I wish I owned a garden magazine
I wish I owned a garden magazine right about now. (I can hear it now from my garden writing buddies, “What are you nuts?“)
I think the time is right for garden magazines if done right (I might be a bit early yet but the time is really coming fast).
We all know the Net offers things that print can’t do. There’s the instant communication, the community building, etc etc. But most gardeners also know that print does things the Net doesn’t do well (think images and in-depth reading lengths etc etc)
Each have their strengths and the real opportunity is to meld them into one single entity taking advantage of both the Net and the Print strengths.
The model for doing these kinds of hybrids exists although I’m sure that model will be changing (as do all parts of the Net) over the next few years. The challenge is in the putting together – of finding a publisher who “gets” the Net and “gets” what changes have to be made. Of finding the editorial people who can move to the Net because they understand both – the strengths (and face it) the weaknesses of both.
It’s not about creating a Net-like magazine. Nor of trying to mimic the magazine-model online. it’s about creating an energized new hybrid.
Let me give you one small example.
If you want to know how deep to plant tomatoes (assume you’re a beginner gardener) do you leaf through magazines for that bit of data, somewhere in a pile of magazines because you know you saw that article? Nope, you Google it -you get the data – you plant your tomatoes (if you’re a 20-something, you might even do it from your phone in the garden). That’s one strength of the Net – quick info.
If you want to sit back and think about your garden, understand how the garden works together as a whole or how to design your backyard with images – do you spend an hour reading an in-depth piece on the Net? Not a chance, this kind of type and display is really hard to read (which is why Net articles are now really, really short). But a magazine gives you that luxury and that’s one strength of the Print world.
So while those are two extreme examples, we know that gardeners want both (real gardeners – the kind who hang around reading blogs and magazines – not those folks who plunk in some impatiens, a tomato or two and could care less). And by the way, there are a ton more but this is a blog (for short stuff)
If I owned a garden magazine right now, I’d be rebuilding the entire publishing process to deliver both of the above. (plus a bunch of other really fun stuff but that’s a subject for another post). It’s about finding a way to deliver factoids that gardeners want while giving them the things to think about, to see in images, and understand in a way that allows them to think about that material.
I’d integrate the Net and Print as fast as I could. I wouldn’t be creating a separate division for the Net and one for print (that’s a really dumb idea in my world -that’s like throwing away the strengths of each instead of building on each) It would be a unified concept taking in the strengths of both magazine and Net (and would be designed from the ground up to take advantage of both) But given my bias, I’d probably start from the Net side because that allows me to talk to my readers to discover what they want in the print side (this is a reader-driven business publishing world now). Build the Net side and top it off with the print side.
Money? Heck, the print folks know how to sell ads. The publishers who’re still around know how to budget and run tight ships, run real business operations and collect subscription fees. Integrate that and subscriber lists into the website areas as well. Remember – it’s not about creating two distinct operations, it’s about creating one giant publishing platform – and it isn’t free. Readers are going to pay to use this system.
You build enough value into the system – and people will pay for it as I’ve found time and time again here on the Net (contrary to what some garden writers think)
So is it as simple as that? Obviously not – (hey, this is a blog not a biz-plan) and there’s a ton of things in the road to trip up the process.
But it would be really cool to own a magazine right about now just to give it a try.
And to answer the question, “Why I don’t?”
Over the last 6 months, I’ve looked at a variety of methods of putting one out myself, of starting my own but my reality is that I’m not 30 anymore and I’m much more interested in my sculpture and my sailboats than in drastically increasing my workload all that much. I have nicely growing Net writing business, (should do around 10 million visits this year on my sites up nicely from last year ) am writing some print books again, and I’m having too much fun with some of my new projects (I haven’t told you about those yet) 
to expand into the print world. (I’ve reached the age where life is more important than industry – come to think of it, I reached that age when I hit 30 )
But I tell you – there’s a future there for a print/web combination that speaks to real gardeners and that understands good content editing and reader response.
