In the internet age, paper is becoming the province of obscure and eclectic niche subjects.
Magazines on philosophy, post-internet art and Nordic design are among the new publications being launched on paper. New Philosopher magazine, Crazy In Love and Mr Wolf Magazine are all part of a revival countering the accepted wisdom that print is an endangered medium.
Zan Boag, editor of New Philosopher magazine, which will launch August, is intent on sharing specialised information normally found in academic literature, with a wider audience. At 132 pages long, the quarterly magazine will feature everything from interviews with linguist and political critic Noam Chomsky to a comic book adaption of Franz Kafka’s The Trial.
‘Our aim is to dissect these ideas and to present them in a manner that everyone can understand. To do this, we intend to produce a magazine that’s beautifully designed and spell-bindingly interesting, with topics that make you look at the world and yourself in a different way,’ Boag told ArtsHub.
The proliferation of niche publications across the country is responding to a demand in the market. Boag says he’s spoken with countless people repeating the same message; they’re tired of blanket journalism that is of little interest or relevance to their life.
‘The internet has broadened people’s horizons, and magazines on philosophy are only one example of the new titles that we’ll see out there in the years to come. Niche publications on topics relevant and enriching for its readers are the future.’
Ironically it seems the presence of the internet and new-technologies has fueled this trend, a throwback to quality information in a tangible format.
‘The dominance of the screen in people’s lives means that print magazines are like an escape, it’s time out. High-quality, meaningful magazines are becoming the new standard in publishing,’ Boag said.
Laura Phillips, Editor at the uber-cool Mr Wolf Magazine, agrees. ‘If any publication is intending to emphasise editorial content, print remains the most dignified way to read. Magazines can be carried anywhere and don’t need a power point. You can read them during take-off on a plane and on a beach without worrying about the sand.’
Phillips says that unlike an independent writer or photographer, breaking into the magazine industry with a small business has proved relatively easy. ‘As an independent publisher, it’s liberating to work for yourself yet financially strained. Producing a magazine in isolation of commercial factors is solely dependent on dedication and passion for the content.’
‘When approaching advertisers, distributors and retailers the responses were positive, the Melbourne market appreciates a new product, especially an independent project they know will already have an established network of loyal readers made up of family and friendship networks.’
Unlike the unpredictable future of printed newspapers, whose news content can be superseded by instantaneous coverage online, niche magazines like Mr Wolf that prioritise quality content are cementing their place in the new media landscape.
‘Mr. Wolf is all about profile interview features, we don’t focus on the latest events, we’re a bi-annual so it would be impossible to remain timely, but our subject’s opinions and perspectives relate to readers regardless of if they were interviewed a year or a decade after reaching a passing reader. I think people respond to that.’
In the fickle magazine market it’s not only the content that must win over potential audiences; design is just as integral.
‘The font has to be right; the size of the font has to be right. The cover of a magazine is similarly important and in that regard, our Wolf has done very well. Even if you didn’t know what that magazine was about, and weren’t actually interested in the content genre, you’ll pick up the Wolf, he’s a pretty attractive character,’ Phillips said.
The intent and need for these types of publications cannot be denied. Yet how financially feasible are they be in the long-term?
New Philosopher magazine has embraced a crowd funding campaign through Pozible to overcome financial constraints and bring the magazine into the real world.
‘Crowd funding is a great example of the democratisation of the internet. It allows good ideas to get traction and support at a time when it’s most needed, usually at the start,’ Boag said.
Albeit a fantastic way to start up a creative project, crowd funding can not ensure prolonged financial sustainability and after the first issue of New Philosopher magazine is launched, the onus is on entrepreneurs to continue the funding.
‘This is a labour of love so if the magazine breaks even from subscribers one day, fantastic. New Philosopher is a philanthropic venture, with the aim of bringing philosophy to the public. It’s certainly not a money-making venture,’ Boag said.
Crazy In Love is another such example of the niche publishing trend. Based in Melbourne and internationally distributed Crazy In Love was founded by Brennan Olver, Rohan Whiteley, Holly Childs and Oliver van der Lugt. In January 2013 the first issue of the free ‘internet-informed’ magazine launched at FELTspace in Adelaide, with the second issue launching this month.
Post-Internet art is grabbing international attention with exhibitions in London, New York and Berlin, but the trend has slipped under the radar in Australian publishing.
‘We want to publish content that is too weird or new/now for other publications. We are interested in showing new manifestations and creating new ideas around what internet-informed work is and might be in the future,’ Crazy In Love said.
Unfortunately the financial future of Crazy In Love is yet to be ascertained. ‘At the moment we are self-funding this project because we believe there is work by emerging and experimental practitioners that would otherwise not be published. We may look into funding through advertising in the magazine in later issues in order to keep it free, or crowd sourcing, or doing parties and events to raise funds.’
Perhaps then one way to ensure that these quality magazines remain a feature on our shelves is through the tried and tested model of advertising. Certainly in the case of Mr Wolf Magazine this has proven the case.
‘Edition One was financed by fund-raising and grants and is intended to be a prototype, to test the market, gauge our readership and raise awareness. Edition Two was grown from that base to move to an advertising funding model which will hopefully prove sustainable.’
To make sure
