Be Kind. Subscribe.
Posted on 12 November 2008 by Daniel Dessinger
At the end of August, Sean “Diddy” Combs posted the following rant on youtube.com. “As you know, I do have my own jet, but I’ve been having to fly back and forth to L.A. pursuing my acting career. Now, if I’m flying back and forth twice a month, that’s like $200,000, $250,000 round trip. F— that. I’m back on American Airlines.”
He then crossed the line into audaciousness when he said, “I give a shout out to all my Saudi Arabia brothers and sisters and all the brothers and sisters in all the countries that have oil — if you could please send me some oil for my jet, I would truly appreciate it.”
In that same vein, I’m about to do something almost as outrageous. You see, I’m a fledgling freelance writer who targets magazines for writing assignments. This kind of freelancing has always been a tough way to make a living, but it has become even worse in this economy. Even the pros with stellar clips and contacts to die for are having a hard time finding projects. The outlook is gloomy and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get brighter anytime soon.
According to Woodenhorsepub.com, Hearst publications not only folded Cosmogirl but they canceled their holiday party as well. The MediaPost’s Mail Bag on Oct. 16 predicted a wave of magazine closures. Some executives from several large magazine groups spoke anonymously and believe that magazines such as, Entertainment Weekly, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Smartmoney, Men’s Vogue, Teen Vogue, Nickelodeon, National Geographic for Kids and Sports Illustrated for Kids, are perilously close to folding.
The following information from the Publishers Information Bureau is another bad sign: Year-to-date ad pages has declined 9.5% and was down 12.9% in the third quarter. You may not like those ads that you see in publications, but they are a necessary evil to contend with. Without them, the magazine doesn’t make money and doesn’t publish.
There are those who say that paper-paged magazines are on the way out because of the environment and mailing costs. They predict that magazines, newspapers, and books are all going to go electronic. That may be true someday. But also, publishers aren’t making much money on the internet. Sure, operating costs are kept down, but revenue isn’t high. That’s because when people look something up online, they expect it to be free. In the mean time, we still have paper publications.
So I’m unabashedly asking. Give a sistah a break! Show writers in general some love and subscribe to a few magazines (but not O. Oprah doesn’t like freelancers) and newspapers. I would truly appreciate it.
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November 12th, 2008 at 10:25 am
I think enough people love reading magazines that the lower quality / less followed mags will go first. The top of the line mags may last a while yet.
However, I don’t see online as such a horrible option. While it’s true that most Internet readers want free content, there are individuals and corporations making millions by producing quality content for free online. They do so by selling ad space. Whether they are affiliates making a profit off of sales referred or merely making a set fee per thousand eyeballs viewing ads, thousands of web publishers are raking in the dough.
Will traditional magazines succeed in transitioning to the Web? I couldn’t say for sure. Most web publisher markets are already saturated with content. But a well-established name alone should help a magazine gain marketshare on the Web.
I think the real question is: are enough Web publishers paying enough for quality copywriting? Web copywriting has historically been undervalued despite its absolute necessity and contribution to success. Perhaps you and many other writers will and should investigate online publishing opportunities more heavily.
Obviously, CultureFeast.com does not have the readership to afford paid copywriting at this stage. But sites out there gaining millions of pageviews per month will definitely pay for quality content.
I think perhaps the biggest challenge for traditional copywriters will be their own vision, willingness, and ability to adapt to Web specific copywriting. The rules are different, and the goals are modified. But the opportunities are out there.
November 12th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Lisa, I would totally subscribe to a couple magazines to do my part! Any in particular you write for often?
November 12th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Do we REALLY want print magazines to continue because it means jobs? I think we owe it to ourselves to be more responsible and move as much of our publishing online as possible. Sure, microchips are toxic, but we don’t have to make as many as the trees we have to kill to print newspapers and magazines.
Maybe it’s time we all structure our jobs around what’s best for our world.
November 12th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
its all good. i don’t buy magazines very often, but i might pick up a few now that you gave me a reason. course, i probably will go to a bookstore to buy mine. i’m don’t need more mail.