Magazine Newsstand Sales Slide

Magazine newsstand sales still sliding, but improve over last year

By ANDREW VANACORE , Associated Press

NEW YORK - U.S. magazine sales at newsstands and other retail outlets continued to slip in the first half of 2010, though the latest figures marked an improvement for an industry hard-hit by the recession.

So-called single-copy sales fell 5.6 percent to roughly 32.5 million in the January-June period compared with the previous year. The decline had been 9 percent in the last six months of 2009 and 12 percent in the first half of 2009, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

The single-copy sales at newsstands and other retailers are an important gauge because publishers charge full prices for them. Subscriptions are typically discounted so publishers can boost the overall circulation they can promise advertisers.

The number of magazine subscriptions fell 2 percent in the latest period to 267 million, making for an overall sales decline of 2.3 percent to about 314 million copies.

The downturn last year was painful for magazines. Along with circulation declines, the U.S. consumer magazine industry lost more than a quarter of its advertising pages, which constitute the main source of revenue at most publishers.

Although the latest figures show most titles continue to suffer at the newsstand, some saw the beginnings of a rebound in the first half of 2010.

Hearst Corp.'s Cosmopolitan, still the top seller, saw newsstand sales edge up 1.5 percent over the same period a year ago to 1.6 million copies.

People Stylewatch, published by Time Inc., was up 15 percent to more than 572,000 copies. Women's Health, owned by Rodale Inc., jumped 10 percent to nearly 368,000, and Hearst's Seventeen was up 5.8 percent to about 340,000.

Freedom of photography: Police, security often clamp down despite public right

This is an excerpt from an interesting article in Washington Post. To read the entire article, click here.

Freedom of photography: Police, security often clamp down despite public right

By Annys Shin
Washington Post Staff Writer

A few weeks ago, on his way to work, Matt Urick stopped to snap a few pictures of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's headquarters. He thought the building was ugly but might make for an interesting photo. The uniformed officer who ran up to him didn't agree. He told Urick he was not allowed to photograph federal buildings.

Urick wanted to tell the guard that there are pictures of the building on HUD's Web site, that every angle of the building is visible in street views on Google Maps and that he was merely an amateur photographer, not a threat. But Urick kept all this to himself.

(Examples of photos that got people in trouble with the police)

"A lot of these guys have guns and are enforcing laws they obviously don't understand, and they are not to be reasoned with," he said. After detaining Urick for a few minutes and conferring with a colleague on a radio, the officer let him go.

Courts have long ruled that the First Amendment protects the right of citizens to take photographs in public places. Even after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, law enforcement agencies have reiterated that right in official policies.

But in practice, those rules don't always filter down to police officers and security guards who continue to restrict photographers, often citing authority they don't have. Almost nine years after the terrorist attacks, which ratcheted up security at government properties and transportation hubs, anyone photographing federal buildings, bridges, trains or airports runs the risk of being seen as a potential terrorist.

(Can an entire downtown be declared a no-photo zone?)

Reliable statistics on detentions and arrests of photographers are hard to come by, but photographers, their advocates and even police agree that confrontations still occur frequently. Photographers had run-ins with police before the 2001 attacks, but constitutional lawyers say the combination of heightened security concerns and the spread of digital cameras has made such incidents more common.

In the past month, in addition to Urick's encounter, a retired oceanographer said he was threatened with arrest for snapping pictures of a federal courthouse in Silver Spring, and an Alexandria man was briefly detained for photographing police making a traffic stop in Georgetown.

(Traffic stop video sparks debate over police use of wiretap laws)

Law enforcement officials have a hard time explaining the gap between policy and practice. The disconnect, legal experts say, may stem from a dearth of guidelines about how to balance security concerns with civil liberties.

"Security guards are often given few rules to follow, but they have clearly gotten the message that they need to be extra vigilant," said Kent Willis, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia. "In the end, it seems you never know how a particular security guard is going to react."

New University Newspaper Going Strong

Greek-themed newspaper finds niche on campus

Two Indiana University graduates are finding a profitable niche with a weekly newspaper for fraternity and sorority members.

The Odyssey made its debut at IU last fall and is distributed at Purdue, Michigan State and Miami University in Ohio. Founders Evan Burns and Adrian France say revenue is expected to top $2 million this year.

They hope to expand to 40 campuses by the 2011-2012 school year

Each issue is customized by campus and is distributed free at fraternity and sorority houses, student union buildings, coffee shops and other sites. A team of student publishers and on-campus ad representatives provides content and revenue support.

The two have lined up investors and are opening a headquarters in Indianapolis as part of their expansion.

Newsweek Will Not be Sold to the Chinese

This is an excerpt from a much longer article in Fortune. To read the entire article, click here.

FORTUNE -- China is no longer content to merely be covered by American media. It now wants to own it.

