How Much is a Magazine’s Content Worth? Part I
I’m no fetishist or luddite, though, and while I tend to favor print, my definition of a magazine is platform neutral. I’ve worked in magazine publishing for over 15 years now—from audience development to advertising sales, freelance editorial to events planning, corporate to DIY—and stand firmly with the digital generation that’s purportedly out mugging elderly newspapers in broad daylight, and striking fear in the hearts of cowardly and superstitious magazines in the middle of the night. Seeing subscription offers like the one above for Fast Company and Inc.—two solid print magazines devaluing their editorial content at only $.75/issue while simultaneously making it all available for free online—I think that the death of the current ad-supported model is inevitable and, arguably, a good thing.
Kris Allen is the next American Idol
In a just world, at the end of a season that featured the most raw talent they’ve ever assembled, Kris Allen would be this season’s American Idol in a landslide and authenticity would be hailed as the new black. Period. And shut up. (Especially you, Kara DioGuardi!) Of course, we don’t live in a just
Starbucks, I Done You Wrong! #smwin
One of the great things about “social media” is the ability to engage in conversations with a variety of people, anywhere in the world, on pretty much any topic of interest, no matter how obscure or inane. Thanks to forums, blogs and Facebook, I’ve connected with poets, writers, comic book fans and creators, and re-connected
What New Media Can Learn From Slam Poetry
“I have just read the immortal poems of the ages and come away dull. I don’t know who’s at fault; maybe it’s the weather, but I sense a lot of pretense and poesy footwork: I am writing a poem, they seem to say, look at me! Poetry must be forgotten; we must get down to
Marketing Should be Fun(damental)
Marketers have spammed, lied, deceived, cluttered and ripped us off for so long, we’re sick of it. –Seth Godin I love coaching Little League baseball. This is my son’s third year playing and I’ve been fortunate enough to coach his team each year, experiencing first-hand the beauty of playing baseball for no other reason than
6Qs: Maria Schneider, Editor Unleashed
“I don’t know if there’s any light at the end of the tunnel for publishers, but I think the future for writers is bright.” –Maria Schneider, Editor Unleashed I had the pleasure of working with the Editor Unleashed herself, Maria Schneider, for about 18 months, back when we were both with Writer’s Digest — as Editor
Starbucks’ Mixed Messages, Ethical Truthiness, #smfail
“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” –Roger ‘Verbal’ Kint, The Usual Suspects [UPDATED BELOW; THRICE!] Starbucks profited greatly from years of an aggressive and purposeful over-expansion that successfully wiped out many of their independent competitors and established their brand as a counter-intuitive status symbol (it’s just coffee, people; get over yourselves!), but
Stop Interrupting; Listen, Engage, Earn Attention
You know the stereotype of the guy on the first date who can’t stop talking about himself, only to wonder why he doesn’t get a kiss at the end of the night, never mind a second date? That guy is like advertising. In the latest flare-up of the “print is dead” debate, Michael Josefowicz’ provocative
Tone Deaf Publishers Need Savvy Writers
In response to a question about lessons they’d learned from the failure of a book to sell as well as expected — something that was acknowledged several times as being the norm not the exception — one offered an example of an unnamed book that the stars had seemingly all aligned for: it was a great book the editor loved, that their publisher believed was going to be a hit, that got great reviews from all of the major mainstream outlets… and it flopped. In the final bit of unacknowledged irony, one of them briefly noted that examples of successful self-publishing were rare and magical.
Bursting the Social Media Bubble
THE_REAL_SHAQ How can u b an expert without legitimate knowledge or legitimate experience Shaq oneal about 9 hours ago from TwitterBerry It’s been fascinating watching the odd, mostly one-sided battle going on between so-called social media experts and traditional marketing and PR professionals, as the former continue to pound their virtual drums on a daily