Canadian Magazines

Swerve to success: Calgary weekly celebrates 5 years of doing things its own way

2009-11-09T00:17:00.004-05:00

It's something of a triumph of the unlikely as Swerve magazine -- the funky supplement to the Calgary Herald -- has just marked its fifth anniversary. The award-winning magazine is, unquestionably, editor Shelley Youngbut's creation and to her goes a good deal of the credit not only for its longevity but for its excellence. After all, newspapers have traditionally had TV and listings guides

With Transcontinental's help, San Francisco Chronicle goes glossy

2009-11-06T12:42:00.001-05:00

The San Francisco Chronicle is the first major U.S. newspaper to print on glossy paper, starting on Monday. The magazine-style glossy paper will appear on the first page of most sections and show up on inside forms as well, according to a story in the Associated Press. Besides making the Chronicle more pleasing to read, the magazine-style glossy paper could help the newspaper attract more

Hmmmmm...

2009-11-05T12:48:00.001-05:00

Graham Scott, the editor of This magazine, posted the following on the Toronto Freelance Editors and Writers list: Just wanted to share this article in the current issue of Wired on Demand Media. The company publishes obscure little web articles and videos on crazy niche topics (currently, 4,000 articles and videos *every day*), and makes all its money -- an estimated US$200 million this year --

Halifax magazine editor and freelance writer compile Atlantic Canada's 100 Greatest Books

2009-11-05T12:30:00.001-05:00

The editor of Halifax magazine, Trevor Adams, and Halifax freelance writer Stephen Patrick Clare, have co-authored Atlantic Canada's 100 Greatest Books. According to a story in Metro News, over 18 months the pair compiled the fat trade paperback with the help of hundreds of local experts who were asked to specify their top 10. From there, the top-100 was compiled. “We are pretty passionate

Field & Stream editor talks about keeping service journalism fresh

2009-11-05T11:59:00.001-05:00

"A service magazine is about teaching someone something and if it's hard, confusing or difficult to understand, you're done. The reader is not going to go back and re-read and try to understand what you were saying."Magazines Canada has posted a 10-minute audio podcast with Anthony Licata, the editor-in-chief of Field and Stream magazine. In a conversation with Tina Pittaway recorded at last

Upstart service offers to sell magazine articles like iTunes sells music

2009-11-05T09:50:00.003-05:00

A new web-based service modelled after iTunes is in beta testing to sell magazines piece-by-piece. Using Maggwire.com customers will be able to select a “channel” (like “politics” or “entertainment"), then get "premium" content from a series of "relevant" magazines, for, say, $1.99 a month, with an additional 99 cents per magazine that they want to add to the package. Maggwire would get 25% of

Indian magazine foreign investment limits may be raised to 49%

2009-11-05T09:25:00.001-05:00

The Indian government is considering raising the limit on foreign investment in Indian magazine businesses. Information and broadcasting ministerAmbika Soni told the annual meeting of the Indian Magazine Congress that assessment was being made of requests from media houses to increase the foreign direct ownership limit to 49% (it is now 26%). Alluding to the growing international interest in the

Lush magazine relaunched

2009-11-04T18:58:00.006-05:00

A story on Mastheadonline says that quarterly fashion title Lush magazine has been relaunched with a fall 2009 issue after being on a 9-month hiatus. The story indicates the relaunch has been enabled by new ownership, the Toronto-based Bassett Media Group. But that ownership is not so new; Lush was actually purchased almost two years ago by Bassett, in December 2007, as part of a move to

Readers Digests's religious magazine venture fizzles

2009-11-04T17:57:00.004-05:00

Purpose Driven Connection, a partnership between Readers Digest Association (RDA) and Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren -- which last year was being promoted as one of RDA's "most important and far-reaching ventures ever" -- is being discontinued as a print publication. Following its December issue, it will go online-only and be available free, according to a story in Folio:.

Anatomy of a nosedive: analyst says U.S. audited circulation decline in 2009 highest in 40 years

2009-11-04T17:39:00.005-05:00

Paid and audited circulation of consumer magazines in the U.S. in the first half of 2009 fell by 6.3% or about 17.3 million, the steepest decline in over 40 years, according to an article by columnist Baird Davis in Audience Development magazine. In the previous 8 years (2000 - 2008) the annual average was only about 1.5%. Davis said he included in his analysis ABC- and BPA-audited paid/

Bloomberg says it may charge $1,000 a year for some Business Week access

2009-11-04T15:02:00.000-05:00

Bloomberg LP, the new owners of Business Week magazine, are apparently mulling over the possibility of charging $1,000 a year for access to stories about certain topics, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal.

Boycott of Transcontinental Media titles now promoted by new website

2009-11-04T14:17:00.003-05:00

The coalition of Canadian writers' organizations that are promoting a boycott of Transcontinental Media magazines, have launched a website called Bad Writing Contracts. The site is another tool in a kit that includes a blog, a Facebook group and posts on Twitter. The boycott focuses on a proposed master agreement that Transcontinental is imposing on all freelance writers who work for any of its

A fitting tribute

2009-11-04T11:58:00.001-05:00

A death notice in the Globe and Mail on Tuesday was not particularly out of the ordinary, at least to start. It noted the passing on October 30 of "iconic" interior decorator John Manuel, "one of the pillars of Hazelton Avenue" in Toronto's Yorkville. The notice praised his charm, his "flawless understated taste". As with most such notices it thanked friends, doctors and nurses at Toronto

Freelancers will be eligible for EI benefits under new bill

2009-11-03T19:02:00.005-05:00

Magazine freelancers will now be able to enrol in the employment insurance (EI) system and collect benefits, starting in 2011, if a new federal bill is passed. According to a Canadian Press story, the Fairness for the Self-Employed Act essentially extends the special provision of the EI system to the self-employed for the first time, including maternity, parental, adoption, medical and

Magazine world view: Bulking up BW; beefing up WSJ; one-night stands?; digital mags' e-future?

