Former T.O. magazine founder, turned lawyer, writes murder mystery

So that's what happened to Bobby Rotenberg.The Globe and Mail published a story on Saturday by Kate Hammer concerning the about-to-be-published mystery novel by Toronto lawyer (now Robert) Rotenberg.But, as the story noted, he once founded T.O. magazine, which is sometimes fondly remembered for having been a feisty (if, ultimately, unsuccessful) attempt to give Toronto a different kind of city

Where's the magazine tax credit in Ontario?

Am I alone in wondering how it can be justified for the Ontario government to make enhanced tax credits permanent for the film industry when the magazine industry in the province is the only cultural industry without a tax credit at all?

Quote, unquote: Goodbye to all that

“The thing has nothing to do with me any more.” -- Former editor of The Walrus, Ken Alexander, quoted in a Globe and Mail profile by James Adams about life after Alexander left the magazine last June.

Facebook group protests discontinuation of small arts and literary mag funding

[This post has been updated]A Facebook group called the Coalition to Keep Canadian Heritage Support for Literary and Arts Magazines has been created to try and reverse a decision to discontinue funding for magazines under 5,000 annual circulation.The Facebook group was started by John Barton, the editor of The Malahat Review, Jon Fiorentino, editor of Matrix, Anita Lahey, editor of ARC Poetry

JPG photo mag pulled back from the brink by new investors

Interesting that JPG magazine, at death's door not too long ago, has been bought by a group of investors ande will carry on. According to a post on Techcrunch, the innovative photography magazine has been revived.JPG launched in late 2006 with the novel idea of cutting back on publishing costs by accepting user-submitted photos and relying partially on the community to edit the magazine. But

CSME discounts its memberships

The Canadian Society of Magazine Editors', as a recognition of recession-tight budgets, is discounting its membership fees, at least in part to keep up entries in its Editors' Choice Awards. (Entries are free, but at least one person from the magazine must be a member of CSME.)Recognizing the tight budgets faced by many of our partners, friends and colleagues in the industry this year, [it says

Western Magazine Awards deadline extended

The deadline for entry the Western Magazine Awards has been extended to Friday, March 6 at 9 p.m.

The International Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews screenwriter Eric Singer about The International

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Flare celebrates 30 years of fashion

Flare, one of Canada's most important fashion and beauty magazines, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. First published as Miss Chatelaine in 1964, the Rogers Media title became Flare in 1979. It now has about 1.5 million readers, according to the most recent PMB research."As Canada's leading fashion magazine for the past 30 years, Flare has launched the careers of the country's most

"Circ Without Shame" blog debuts

Congratulations to Stacey May Fowles for her new blog called Circ Without Shame on Masthead. Fowles is now wearing more than four hats including: publisher of Shameless; circulation and marketing director at The Walrus; novelist; now circ blogger. Her first post is about the fact that small magazines have nothing to apologize for about their parsimonious and creative ways of getting readers:Truth

Me again. Michelle Obama gets cover story treatment in People

The issue of People that reaches 3.6 million Canadian readers tomorrow carries a cover photo of Michelle Obama, highlighting a story inside about "Our Life in the White House". Since she's barely had time to unpack one might wonder what insights she will have into the matter, but apparently people can't get enough of her, or discussion of her dresses. (The pink lace dress by New York designer

Magazine world view

Condé Nast has "worst year of any publisher" (New York Post)Guardian.co.uk nears 30 million unique visitors (Guardian)Murdoch eyes NYT and LA Times (Variety)

Quote, unquote: a junky vacant lot

When a newspaper dies, you don't get a comprehensive periodical to fill the void. You get an informational vacant lot into which passers-by can throw their junk.-- columnist Debra J. Saunders writing in theSan Francisco Chronicle

Controlled circ arts magazines no longer eligible for Canada Council support

[This post has been updated]The Canada Council for the Arts has apparently quietly dropped the so-called "Lola clause" from its guidelines that has for several years allowed controlled circulation arts and literary magazines to qualify for funding based, in part, on their advertising support.Previously, and apparently from this year on, the Council will follow its longstanding requirement that a

Rogers Communications puts its advertising in play

Rogers Communications had put its media planning and buying requirements up for review, according to a story in Marketing magazine. The review puts in play an account worth some $176 million, making it the second largest amount spent, just behind Procter & Gamble. The account has been held by MediaCom (MBS).