China-based Southern Media Group confirmed last week that it partnered with Chengdu B-Ray Media for a bid to buy Newsweek magazine from its owner, the Washington Post Co. Perhaps not surprisingly, the offer was roundly rejected.

After losing nearly $30 million in print advertising revenues during the past two years and experiencing a 31% plummet in its first quarter revenue this year, the 77-year-old magazine was put on the auction block in early May. Washington Post CEO Donald Graham said Newsweek had no clear path to profitability.

Washington Post Co.'s (WPO, Fortune 500) reason for rejecting the Chinese media group's bid remains undisclosed. Since the deadline for Newsweek bids on June 2, no other serious suitors have announced they've been rejected. A Washington Post spokeswoman declined to comment.

Attending a Writer's Conference is Important

Why A Writer's Conference Is Important

by W. Terry Whalin

It's a personal investment to attend a writer's conference. Whether you attend for a full day or spend several days in another state, it will involve investing your time, energy and money. In these pages, I will explore some of the reasons to attend these meetings, links and helps to find information about where to find these gatherings along with other resources to help you improve your writing skills.

Like many other kinds of businesses, the writing business is relational. Talent, craft and skill does enter the consideration but it's also who you know. Possibly you are new to this field and you are crying, "I don't know anyone." That's OK. Everyone has to begin somewhere in this journey. You don't have to stay in that situation. Through writer's conferences, you can begin to form some editor relationships.

Almost twenty years ago, I began attending these specialized meetings. I worked on a magazine staff and we understood the benefits and accordingly we used our slim financial resources to send staff members to meetings. It helped their professional development and also helped improve their ability to work on our magazine. I've attended conferences for my own personal development and professionalism.

In recent years, I've represented publishing houses as an acquisitions editor at these gatherings. Now I'm going to these conferences as a publisher. As an editor and an agent, the experience has been eye-opening to me and changed some of my perspectives. I've got some amazing stories about pushy conferees trying to convince me to purchase a particular manuscript. A pushy attitude usually backfires and makes the editor or agent want to run instead of listen carefully to your idea. Always remember that you want to make a good impression on the editor or the agent.

Even as a publisher, I continue to select at least one conference a year that I attend as a regular conferee--i.e. a paying participant and not someone who attends to represent a publisher or magazine and teach workshops.

One conference that I regularly attend for my own development is the annual conference for the American Society of Journalists and Authors in New York City. The schedule is posted on their website and it is a broad reaching event. I've met editors at Ladies Home Journal, Woman's Day, Modern Maturity, Money magazine, and numerous mainstream book editors. Several years ago at the ASJA member meeting, President and Mrs. Carter came to the session. One of the ASJA members wrote a book with Mrs. Carter and they were invited. I managed to give President Carter a copy of my then new book, Lessons From the Pit. Such a connection came from attending a conference.

Conferences have been a large part of my writing career. Often at these conferences, editors and agents are inundated with the wrong material because writers haven't done their homework. So often writers will send the wrong material to the wrong place and wasted everyone time--the writer and the editor or the agent. At a writer's conference, you meet the editors face to face and realize that they are also real people. This process begins to form your relationship. Then when you send in your material, they recall your name (or you can recall it to their attention saying, "It was great to meet you at ______ conference..."


Three Pieces of Advice

1. Do your homework. Know who will be attending the conference and read in advance what a particular editor needs and acquires (even the Writer's Market Guide is a good place to start). Then craft an idea, a proposal or something to start the conversation with this editor. Give them something they need. Editors read lots of stuff that they don't need at these conferences. Why? Because they are looking for the jewel in the stack, then they can publish that manuscript. It could be your writing if you do your homework.

2. Make a point to get to know different editors--even outside of your particular genre. What you write this year may change next year. Even if you've never written a book, get to know the book editors. Sit at their tables and talk with them about your dreams and hopes. And throughout the week, make little notes of things which strike you--then read your notes when you get home and follow through. You would be surprised how few people actually execute the necessary follow through work.

3. Learn your craft but also look to expand your writing horizon. This advice would be for newcomers but also for the veteran. I'd encourage everyone to take a class outside of what they normally take. If you don't write for children, take a children's workshop. If you have never written a personal experience article then take a one hour workshop on this topic. It might open a new door of opportunity in your writing life.

I've made some dear friends at writer's conferences and that's why I look forward to going to various conferences. It's my opportunity to help others and give back. I'm constantly learning new things as a writer--and a writer's conference is a place to soak it in.