2009-11-03T18:31:00.000-05:00

Business Week under Bloomberg: May charge for some online, bulk up mag (paidContent) Apparel manufacturer to launch lifestyle magazine for nurses (Audience Development) Taking aim a the NYT, the WSJ beefs up New York coverage (paidContent) Social media IS media (Dan McCarthy's ViralHousingFix) Are magazine launches turning to $9.00 a pop “one-night stands?” (Mr. Magazine) New York magazine

Design firm offers one lucky magazine a makeover

2009-11-03T15:51:00.002-05:00

A Toronto graphics design firm, K9 Design Co., and a number of print-sector partners are offering one magazine the opportunity to win a makeover worth almost $20,000. a full magazine redesign by K9 Design Co. a cover consultation by circuation firm Circ 3 a $5,000 credit towards digital processing with Dawson Communications - NXTBook Media A minium of 10% off invoices to a maximum of $5,000 from

Readers choose late wolf pack leader as cover for Canadian Geographic

2009-11-03T15:06:00.007-05:00

Readers of Canadian Geographic magazine have chosen as the cover subject for next month's wildlife issue, a photo of a famed, black wolf called Delinda, the late leader of the Banff pack . Online voters had a choice of three possible covers, two of which featured Delinda.Delinda's death on the Trans-Canada Highway in September 2008 adds poignancy to the story; the editors of Canadian Geographic

US magazines face erosion of lucrative pharma ads

2009-11-02T12:19:00.001-05:00

Clouds really do have silver linings, sometimes. What you don't have, you can't lose. Canadian publishers have lamented for years that direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical magazine advertising has been denied to them while American magazine were spilling over the border, stuffed with them, without let or hindrance. But, according to a story in Mediaweek, magazines in the U.S. may come to rue the

Time Inc. expected to cut another 400 jobs in face of declining revenues

2009-11-02T08:17:00.000-05:00

Last fall, Time Inc. cut 600 jobs to save $150 million. This week, probably Wednesday, according to a story in MediaDailyNews, it is expected to eliminate up to 400 more jobs as the company plans to cut another $100 million in costs in the face of continuing decline in advertising and circulation revenue -- ad revenues down 26%, circ revenues 22.2% in the 2nd quarter of the year. Another large

Magazine fact book brings good news in the face of hard times

2009-11-02T07:54:00.002-05:00

Magazine's Canada today released its 2009 magazine fact book, which casts a distinctly positive light on magazine publishing in this country and provides lots of ammunition to push back when the next person tells you that magazines are doomed. While the purpose of the publication is unabashedly to spin a good story, it is hard not to come away from it without feeling that we're in a robust and

BC coalition writes 100 times to Premier Campbell about arts cuts

2009-11-02T06:00:00.003-05:00

B.C. premier Gordon Campbell is or will be receiving a batch of 100 letters from The Coalition for the Defence of Writing & Publishing in B.C. in support of restoring funding to the province’s literary arts groups. The premier should expect another batch in November. The B.C. Association of Magazine Publishers (BCAMP), the Association of Book Publishers of B.C. and B.C. BookWorld formed the

Beaver feature becomes lavish coffee table book

2009-11-01T14:44:00.002-05:00

The Beaver magazine and its publisher Canada's National History Society, unveils an audacious line extension this month with the launch of 100 Photos That Changed Canada, a lavish coffee table book published by Harper Collins Canada, based on a magazine feature. Launch events will be held across the country, starting in Calgary November 5, Winnipeg November 6, and Toronto on November 16.A series

Strategy magazine publishes first "augmented reality" cover

2009-11-01T14:15:00.001-05:00

Strategy magazine is publishing Canada's first "augmented reality" cover on its November 2009 issue. It was created by Secret Location, a Toronto-based agency, and has an image on the cover that, when held up to a webcam, triggers three images of winners in this year's Agency of the Year awards.(Even if you don't have a copy of the magazine handy, you can download the printable icon in pdf form.)

U.S. association publishers struggle with revenue decline and format issues

2009-11-01T14:01:00.003-05:00

Only 8% of association publications in the U.S. said they expect publication revenue to increase in 2009, while almost half (49%) expect it to decrease. This, according to the just-published survey by Folio:. Advertising continues to be association pubs' largest revenue stream, and print advertising accounted for 68.8% for smaller associations (<25,000 members) and 62.1% for larger (25,000 +).

National Post downplays its own role in speculation about closure

2009-11-01T13:33:00.000-05:00

The National Post has published an extraordinary response to last week's court decision about moving the money-losing daily into the newspaper division of CanWest. Extraordinary because the tone and content of the editorial attempts to soft-soap the fact that much of the exaggerated coverage of the near-death experience of the paper was based on its own court filings. The firestorm of uninformed