A "baby seal" moment: National Geographic's coverage of oilsands a public relations nightmare

The current issue of National Geographic magazine may do more than all the thundering protests from environmentalists to put a stake through the heart of the Alberta oilsands. According to a column by National Post columnist Don Martin in the Vancouver Sun, the lavishly illustrated article is a public relations disaster.This photo shoot for the magazine's influential global audience is described

Hallmark Cards magazine closed

[This post has been updated] Hallmark Cards is shutting down its 3-year-old Hallmark Magazine and associated website, according to a posting on MediaDaily News. The magazines launched in the fall of 2006 and by the current February/March issue (which will be its last) had grown circulation to 800,000. It had seen advertising increase by 30% in 2008 over 2007.However, despite this, Donald J. Hall,

Quote, unquote: sniping from the sidelines

Valleywag published a nasty little haiku about The Daily Beast as part of a review of five print-to-online crossover sites:Tina Brown glamourFancy online articlesNo advertising

Does geography matter. You bet. Iowa? We're outta here...

There have been many examples of big companies buying smaller, funky titles and then promptly tamping them into a corporate mould, thereby losing the very things that made them work. There have been some Canadian examples (does anyone remember Harrowsmith being acquired by Telemedia?)But there has rarely been a case like ReadyMade magazine, a San Franciso independent much beloved of its audience,

Notorious Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews screenwriters Cheo Hodari Coker and Reggie Rock Bythewood about Notorious

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Signs a magazine is in trouble

"The top 13 warning signs that a magazine is in trouble", published by blogger Michelle Rafter (Word Count -- freelancing in the digital age) are pretty close to the bone. I'll bet the list, which is richocheting around the blogosphere, makes a lot of freelancers pay attention to little signs they might otherwise have overlooked. Or, for that matter, some staffers might look out for these signs,

The full spectrum -- This Magazine (finally) goes 4-colour

After thinking about it for more than 40 years, This Magazine is taking the plunge into full colour in its March/April issue, with a "reboot" party on Tuesday, March 10 at 8 p.m. The party has all the usual attributes, plus a decorate-your-own-cupcake bar with CMYK icing to mark the occasion. It's at the Supermarket, 268 Augusta Avenue.

Nancy Fleming to be honoured by Freedom to Read Award

The Writers' Union of Canada has marked Freedom to Read Week by honouring the woman who was largely responsible for the annual week's success. The Freedom to Read Award goes to the late Nancy Fleming, former executive director of the Book and Periodical Council of Canada. “Nancy Fleming was a tireless foe of anyone who tried to limit the rights of Canadians to read or to write what they wished,

Magazines are not an endangered species, says Hearst president

A "self-immolating print media has taken to reporting on itself in doomsday terms", says Cathie Black, president of Hearst Magazines. But the American magazine is not an endangered species, she writes in an AdAge article.Magazine readership was up 14% last year, she points out (while TV and newspaper lost viewers and readers). The number of magazines that suspended in 2008 was a "minuscule" 32

A useful list of business models to sustain news

A media blogger in New Delhi, India has compiled an interesting list of 14 possible business models to apply to the news business.Given the recent stories about the problems being faced by newspapers and newsmagazines, it's fascinating to see how many alternatives there may be. (And it's necessary, since it has been calculated it would cost an impossible $114 billion to perpetuate all American

Do not adjust your buying habits...

A friend sends us this sign of the times from just over the border in the U.S., reflecting the chaotic conditions in single copy distribution there (see earlier posts).

MPA cancels annual conference

The Magazine Publishers of America (MPA), reeling from membership defections by some of its key members, is reported by Folio: (via Mediaweek) to be cancelling its annual conference. The American Magazine Conference is usually a big event at a glitzy resort; this year it was to be in Boca Raton, Florida. MPA president Nina Link (herself the focus of some controversy over her large salary) says

Frozen River Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews writer-director Courtney Hunt about Frozen River

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What makes a good recession cover for a magazine?

Hard times are a challenge for art directors -- a design challenge. Freakonomics blogger Annika Mengizen at the New York Times ponders what makes a good, or bad, recession cover. Clichés abound, of course.As one of the commenters said, however:And what clichés are you especially sick of by now? Articles, news headlines, and commercials that start with…“With the economy in free fall…”

Dispatches from a far southern ocean

This Magazine has been running an extraordinary series of dispatches on its blog, transmitted from the Sea Shepherd, the anti-whaling vessel confronting the Japanese whaling fleet in Antarctic waters. Emily Hunter, who will be writing an article for the May-June issue of This, has vividly described the drama of the chase, including a collision with a whaler and being hunted by a Japanese ship

Suburban Life magazine lasts only 10 months

Suburban Life, a lifestyle title launched less than a year ago (April 2008) aimed at readers in the sprawl that surrounds the Golden Horseshoe, has been shut down by the Metroland Media Group, according to a report in Masthead. It went to 210,000 homes, tucked inside or polybagged as an outsert with Metroland's stable of community papers.

