ENG 301 – Perry Glasser The Great Magazine Lecture An adventure into the real world….

ENG 301 – Perry Glasser Overview  Business Models  Editorial Models  Implications for the Professional Writer

ENG 301 – Perry Glasser Business Models  Open “circ” (short for “circulation”) Sold to anyone with the cover price  Closed circ Selected audience Often free

ENG 301 – Perry Glasser Costs  Money is the lifeblood of magazines. Costs include: Production and sales staff Materials of production (paper, ink) Distribution costs (postage, trucks, cost of shelf-space)

ENG 301 – Perry Glasser Income  Sales  Advertising  Donations Usually in the form of a “real” contribution, such as office space granted by a college to a literary journal

ENG 301 – Perry Glasser Critical Pause  Why aren’t the thickest magazines—the ones that cost the most to produce—the most expensive to buy?  How do closed circ magazines that give away copies stay in business?  If these questions puzzle you, go back to the slide about Income. ADVERTISING!

ENG 301 – Perry Glasser Ad Rates  Advertising rates increase with circulation.  Magazine circulation is audited just as independent accountants audit finances.  Closed circ magazines can guarantee a niche market to advertisers, and so can charge advertisers more $$$ per reader.

ENG 301 – Perry Glasser Ad – Edit Ratio  Gauge a magazine’s financial health by comparing the number of advertising pages to the number of editorial pages.  A “healthy” ad-edit ratio is about 6:4  Some magazines have ad-edit ratios of 9:1

ENG 301 – Perry Glasser Who cares? I just wanna write!  Expect little or no pay from magazines in financial straits.  Expect few readers if you publish in low circulation magazines. and…  Knowledge of business models = knowledge of audience = more effective writing.

ENG 301 – Perry Glasser Editorial Models Consumer magazines Broad demographics Newsweek Parade People Niche magazines Narrow demographics  Quilting  Yachts  PC Gamer

ENG 301 – Perry Glasser Magazine Feature Qualities  Urgency  Up to date information  Primary sources  Specific details Critical Pause: Ah-ha! Could this be why so many cover lines include a specific number?

ENG 301 – Perry Glasser Kinds of Articles  How-to  Personality profile – interview or narrative  Op-Ed and reviews  First person witness, such as travelogue

ENG 301 – Perry Glasser Purpose of Articles  Entertain  Persuade (foment attitude)  Inform  Provoke (foment action) A feature article can have multiple purposes. NOTICE: Purposes affect the reader.

ENG 301 – Perry Glasser Implications  Know the magazine’s audience.  Know your sources.  The writer is never the subject.  An article must give readers “value.” A reader who takes away no value, won’t buy the next issue, circulation sinks, advertising rates go south… disaster

ENG 301 – Perry Glasser Good Magazine Writing  Effective – achieves purposes  Collaborative  Timely No one wants to read yesterday’s news