Magtastic Blogsplosion

A new magazine-based file-sharing website called Mygazines has just launched, flagrantly breaking publishers’ copyright from around the world. Is it a threat, an opportunity or both?

Let’s step back a moment. When Amazon released the Kindle, most people focused on the experience of using physical object, saying how they did or didn’t want to read a book on it, how it was or wasn’t the same as paper, and so on.

What most people overlooked, however, was that Amazon was testing something else at the same time, something probably even more important than being an early seller of commercial e-paper: they were testing a sales model for digital publishing.

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The carbon cost of the Esquire e-Ink cover
The backlash begins. 150 carbon tons, apparently

The strange, sad story of door-to-door magazine sales
A story of lies, drugs, death and the nationwide pressure to increase magazine circulations. Top reporting from the Houston Press

Design is pretty, but won’t someone think of the content?
Editorial grandaddy Harold Evans rails against design-led emptyness. He might not enjoy this October’s Belvedere Festival then

All-black Italian Vogue “most wanted issue ever”
10,000-copy reprint for the US market. I have a copy, and don’t really get what the fuss is about. A bonus “fashion shows” supplement provides plenty of skinny white girls for those who like them (as do all the ads)

Time tries the Radiohead subscription model
Unlike Radiohead, people might actually put an amount more than the 44c an issue it otherwise costs (including the $5 Amazon coupon)

Police raids French auto magazine looking for source of leak
Renault gets the boys in

Magazine makes real crop circle
Photoshop reported to be “worried”

The prevailing logic is that only two kinds of magazine are immune from recession: wedding magazines and high-end luxury magazines.

And so, despite the current sub-prime number crisis, several luxury magazines are slated to launch or relaunch in the USA over the coming months.
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Photo by Darkmatter

In the book We Love Magazines, I wrote in 2006: “Advances in digital paper and low-cost throwaway screens suggest that the first ever animated front cover isn’t far away. The newsstand may yet prove even more attention-grabbing.”

And here we are, with Esquire about to publish a cover that the magazine’s Editor in Chief, David Granger hopes “will be in the Smithsonian [Museum]” – a flashing E-ink cover proclaiming “The 21st Century Begins Now!”

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How a magazine page is designed
Video of putting together a page for the Royal Academy magazine, designed by Studio8. ‘Light Fantastic’ was a much better headline, I reckon (via MagCulture)

Wallpaper* uses clever ink for The Secret Elite edition
Brilliant. But why subscribers only? (and did they subconsciously copy Wire for the main image?)

Rolling Stone gives away magazines with t-shirts
It’s all about the ad numbers. Start of a trend?

London Magtastic on 12th July
Gathering of independent, London-focused magazines; nothing to do with me

Archives don’t need to pay contributors again
Potentially big ruling in the USA. Thank goodness for common sense

Fashion-ation reads fashion magazines
So you don’t have to

(Plenty to catch up on – a few weeks ago, I married my lovely partner and moved to the USA, hence the pause. Onwards!)

Time Out Beijing closed by the Chinese government
Officials get pre-Olympic jitters. Read a recent copy here

Esquire puts celebs in a large box to celebrate anniversary
Pretentiousness contest ensues; magazine still hasn’t decided what to do with the result

New French magazine mixes videogames with fashion
Looking forward to seeing a copy (via Jean Snow). Not to be mistaken with magazines making online games for readers

Former Sleazenation ed to make ethical magazine for Christian Aid
The first phase is already online

Conde Nast finally admits to Wired UK
Technology may know no borders, but its reporting isn’t. For an amusing read, see what happened the first time around (pre-Nast)

Print-on-demand isn’t aimed at designers
Boico responds to my previous post. Printcasting seems to prove his point

New magazine features guest commenter throughout
Described by one site as “like a marked up PDF”. I’ve seen magazines be meta-commented before, but not quite like this; fun

How Domus was redesigned
Detailed look behind the curtain (via MagCulture)

Dutch DIY store creates female-aimed customer mag
Companion piece for Woodworking for Women, perhaps

Unconventional wedding magazine tries the UGC route
Be still my sceptic heart

Free counter-culture mag asks readers for $20,000
And gets it. I rather like Arthur, glad to see it keep the wolves away for another month