MPA head's salary is too rich for some magazines blood

In the wake of reports that Hachette Filippachi (Elle, Car & Driver etc.), American Media (National Enquirer, Star, Shape, Men's Fitness etc.) and New York magazine have quit the Magazine Publishers of America, the leading magazine association in the U.S., comes word via Gawker, the Manhattan media blog, that Nina Link, the president of the MPA makes $740,000 a year. A story in the New York

Western Living looking for designers of the year

Western Living magazine has put out a call for nominations for the 2nd annual western Canadian designers of the year award. The awards program covers interiors, fashion, architecture, green, furniture, industrial and landscape. Deadline for entries is April 13.Celebrity judges include Karim Rashid, Kelly Deck, Robert Ledingham, John Fluevog, Patricia Patkau and Bing Thom. Winners will be

Ship, don't ship, ship, don't ship: make up your minds

Quebecor World, burned by the recent uproar in single copy distribution in the U.S., is requiring a week's notice of any changes to delivery of single copies. A Folio: article reports on just some of the effects of the dispute were on this large magazine printer:Anderson's shutdown meant that as trucks arrived at 11 Anderson-owned Prologix East locations between February 6 and February 9, they

Time Inc. and Source Interlink settle distribution fight

Time Inc. announced today that it had settled a lawsuit with Source Interlink which will resume distributing its titles. According to a breaking story in Folio: :The publisher was one of the first companies to publicly state that it would stop using Source to distribute its titles as a result of the wholesaler's decision to increase per-copy distribution fees by 7 cents. (Anderson News also

Calgary's UPPERCASE Gallery to launch quarterly magazine

A new, quarterly magazine is being launched this spring in Calgary that will celebrate graphic design, typography and, among other things, "great ideas and strange inventions".It's called UPPERCASE, a magazine for the creative and curious and it's published by UPPERCASE gallery owner Janine Vangool, collaborating with writer, curator and teacher Deidre Martin.UPPERCASE Gallery opened in February

Canadian Lawyer discontinues spinoff magazine for young lawyers

CLB Media is discontinuing the publication of Associates, a spinoff from flagship title Canadian Lawyer. The law and lifestyle title was designed for young lawyers and started publishing in February 2008. A preview issue had been rushed out in November 2007 as as a competitive response to the launch of Precedent: the new rules of law and style, an independent quarterly magazine aimed at...young

NABS kicks off charitable ad auction

The National Advertising Benevolent Society (NABS) is holding its 18th annual ad auction in support of its programs. NABS provides free support, financial, career and counselling assistance to all individuals who have spent the majority of their career working with communications organizations, and who are involved in the creation, production and placement of advertising; this includes many

Local papers merged, local focus lost

One of the valuable things lost in the headlong corporate consolidation that characterizes Quebecor Media is the hometown and local character of its newspapers. This is no better illustrated than by the decision to merge three, venerable local papers in eastern Ontario, formerly part of the Osprey Media chain, into one.According to a post on a Sun-expat website, the Cobourg Daily Star, founded as

Circulation floor on new CPF would could exclude smaller arts and literary titles

[This post has been updated] Larger titles may take a hit if ultimately the new Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) announced Tuesday holds to a $1.5 million cap on funding. That would halve the money available to some larger magazines. Missed in the early discussion (including on this blog), however, was the possible impact on smaller titles of a circulation minimum.In addition to a ceiling, there is a

Canadian Home & Country closed; Transcon cuts back

Transcontinental is closing Canadian Home & Country magazine as part of a company-wide "rationalization" that will mean that 1,500 jobs are being eliminated across North America, saving the company some $50 million this year. According to a posting in Mastheadonline, 28 magazine jobs are being eliminated in Toronto.A company press release says that a company-wide hiring freeze has been instituted

Supreme Court reserved judgement in important libel appeal

The Supreme Court of Canada has reserved judgement, as it was expected to do, in an important appeal that has broad implications for investigative and hard-hitting journalism in Canada. The appeal involves a $125,000 libel judgement against the Ottawa Citizen.The appeal hinges on whether journalists can defeat libel claims even if some of their facts turn out to be unproven, as long as they

