Print appears to be back in fashion before it had even left sloped off the catwalk, with independent publications heading the list of this year's must haves.
On the face of it, independent magazines are absolutely wonderful creations. There is a real buzz about them at the moment, with new retail outlets sprouting up all the time and mainstream press waxing lyrically on a regular basis. The publications themselves are invariably done for the love over the money, with individuality, hunger and passion displayed by their editors that perhaps few mainstream magazines could even dream of. These are all extremely impressive foundations and when you add to the mix that they are almost universally acknowledged as key to the future of the printed magazine, things heat up even more.
At Newsstand, we've been stocking nearly all magazines for quite sometime now (and yes, since you're reading this, we're independent & family run since 1898). Our emphasis has always been on a level playing field, to assist the smaller magazines in getting seen and heard amongst the mainstream behemoths that can easily buy their way onto retail shelving. It has been our way of championing the niche magazine without actually giving anyone any special treatment. We've always felt it would be a little over confident to be telling our visitors what they should be liking.
Anyhow, the general consensus appears to be that independent magazines are always focussed on the "creatives". Whether it's the wonderful food magazines that are currently prevalent, or the fashion and crafts titles that are also proving extremely popular; industry commentators rarely stray from these topics.
What then, do we think of independent magazines that focus on less artistic subjects and are perhaps produced with lower production values? Despite their incredible subject knowledge, are these to be thrown out with the bathwater (aka future digital only), or still included in the independent gang (aka the magazines that will be printed in twenty years time)?
Suitably, we think we know the answer but it is you folk who will probably make this decision for us and the publishers in question. In the meantime, we are adding more independent magazines to our site than ever before and we've introduced a category that will develop (a great deal) as the year progresses...with such a lot at stake you will need to make sure you have all the information. Our job at Newsstand, if you will, is to give you the tools for the job in hand.
Exciting times in print - don't let anyone tell you iTherwise.