From my perspective, writer's conferences have been life-changing events and have been critical in my professional and personal development. I recommend you take the time, energy and resources to get to a conference.
____________________________________________________________________
W. Terry Whalin understands both sides of the editorial desk--as an editor and a writer. He worked as a magazine editor for Decision and In Other Words. His magazine articles have appeared in more than 50 publications including Writer's Digest and Christianity Today. Terry has written more than 60 nonfiction books and his latest is Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams, Insider Secrets To Skyrocket Your Success (WTW Press). You can learn more detail about his background at: www.right-writing.com/whalin.html. For more than 12 years Terry has been an ECPA Gold Medallion judge in the fiction category. He has written extensively about Christian fiction and reviewed numerous fiction books in publications such as CBA Marketplace and BookPage. For five years, Terry was a book acquisitions editor for Cook Communications and Howard Books. A former literary agent, now Terry is a publisher at Intermedia Publishing Group. Terry and his wife, Christine, live in Scottsdale, Arizona.

© 2009 W. Terry Whalin

Print Magazines Have Never Stopped Selling

From Folio:

Print Magazines Have Never Stopped Selling

Revenue may be declining but the role of print is not.

By Josh Gordon

At the just concluded FOLIO: Show, Kerry Smith, Red 7 Media CEO, offered a surprising view of what the future of print publishing might be. Challenged, like all publishing companies, with the decline of print ad revenue, Smith has diversified his organization's offerings to include marketing services such as research, and consulting. But even as less of his company's revenue is tied to print he is more committed to it. Why? Because he has found that his magazines are most often the first point of contact leading to the sale of all the other services he is now selling.

Today, publishers of all kinds are using the presence they have in their markets to start related businesses. For example:

• Premier Guitar, sells sheet music to subscribers
• Oil and Gas Journal sells industry data and research
• Dwell, a shelter book for the modern home, sells modern prefabricated homes

But this "new" trend where publishers use a magazine presence to sell products and services to readers is not so new. Marketers have used sponsored or branded magazines to do this for years. Despite the migration of ad dollars away from print magazines, the dollars flowing into sponsored magazines are going strong as documented early this year by The Financial Times:

According to the UK research body Mintel, this type of "customer publishing" is booming. It estimates that the industry in the UK alone is likely to be worth £1bn by 2013. Between 2008 and 2009 it grew 16 per cent, and by 2013 it is projected to increase by a further 22 per cent - no mean feat when the rest of the glossy magazine world is in the doldrums.

What attracts companies is the direct impact on consumers. "Our research has shown that these magazines create an eight per cent uptick in sales," says Julia Hutchison, chief operating officer of the Association of Publishing Agencies, the representative for the customer publishing industry in the UK. "On average, every customer spends 25 minutes reading these titles. That's 25 minutes spent with the brand. Lots of companies are redirecting their ad and marketing spends to this avenue."

In the past, some sponsored publications were little more than product promos. But now, savvy marketers are investing in quality writers, photographers, and more objective journalism to attract larger audiences. The FT article continues:
"Whereas in-house magazines used to be glorified advertorials, today the branding is much more subtle and there's a genuine effort to tap top editorial talents and introduce original material; Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, photographic stalwarts of the fashion publications Vogue and Visionaire, shot the latest YSL manifesto.

The investment makes sense: it gives depth to a brand in an environment they can control. It pushes product without the obvious "sell", and in many instances may be cheaper than advertising. Asos' title, for instance, which is known for its mix of celebrity, shopping and entertainment, is now the second largest women's fashion title in the UK with an annual circulation of 471,522. Terri Westlake, head of media at Asos.com, says, "Customers are savvy; they understand that it's a brand title (and not independent), but they still appreciate a very good free magazine."

Print magazines can provide marketers with a "media marquee" that gives them consistent visibility hard to duplicate in the crowed online world. What Kerry Smith, and a growing number of publishers are taking advantage of is the same benefit marketers using sponsored publications have used for years...print magazines sell!

Joblessness Hits the Pulpit

A current article in the Wall Street Journal details the wave of layoffs as many churches react to the current economy. This is a short excerpt--to read the entire article click here.

Joblessness Hits the Pulpit

When Tim Ryan was called to an urgent meeting last year to discuss his duties as children's minister at West Shore Evangelical Free Church, he knew something was amiss.

"This is really hard. I don't know how I can do this," said executive pastor John Nesbitt, who helps lead the 2,500 attendee megachurch in Mechanicsburg, Pa.

The church, part of the Evangelical Free Church of America, had been growing rapidly but giving was down and well below projections as the recession weighed on members. So Mr. Ryan was losing his job, as was another pastor.

While the economy appears to be recovering from the worst downturn in generations, more clergy are facing unemployment as churches continue to struggle with drops in donations. In 2009, the government counted about 5,000 clergy looking for jobs, up from 3,000 in 2007 and 2,000 in 2005.

Church staff are feeling the pinch, too. In an October survey, about one in five members of the interdenominational 3,000-member National Association of Church Business Administration said they had laid off staff amid the recession.