Media world view

Despite weak market, Reader's Digest new home magazine launched (Blogmagazine.com)A chilling decision about libel (Media Nation)Grazia launches in China -- with Victoria Beckham on front cover (Guardian)Bauer Media joins the publishing industry pay freeze (Press Gazette)

Forestry magazine felled by economy

The Edge Forest Business Magazine is folding, after 17 years covering Western Canada’s forest products industry. According to a story in the Edmonton Journal, the reason is the same economic woes that closed mills. Forest-industry suppliers were its main advertisers and they had cut back.Publisher David Holehouse of Media Match West Communications Inc. said: “The cost of printing and mailing a

Ads flat at Rogers pubs; Viner expects no improvement before end of year

Advertising revenue in Rogers Publishing magazines and newspapers were flat during the last quarter, according to a Rogers executive, according to a Financial Post story. Rogers Media president Tony Viner [told an analysts' conference call today] the picture for media advertising spending that "so far things aren't getting better in 2009," and are unlikely to improve before the end of the year.

Eric Roth - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews Eric Roth about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Copyright Unlikely Films, Inc. 2009. All Rights Reserved.

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Quote, unquote: how trust can pay for journalism

Why all the fuss about brands and user-creator relationships and, ultimately, trust? Simply put, trust is an economic good. It’s worth something. It makes markets work more efficiently. As a trader might say, trust is positively accretive to value. This is not just about peace, love, and harmony. Trust creates value. Value gets monetized. Money pays journalists. Journalists save the world.-- Josh

Readers? What do they know?

The New York Post reports that, a month after Condé Nast announced it was foldingDomino magazine, more than seven fan sites of the chic home-design magazine have sprung up, including a Facebook bereavement page. Many fans wonder why Si Newhouse shuttered Domino, which despite seeing ad sales decline had rising newsstand and subscription numbers. We doubt that if Newhouse pulled the plug on one of

New Canada Periodical Fund holds steady at $75.5 million

The new Canada Periodical Fund is expected to deliver about $75.5 million in funding support for the magazine industry. The CPF -- which will merge the Publications Assistance Program and the Canada Magazine Fund starting in 2010 -- has essentially preserved the level of funding previously received. The announcement was made this morning in Montreal.This can be considered a major accomplishment

Facebook changes the rules

[This post has been updated]Facebook pages continue to be very popular ways for writers and photographers and magazines to promote themselves, but they may now have second thoughts. An article from the internet advertising and media site Adotas says that the terms of service have been subtly changed so that your old content, including pictures, may not only become Facebook's property, but that it

The Atlantic puts one over on its readers

Who's The Atlantic trying to kid? Its March issue has a cover story by Richard Florida on How The Crash Will Reshape America. But there is a secondary coverline and cover pic that says "Toronto wins". However only in Canada and only if you don't know that elsewhere it says "New York wins". (And similar coverlines and local photos are used in copies sold in Chicago and San Francisco.)Since the

Does House & Home ad track across the ad:edit line?

[This post has been updated] The March issue of Canadian House and Home contains an example of uncomfortably close alignment between editorial content and advertising.A regular makeover features a spread about a kitchen, one in which muddy footprints are tracked across the floor. The next spread shows virtually the same right hand page with the footprints cleaned up, a Swiffer mop leaning

New Canada Periodical Fund to be unveiled Tuesday

The much-anticipated merger of the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) and the Canadian Magazine Fund (CMF) will be unveiled on Tuesday by Minister of Canadian Heritage James Moore. Word is that invitations have gone out to key players in the industry so they can be in Ottawa Montreal for the announcement. The new program is expected to be launched starting April 1, 2010.The anticipation of the

Wheat sheet wins accolades for Markets Initiative and Dollco Printing

Coming up with and using a "wheat sheet" made of leftovers from grain harvesting won Markets Initiative and Dollco Printing the Most Progressive Environmental Printing project award yesterday at the annual Print Action Environmental Printing Awards. Nicole Rycroft, executive director Markets Initiative, was also recognized, for the second time, as an "environmental innovator".The ‘wheat sheet’

The greening of an editor...