GO FOR IT and sign me up!!! I still enjoy reading something in my hand when sitting outdoors in the summer and I especially enjoy it in the winter.
As a garden mag owner/publisher/editor, it is a struggle. Ad sales have dried up, but luckily my subscriptions continue to increase. I in the midst of rebuilsingour web site and enews. Integrating the print-online is difficult though in that many readers are resistant to go online – yes, even in 2009!
Hey Doug, I bet you could find one to partner with.
@Kathy J, Washington Gardener Mag -
You have a built-in market though if you can reach them. I think the process would be much the same but then again, I’m not in that trench. I’ve thought about partnering in a process like this – and it would of course depend on the partner and how we could set it all up. I wouldn’t say no to a great opportunity because i firmly believe that quality and understanding both sides of this equation will spell success in the near-term now. My strength is in online not print. But it is indeed a different model we’re looking at.
Hi Kathy – yeah, nobody said it was going to be easy doing a small regional pub.
@Kathy J, Washington Gardener Mag -
As a secondary note, it’s interesting that many readers are resistant to going online. Again, I suspect it’s a difference in function of magazine and Net. I suspect they’ll go online for hard and quick data but not for the things that magazines do well. The fun part of all this is figuring it all out with your audience – the strength of the Net and designing a system to achieve both Net and Print success. I have another post coming with a similar theme that came about when I asked some folks how they liked their information delivered online.
I always enjoy reading your take on this sort of subject. I think the person coming closest to implementing this kind of idea (in our topic of gardening, etc) is Martha Stewart. I read in one of her (many) books how she ‘cross pollinated’ her separate streams with thinktank ideas that came into being: i.e. growing pansies, crafting with pansies, decorating a cake with pansies and pansies in salad, printing with pansies…just as an example. How it took form in the magazine, the video, and online from just one idea and medium. I thought that was very interesting.
The challenge for a one trick pony show such as myself is how to be jack of a trades in getting something like that, or becoming part of something like that.
One thing that caused me to cut back on magazine purchases was just how good they became at marketing. The entire thing was often advertisers with very little worthwhile content. In blogging we are getting pressured the same way, as you have pointed out the taste for extremely short bursts of reading.
Ilonas last blog post..Color Harmony: July Pink
@Ilona -
You’re right about “the Martha” – I don’t know her, have never met her, have heard stories about her but the one thing you can’t deny is that she’s done something very, very right in her media work. And good for her. It’s success stories such as hers that say anybody can really do that (given the right talents of course) particularly now the web has lowered the barriers to entry.
And yes, the challenge for individual garden writers is to do exactly that – to decide what it is they want to do, how to figure out “stuff” and grow into it producing it in a way that makes sense to either print/Net or both. Or find somebody doing it and figure out how to contribute in a way that actually makes money for both of you (enough money or enough future to make it worthwhile.) I’ve spent a fair amount of money over the past 4 years learning a lot of new skills and finding some blind alleys to explore but now I’m an overnight success at it.
There’s a lot of 60-80 hour weeks in there – and I’m no Martha – but I do believe anybody with a modicum of determination can do it.
I suspect though that most garden writers would prefer a model where they simply get paid for doing something – and not have to take responsibility for creating the model or financial reward. I suspect those days are rapidly fading away.
I can’t speak to the sales/content ratio in most magazines, I suspect it’s a really fine balancing act and there’s clearly a tipping point that you reached. I’m pretty sure the publishers will be watching those ratio numbers of ads to unsubscribes very closely.
HI Doug: I think you are on the right track A real good gardening magazine is getting harder and harder to find. Even the one’s that are still there are becoming a advertising magazine with little content.
I have also noticed that the content quality is decreasing in a lot of them. They are also pushing you to their blogs and web sites for information and a lot of that is just more advertising hype. I realize that it may be necessary to have advertisers in the magazine but should the advertising out weigh the content.
