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 circSelected audienceOften 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
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