Ann Dowsett Johnston was largely credited with building the university ratings franchise for Maclean's magazine before leaving for a high profile, non-journalistic job at McGill University. This week, Patricia Best at the Globe and Mail published a short item about Johnston's departure from McGill, which said, in part:Last week, public documents showed that Ann Dowsett Johnston, a former editor

Magazine world view

London Evening Standard aims to end tradition of self-employed vendors (Guardian)Journalism pay rises still possible in downturn, NUJ finds (Press Gazette)Christie Heffner's severance package (PaidContent.org)Unable to find buyers, Journal Register shutters 33 smalltown weeklies (MediaPost)Budding Journalists Use Twitter, blogs to open doors (Media Shift) Connecticut governor cuts magazine

Taking a shot at the liquor business

KMI Publishing and Events, a Toronto-based branch of an Australasian company, has launched a new bi-monthly business-to-business magazine called Liquor Canada, serving Canada's more than 20,000 liquor-serving licensees.The magazine is sold by subscription and by single copy; cover price is $6.99 and a 12-issue sub is $39. A full page ad, 1x costs $4,500. A leaderborad web ad is $2,500 a

Publishers in U.S. seen weighing benefits of their association

Just when you'd think that magazine publishers would ramp up their cooperation and pull together in the face of hard times, the decision by Hachette Filippachi (publishers of Elle and Car & Driver among others) to pull out of the Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) has caused talk. Tony Silber at Folio: predicted that Hachette would not be the last big publisher to become a dropout.The reason,

CalgaryInc. magazine to close

RedPoint Media Group is closing its title CalgaryInc. Its final issue will be published in March. Five employees and one intern have been laid off. Executive vice-president Gary Davies told CBC News on Thursday that some elements of the magazine, such as "Top 40 under 40" will be rolled into Avenue, another Redpoint magazine. Davies blamed the layoffs on falling advertising sales since Sept. 1.

What's behind the abrupt departure of Bob White at ABC Canada?

The abrupt departure of Bob White, senior vice president of Canada after 15 years at the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) in Toronto raises a good many questions. Anyone know what's going on there?

Temporary restraining order prevents publishers bailing from Source

A judge in New York has issued a temporary restraining order, forbidding magazine publishers from diverting their titles from Source Interlink's distribution stream. The order, as reported in Folio:, is related to Source's dubious contention that big publishers are colluding to put it out of the single copy distribution business. When, in fact, what may put it out of the distribution business is

Those were the days...weren't they?

Gawker, the Manhattan media blog, posts a photo from 1935, showing a New York newsstand and a wall of magazines during the height of the Great Depression. (photo is uncredited)

Michelle Obama sets her own style for Vogue cover shoot

It was probably inevitable that Michelle Obama would wind up on the cover of Vogue, given that people are as interested in her wardrobe as her intellect. What is unusual, apparently, is that she is considered to have enough taste that the editors allowed her to choose her own outfits, according to a Canadian Press story. Her cover shot in the March issue was done by megastar photographer Annie

Quebec pulp-and-paper trade mag closed

A trade magazine serving the beleagured Quebec paper industry has been shut down. According to a post in Mastheadonline, the Business Information Group, Canada’s largest b-to-b publisher, has closed Les Papetières du Québec, which was founded in 1990, and had a circulation around 4,400.

CP style and spelling guides being sold online, at a premium

Canadian Press has made an online version of its venerable and highly respected Style Guide and Caps and Spelling, for a fee.Annual online subscriptions:Stylebook = $48.95Caps and Spelling = $28.95Buy both = $75.00Hard copies:Stylebook = $34.95Caps and Spelling = $20.05Total cost: $55.00So, apparently, the premium for searchability is $20 the first year and thereafter $75. Or am I missing

Michael Cooke named editor of Toronto Star

Michael Cooke, a peripatetic former colleague of Toronto Star publisher John Cruickshank at the Chicago Sun-Times (once owned by Conrad Black) has been appointed as editor of the Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper.Currently editor-in-chief of the Sun-Times, he has also served as vice-president of editorial for the Chicago Sun-Times News Group, overseeing more than 100 titles and

US postal service ups periodicals rates 4%

As expected, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has announced rate increase for periodicals of 4% -- actually 3.976% -- starting May 11. According to a report in Folio:, while the rate is tied to the consumer price index, currently 3.8%, USPS is charging slightly more because it didn't use all of its allowable rate increase in 2008.In Canada, Canad Post is implementing a "distance-related

Ontario human rights body calls for national press council

[This post has been updated] The Ontario Human Rights Commission is calling for a consolidated, national press council that would have the power to hold Canadian magazines, newspapers and internet sources to book for professional standards and accountability.According to a story from the National Post, carried by CanWest News Services, the council should have the power to order publications and

