Will Impress Periodical Closures Trim Freelance Writing Jobs As Well As Rates?
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In today's Digital Age tech-savvy readers prefer to larn their data inward digital form, non paperback or impress form. Their reading habits proceed to disrupt the traditional publishing model of impress media. It's becoming a glaring fact that the number of impress magazine titles may eventually turn down to a dot where publishing companies start to closed downwards their impress operations as well as choke only digital, or exactly choke out of business.
Thanks (or no thanks) to mobile devices, Internet availability, as well as immediate access to "packaged" as well as "pushed" content amongst transparent transactions, readers are becoming to a greater extent than accustomed to reading their magazines online.
Casting a Shadow of Failure: the Newspaper Industry
Look dorsum at the paper manufacture from 2001 to now—we tin witness the industry's gradual, unstoppable turn down every bit the Internet became to a greater extent than mainstream as well as paper publishers failed at embracing a novel publishing model to attain younger readers as well as attract advertisers.
From 2001 to acquaint twenty-four hours an untold number of newspapers inward the the United States of America bring folded, mainly a number of the proliferation of websites offering immediate "free news" or "cheap news," non to cite the lower terms of publishing as well as distributing digitally. Of course, nosotros tin blame the global recession (2008-2012) on also stimulating bankruptcies as well as closures.
Earnings of newspapers bring continued to tumble, which bring plummeted to $34 billion inward 2012, roughly one-half of revenues inward 2000. Will magazines follow the tiresome expiry of newspapers, perchance to emerge every bit digital-only counterparts or disappear into eternity?
Fewer New Magazines inward 2013
According to interrogation released this calendar month past times MediaFinder.com, publishers bring launched fewer magazines than always inward 2013, compared to past times years. The goodness tidings is that fewer magazines bring folded—but this also indicates that fewer magazines are left standing to close.
In June (this year) impress publishers launched 83 magazines every bit opposed to 114 inward the same menstruum of 2012. Publishers also closed 27 magazines, continuing the footstep that saw 44 magazines closed downwards final yr for the same 6 calendar month period. Approx. xiv magazines appeared every bit digital-only products inward the minute one-half of 2013, compared to xix digital-only titles during the same menstruum inward 2012.
More Closures as well as Consolidations to Come
Trish Hagood, president of MediaFinder, attributed the closures to "industry consolidation"—meaning that some publishers are folding existing magazines together. For example, Meredith Corp. bought Babytalk (est. 1935), Parenting (est. 1987), as well as Conceive (est. 2004) magazines from Bonnier Corporation. Meredith straight off closed downwards those publications, merging subscriber lists as well as content into its existing magazines. UBM closed downwards InformationWeek (est. 1979) as well as CRN (est. 1982), as well as therefore moved Game Developer magazine (est. 1994) to digital only. InformationWeek as well as CRN are digital only now, too.
Other magazines that bring ceased, folded into some other title, or bring turned into digital-only products inward recent months include: Caribbean Travel & Life magazine (est. 1986), MuscleMag (Robert Kennedy Publishing, est. 1974), Newsweek (est. 1933), Spin magazine (est. 1985), American Artist magazine (est. 1937), Sporting News (est. 1886), Whole Living magazine (est. 2004), Healthy Cooking magazine (est. 2008), Nintendo Power magazine (est. 1988), PlayStation: The Official Magazine (est. 1997), Maryland Life magazine (est. 2005), PhotoMedia magazine (est. 1988), Yoga International magazine (est. 1990), as well as now PCWorld magazine (est. 1983), and More! magazine (Bauer Media, est. 1998). See an updated listing of dead magazine markets at my blog.
How Might Freelance Writers Be Affected?
Consolidations as well as closures could brand selling articles to editors to a greater extent than competitive as well as plow over publishers less incentive to pay writers what they're worth. Right at nowadays editors unremarkably purchase 2 types of publication rights from freelance writers for the same article: First Serial Rights (for print) and First Electronic Rights (for digital). Publishers pay a competitive charge per unit of measurement to reveal the article inward the magazine, as well as also pay a smaller fee to include it online. Sometimes publishers may also purchase "reprint rights" to include the same article inward sis publications amongst similar content, or pay "foreign rights" to include it inward international impress editions. If publishers create upwards one's hear to consolidate their portfolios of magazines, ditch their impress editions, as well as choke only digital, writers may lose out on selling a multifariousness of series rights to their articles, non to cite having less magazines to pitch articles to.
Special Interest Magazines Are Thriving
Some segments of the magazine manufacture are belongings their own, fifty-fifty expanding for now. For example, manufacture experts reported that luxury, lifestyle, food, as well as regional magazines are experiencing steady-to-strong growth. Even every bit Meredith consolidates its portfolio of parenting magazines, the fellowship is expanding into titles similar Allrecipes.com (which volition presently choke a impress magazine). Other publishers include: ModernLuxury.com launching Beach magazine, The Daily FRONT ROW launching The Daily Summer magazine, as well as Manhattan Media launching Avenue on the Beach magazine.
These magazines are thriving because they target specific interests as well as readerships, as well as advertisers are willing to pay a few M dollars for a unmarried advert to seat their products or services inward front end of these readers.
That tendency is goodness tidings for savvy freelancers. If yous target your efforts toward the trending segments, attain character operate to a greater extent than or less hot topics similar food, luxury, shopping, as well as regional-interest pieces, yous tin ameliorate your chances of selling your operate to such magazines.
For tidings on magazine closures or launches, catch my Tumblr Blog, WritingCareer.com
I welcome your comments, corrections, or suggestions. Please purpose the Comments shape below.
Sincerely,
Brian Scott
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