Enough of my ramblings, I could go on for days. There is nothing like relaxing and reading a good book or magazine.
Have a great Day,
John
John at JWLWs last blog post..GOOD USE OF LOG’S III
@John at JWLW -
I find it interesting that we all love a good garden magazine and we’re all struggling with what that means and how it’s presented to us. And I’m sure the publishers are equally struggling with ad revenues and would love to meet our expectations. It’s just that the expectations are changing so fast now…
@Doug –
The Question “What is a good magazine”? Regardless of the type of magazine the content has to be of interest to the reader. The content should be easily readable and laid out well. The reader should not have to sort through adds and other distracting things to read the article or be referred to page “99″ to finish reading the article.
The content of the article should be straight forward and not just a bunch of hyper phrases and words that don’t mean anything. The information needs to be sound and true.
The readers are paying for the subscription and it should be presented to them in a way favorable to the reader not the advertiser.
john
John at JWLWs last blog post..GOOD USE OF LOG’S III
There is a magic 60-40 rule that mags are not supposed to violate in editorial vs ad pages ratio. WISH I had that problem – LOL. As it is, our ads are about 10% of our magazine and really I like it that way and prefer the income to be wholly subscription driven, just need to get that figure up to the point that it can pay me a salary finally.
BTW I have written a pledge here to my readers that many of you may find interesting and that I hope other mag editors seriously consider:
The magazine is too heavy.
We are currently at 40 printed pages for our quarterly (formerly bimonthly) magazine and will expand that as our subscriber and advertising base grows. Please tell a gardening friend about us and let our advertisers know you saw them here in Washington Gardener.
We are on a continual improvement mission. Your thoughts and opinions are highly valued. I enjoy meeting our readers and receiving your many constructive notes and emails. As part of my goal to make this the best magazine possible, I belong to several publishing groups and read many communication trade publications. In a recent magazine writer enewsletter, The Wooden Horse Publishing News Alert, I came across the following list:
Top 10 Annoyances for Magazine Readers
1) Blow-in cards.
2) Bound in cards or ads on heavier stock.
3) Inconsistencies in article headlines from cover to table of contents to page.
4) Too many advertisements.
5) Articles continued on a later page.
6) The table of contents is difficult to find.
7) Ads with perfume samples.
9) All pages are not numbered.
10) Eye strain from too glossy paper.
Wooden Horse editor, Meg Weaver, opined: “Editorial is what motivates readers to buy magazines… Then why do publishers make it so difficult to read magazines? If auto makers made it equally painful to drive a car, we would still be whoa’ing old Nellie. If Google and Yahoo made it as challenging to find web sites as it is to find an article in a modern consumer magazine, people wouldn’t go online. But publishers — checking with their bean counters and seeing advertising generate over two-thirds of their income — continue to allow advertisers to take over their books… Publishers, have you read your own magazines?” (See more on this subject at http://www.woodenhorsepub.com.)
She hit the nail on the head. As an avid magazine reader myself I share many of these top annoyances and then some! I’ve made it my mission since this magazine began not to commit the many sins I’ve seen elsewhere. Therefore, we at Washington Gardener make this pledge to our readers. Not only will we strive to avoid the top 10 annoyances listed above, but we will also promise to do the following to make this magazine the top of your list in easy of reading and usability:
? We will fulfill magazine orders within two weeks not the “industry standard” of 8-12 weeks.
? We will continue to make the table of contents all on one page.
? We will not use misleading headlines.
? We will not use type fonts that are too small or illegible.
? We will not interrupt article with ad pages.
? We will not use bad smelling inks or perfume inserts.
? We will not include advertorials (paid advertising disguised as articles).
? We will employ good, sound business practices.
? We will have clear subheads, side-bars, and provide sources for further information.
? We will give full credit to our sources and practice strict journalistic ethics.