Event watch: CSME (act fast) and CMC

How to find funny -- CSME mixerThe Canadian Society of Magazine Editors is running one of its periodic mixers on Thursday, February 12, 6 - 8 p.m. at the Bar Italia (upstairs). $15 for members; $30 for everyone else.The topic is non-fiction humour; how to put it to work for your magazine. The presentation will be by:Pat Lynch, Toro's former senior editor and now with the Globe & MailDavid Eddie,

Still time to enter KRW awards

The extended entry deadline for the Kenneth R. Wilson awards, the awards program for Canada's business-to-business magazine sector, is Friday, February 13. The KRWs (as the competition is most often known) is open to all open to all business, trade, professional and farm print and online publications and recognizes editorial and design achievement. Five winners in each of the 20 categories

Canada Wide's Legge steps down from Canadian Business Press board

Not quite 6 months after joining the board of the Canadian Business Press, Peter Legge has stepped down as a director, according to a notice on the CBP website. Legge, who is chairman of Canada Wide Media in Vancouver, is being replaced by Mark Vreugdehnil, publisher with Newcom Business Media of Toronto. Newcom publishes Today's Trucking, Highway Star, Plumbing & HVAC and Logistics.

The vanishing internship

Internships have been, for many students, the key to entry into journalism. There's a story on J-source.ca by student Laura Stone about the rapidly disappearing summer and internship programs at various newspapers and magazines across the country.

Magazine world view

Emap Inform freezes pay of highest earners (Guardian)Le Monde sells influential cinema magazine Cahiers du Cinéma(Guardian)WSJ.com Relaunches European And Asian Editions, Moves Into India(paidContent)Source Interlink sues publishers, wholesalers over 'conspiracy' (Folio:)Slate launches French edition (Politico)Hachette Filipacchi drops out of Magazine Publishers of America (AdAge)Forbes shutters

Glossing over the line between custom and consumer

If the sincerest form of flattery is imitation, then custom publishing is very flattering about consumer publishing. Occasionally, it gets a boost from a naive article such as the one that was recently run by the Ryerson Review of Journalism. The article's thesis is that, as custom publishers improve the "journalistic integrity" of their publications, they are becoming indistinguishable from

Our 3,000th post before our 4th birthday

Canadian Magazines, which started blogging February 25, 2005 (which makes us almost four years old in a couple of weeks, egad) has just crested its 3,000th post. Thanks to all our faithful readers. Here's a link to our very first post.

Anderson News suspends "normal business"

Anderson News announced Saturday that it was suspending "normal business activity" in the U.S. and laying off most of its staff. The Tennessee-based company, which had been maintaining a defiant face earlier in the week in its dispute with the major magazine publishers, notified its staff by conference call on Saturday, according to a report in Folio:. The layoffs affect Anderson employees at

The new RD way: Reinventing the magazine model

New publishing models, or rather variations on publishing models, are being sought by magazine publishers everywhere.Samir Husni, the magazine consultant and commentator is one of those who say that readership-driven models are the only way forward for the business and he illustrates this in a current interview with Alyce Alston of Reader's Digest as it launches three new magazines in the U.S.

What were they thinking?

What a terrible cover, in so many ways (March 2009). Margaret Atwood virtually swaddled and overly made up. Smothering coverlines and logo (which are not mitigated by making them transparent). A mysterious main coverline (She's one what?) Coloured letters. And that weird, disembodied NEW! (we think they mean the magazine).

Food & Drink mag ponies up $5,000 for shortlisted design packages

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario has issued an addendum to its request for proposal for art direction for its Food & Drink magazine. It seems to be an attempt to mollify designers and their association who were steamed about being asked for almost a complete design template, on spec. The new provisions offer shortlisted candidates $5,000 to cover their costs.An art director friend writes:The

2009 Oscar Screenwriting Nominees Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews Simon Beaufoy, Dustin Lance Black, Courtney Hunt, Eric Roth, John Patrick Shanley and Andrew Stanton about their Oscar nominated films. Photo copyright Jeremiah Alley.

Copyright Unlikely Films, Inc. 2009. All Rights Reserved.

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Who said he was "sexiest cerebral man"?

