money you will make, especially from a niche magazines, will 100% be through subscriptions. So the magazine has to be something that is offering not only content to the reader, but an experience.

Think about the magazines you like -- why do you like them? Do you like them because they are original and fresh? What features you like?

I think you could set yourself a few tasks to figure out if your idea will work. Do some market research and find out what people think is missing.

The Internet will not kill long-form journalism, which mags like the Atlantic have perfected but what it will do is destroy breaking news in magazines. So whatever you are aiming for, make it stand out from what the Internet offers and give your potential readers a great experience.

Advertisers will want to see a beautiful magazine but they want a magazine that will speak to their target market. Say your magazine is about finance in the Caribbean, you will thus need to convince advertisers that you have a glossy clientele of readers who have money to burn in the West Indies as they do their business there. You will need to create a profile of your clientele because that is what your readers are -- your clients and you must treat them as such.

Here are some links that may help you on your journey

--MediaGuardian -- This is the media supplement of The Guardian Newspaper in the UK.

--Magazine Launch -- It is not updated frequently but the forum`s archives are a goldmine of information and help. I have posted there before to help people.

If you can get some work experience at a magazine too, that will also help you to see how an office is run unless you have done it before.

Let me know how it goes for you.

Cheers,

Aulelia

RabbitMountain

posts: 423

Jul 02, 2008 7:23 PM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Aulelia — great response and kudos to you for striking out on your own before getting bogged down with mortgages and other big debt.

—paula

jwatkins

posts: 145

Jan 12, 2009 1:02 PM ET Quote Report Abuse

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This may help. http://www.magcloud.com/

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Get Out of Debt

Mavor

posts: 10

Jan 20, 2009 2:41 AM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Print media still has a place in the world, because it offers three distinct advantages:

1. Tactile response. Concreteness. When someone reads a magazine, they are not just seeing with their eyes.. they are also feeling the pages and smelling the newness of the book. Reading a magazine can be a unique experience if you capitalize on this advantage of print over internet.

2. Credibility. A magazine instantly gives you credibility and a certain level of trust from anyone who reads your magazine. This credibility will strengthen the content inside of your book.

3. Mobility and simplicity. Obviously, magazines can be carried wherever people go, whereas the internet must be accessed from a data point. Exploit this advantage with information that is geared towards need-it-now access. For example, a quick reference chart for the business professional, or a color pallet for a beauty conscious woman trying to find the perfect lip color.

By focusing on key points that the internet CANNOT deliver on, print media is still viable.

However, looking at print media as simply another method of communicating pure ideas is putting yourself onto a road to failure. A magazine must be MORE then just the information that is put into it.

ndrewoods

posts: 51

Apr 02, 2012 11:11 AM ET Quote Report Abuse

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I`m really thinking I need to be in publishing or something.

are niched print magazines dead?
ink cartridges for hp printers

Well it depends on how you see it. To others it may be dead or useless but if you use creativity that no one has ever done to increase niche print magazines' popularity, then it is not dead then.

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jojo81

posts: 2

May 13, 2012 3:54 PM ET Quote Report Abuse

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I don't think so. I also wanted to pursue a niche magazine

I think nowadays it well have to be more personalized to make

sure your connecting with your readers.

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nevadascul

posts: 651

May 14, 2012 9:39 AM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Hard copy magazines are still alive and well. Many of these magazines are even expanding.

You can start researching the marketplace by going to any public library. Ask the reference clerk for the directory of magazines. The library should have several different types. This will give you an idea how many magazines are currently in print on various topics. You can then go to the magazine rack and review copies of the magazines that interest you.

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The older we get, the more excuses we make for not chasing after our dreams. But truth is, goals are attainable at any age.

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