? We will honor our mission to focus on gardening in the greater DC region.
I hope you join us for our second year of publishing and for many more ahead.
Happy Gardening!
@Kathy J, Washington Gardener Mag -
Wow! What a great response Kathy – really delighted you’d share that with us (and I really hope readers in the area are subscribers to your magazine)
Doug: I just reviewed a copy of Washington Gardener. Looks good to me, will be reading it tonight. As far as I am concerned it on the right track and is a good Magazine. I can see why she is having a little trouble existing, advertisers are minimal, could maybe allow a little more advertising. If you have not already got a copy you should, worth looking at.
John
John at JWLWs last blog post..WILD LIFE HABATAT I
@John at JWLW -
It’s a tough world in advertising/publishing right now.
I’m sure Kathy would be pleased to hear your comments about quality – and if you have any advertisers, I’m sure she’d be pleased to hear about those too.
HI Doug: I sent Kathy a nice Email also. I am sure she will appreciate the support.
When and if you do a magazine you can count on me as your first subscriber.
Have a great Evening,
John
As a writer for magazines and online content, I found many of your observations to be those I’ve also thought about. I read magazines for in-depth articles with information that I might want to clip and put in a folder for later. Also, with garden magazines, beautiful photographs can be utilized to their fullest. Online is all about info, info, info, quick and dirty (please excuse the expression), but my blog does really well using some the magazine techniques.
Kathy was very gracious to offer her insight, and I must agree with the ten peeves. They are mine also.~~Dee
@Dee -
I got a lot of feedback off-blog about this one from fellow garden writers – and there was great agreement in how they used a magazine. Mind you, that doesn’t mean the big mags have the same experiences or reader responses. Interesting publishing world we live in for sure
An acquaintance sent me a link to your site and it is wonderful. I hope you do get a magazine put together like that! It would be very beneficial. I’ve dreamed of a Zone9-11 magazine that was worthwhile for a long time and maybe one day I will put it together!
I find this post and all the comments so interesting. I am a blogger/designer (who would like to make a living doing more of the former and less of the later) – though I am not a journalist, writer, editor or magazine creator by formal training, I am feeling my way along with some success, but this conversation is eye opening.
A combination of print and online gardening mag would be great. I think I’d enjoy a print mag that had lots of links to online details the reader could explore later. E.g., an article re growing clematis could, besides having one or two pix in the printed item, link to lots more photos online (up-close and in its setting, at various stages of the year), and have another link to lists of various types of clematis, another to how-to-grow details (plus pix), e.g. when /if to cut back, zone relevant details, and *online* links to e.g.. sources of the plants.
Personally, I prefer photos online to in print, at least for learning purposes.
My key need when managing print info resources is quick access to the info. And I need it right close by and now, not on the computer (which is not on 24 hrs a day in my world). So I keep the mags in stand-up cardboard mag holders, with plastic post-its sticking up above the pages with the subjects on them. If only one article needs saving, I slice it out of the mag and keep it in a 3-ring binder, or I copy it and do likewise, then recycle the whole mag through a community library. I cherish these resources for years. My pet peeve with mags is that when covers are glossy they slide all over the sofa, coffee table or floor!
I could never spend all garden reading time online: too much hunching over the computer, too much eyestrain, too much like what I do when at work! But when I research on the computer I use Bookmarks galore (and you can imagine how much of Doug’s stuff I have marked!), so the resources are always available.
Pat – you are clearly in a distinct group when it comes to how you use your magazines. I’m finding more and more that the instant-on world means that information is always available through a small hand-held device (for gardeners of a certain age or technological-bent). The actual reading of magazines seems to be a dying art and clipping and filing them is (I suspect) reserved for mostly the older generations. I now take all my new info from the Web – from research reports to current events and no longer have any subscriptions. This from a guy who makes his living writing and once read *every* gardening magazine available and purchased incredible numbers of books. It’s an interesting world out there.