John Geddes of Maclean's is not sure how he or the magazine got credit for calling Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff the "Sexiest Cerebral Man", a phrase credited to Maclean's in a New York Times article.Geddes says in this week's issue that he's puzzled about where the phrase came from, since he didn't write it in that form and he doesn't know who coined the term, if anyone. In Geddes' June 2003

Government international trade campaign will benefit some magazines

Select Canadian business magazines and newspapers will benefit from a new, two-month annual advertising campaign from the federal government on behalf of the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service.Stockwell Day, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, launched the annual advertising campaign while delivering a speech at the Toronto Board of Trade. The campaign

U.S. major mags heavily discounting off rate cards

There is a lot of speculation and very little fact about the discounting of magazine rate cards; publishers naturally hold such information very close to their waistcoats and it is the rare publisher who doesn't say he stays on card, but his competitors...However, a comparison of what U.S. publicly traded magazine companies tell their shareholders about annual ad sales, compared with data about

Artists and writers: a daunting profile

[This post has been updated]A profile of Canadian artists -- a category that includes writers, illustrators and photographers for Canadian magazines -- has been published by Hill Strategies Research Inc., drilling down into the latest census data . The report shows:there are 140,000 artists* in Canada who spent more time at their art than at any other occupation in May 2006;The number of artists

Demise of Domino; what's wrong with this picture?

If you want to contemplate the stark difference between the advertising-driven model of magazine publishing and the audience-driven model, between traditional publishing and publishing that was web-ready and plugged into the zeitgeist, you will want to read the article in the New York Times about the closing of Domino magazine.In under four years, Domino had succeeded in attracting the young,

What IS Stephen Harper?

Is Stephen Harper an ideologue or a politician? If this is a question you'd like to see explored, there's a fundraiser for you. The Walrus Foundation is holding a series of lunchtime debates, the first of which features William Johnson, Walrus contributor and author of Stephen Harper and the Future of Canada, and political strategist and commentator David Herle in a discussion moderated by

Quote, unquote: no longer a business model for news

Right now there is no business model in news. We are between platforms. We understand the factors that are ending the current model, but nothing has changed yet. -- Jay Rosen, NYU professor of journalism, during a panel on social networking (reported on MediaShift)

AWP, LIT 15, Guidelines, etc.

Hey kids, long time, no post. LIT is busy at work on issue 15, which will be coming out in the spring. We know that's later than previously promised, but trust that it's going to be an amazing issue. It's our official 10th anniversary release, and it's chock full of features and poetry, prose and art that will blow your mind, your mom's mind, and your dog's mind, if your dog is aesthetically inclined.

And yes, LIT will be at AWP Chicago! Please come find our table, purchase discounted copies of LIT 13 and 14, grab a LIT button (new!) and take a subscription form! We'll also be handing out teaser fliers about LIT 15 and all the good stuff it will contain.

We may also have chocolate. :x

For the curious, we are currently taking submissions and will be until May. Here's everything you need to know...

Send your submissions of poetry, fiction and nonfiction to:

LIT
The New School
Writing Program, Room 514
66 West 12th Street
New York, NY 10011

And here's our current masthead:

Peter Bogart Johnson & Nicole Steinberg, Editors
Graeme Bezanson, Poetry Editor
Emily Taylor & Yvonne Garrett, Prose Editors
Jackie Clark, Associate Poetry Editor
Benjamin Kendrick, Associate Prose Editor
Mark Bibbins, Shanna Compton, Justin Marks & Kathleen Ossip, Editors at Large
David Lehman, Robert Polito & Jackson Taylor, Faculty Advisors
Brian McMullen, Design Consultant

And, of course, our very important submission guidelines:

- Poetry submissions should be no more than 5 poems or 10 pages.
- Prose submissions should be no longer than 25 pages, double-spaced, single-sided.
- All submissions must include a SASE for reply and a cover letter. Cover letters let us know that you're a real person who actually has some knowledge about LIT. We appreciate that sort of thing. Submissions without cover letters will NOT be considered.
- Contributors must receive a reply from LIT before submitting new work; additional submissions received before we have sent a reply to a previous submission will be returned unread!
- Our reading periods are from September to mid-December and January to May. Do not submit more than twice in either period.
- We do not consider submissions filed by professional coordinating services.

Ontario designers reprimand Food & Drink for spec work request

The Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario (RGD) has taken issue with a request for proposal from Food & Drink magazine, published by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO). The RFP requests layout samples be included.According to a story in Design Edge Canada, RGD sent a strongly worded letter of reprimand, noting the RFP's statement that, while samples are not mandatory,

Source Interlink denies it's exiting single copy business

Weirder and weirder developments on the U.S. single copy front (see earlier post), according to a report in Mediaweek:The president of Source Interlink, Jim Gillis, denies reports that the company is shutting down its wholesale business, but accuses publishers Curtis, AMI, Bauer and Time of working "in lockstep" to force wholesalers out of business;Comag president Mike Sullivan says his company

Limited opportunity to buy 2 Canadian mags, get 1 free

The annual Magazines Canada "Buy 2, get 1 free" direct mail campaign is an ideal opportunity for readers of this blog -- who I imagine are all avid magazine consumers -- to take advantage of the very attractive pricing and show support for Canadian magazines of all sizes. It's only available for a limited time (March 15).

There's demand for Canadian eco-paper if only the mills would produce it

The Canadian publishing industry -- magazines, books and newspapers -- want at least 550,000 metric tonnes of eco-paper, worth something like $560 million, but no Canadian paper mills are so far prepared to supply it. According to a new report released by Markets Initiative, the ailing Canadian pulp and paper industry could be repositioned for success by adopting more environmentally sensitive

Globe & Mail sheds 90 staff: 60 take buyout; 30 laid off

The Globe and Mail is apparently 90 people lighter starting soon, according to a posting on J-Source. Publisher Phillip Crawley told the Canadian Press that 60 people took voluntary buyouts, but some 30 others were laid off. According to a Toronto Star report, 14 of the employees let go were from the newsroom (many from the photo and graphics department) and the rest were from the circulation and

Don't leave your own magazine copy on the plane...

A while back we carried a curious item about a subscriber copy of Maclean's magazine being bought at a Bangkok, Thailand newsstand. How did it get halfway round the world, wondered Andrew Batt,the editor of The Bangkok Bugle blog? And what, he asked about the privacy implications of him being able to use the subscriber info on the label? He was able to buy other North American titles as well,

Half of U.S. magazine distribution gone as Anderson and Source quit

At a stroke, 50% of the magazine distribution in the United States disappeared today, as Anderson News and Source Interlink exited the business, according to a breaking news from Folio:. The outcome may be that The News Group, Canada's largest distributor, may become a dominant player in single copy distribution south of the border. It has just taken over the huge Wal-Mart account.(Reports are

Quote, unquote: on not getting high on newsprint

“I've realized I'm like a drug dealer who doesn't get high on his own supply. I don't get misty-eyed over newsprint. I'm not one of those people who loves the texture of print in the morning as I'm eating my breakfast."-- Globe and Mail correspondent Graeme Smith, speaking at the Ryerson Journalism Alumni Association's (RJAA) annual general meeting. [As quoted in a story by Chantal Braganza on

Charity magazine will give half its subcription to charity of subscribers' choice

A new print magazine for the charitable sector is to launch in April. Charity Times is planning to have a circulation of 30,000 plus and an unusual aspect of the publication is that subscribers can direct 50% of their $40 subscription fee to the charity of their choice.According to publisher Joe Plati, the publication fills an unserved or underserved niche and is the only national magazine

Slimming down saves papers a tonne of money

A few interesting factoids from an interesting story published by the Canadian Community Newspapers Association in its house organ The Publisher.The Globe and Mail saved $2.3 million in newsprint when it lopped 1.5 inches off its page width;The Globe will reduce its page size further in 2010, shearing off another inch in width and 1.75 inches in depth;Newsprint prices in December were $944 a

Magazine world view

Doubledown Media, publishers of Trader Monthly, runs out of money, shuts down (Folio:)NY Times mulls charging for its web site (Bloomberg)Vanity Fair recycles Obama photo for March cover (New York Observer)London Evening Standard considers part-free distribution model (Guardian)Newspaper executives launch ad campaign to combat "no future" notion (Folio:)Flood of complaints bad sign for the Times

Statements about online Canadians' magazine reading habits questioned by PMB

The executive vice-president of the Print Measurement Bureau has questioned the accuracy of results of a recently published Inter@ctive Reid survey that said 40% of online Canadians don't read magazines. After being asked about the result by Magazines Canada, Hastings Withers wrote a letter to the editor of Media in Canada, which published the story based on the study. He said the results

New online news and opinion site to be launched this spring

A new online forum for news and opinion called The Mark is being launched this spring, edited by Josh Knelman, a former associate editor, fiction editor and head of research at The Walrus. According to a story in J-source.The idea is that there are Canadians out there who are experts in their chosen field, but who don't consider themselves writers and so don't publish their opinions and or