2014 Was A Great Year For New Magazines. The Mr. Magazine™ Interview With Mr. Magazine™…

“With all the troubles on the newsstands, 2014 proved to be a great year for new magazines. In fact 234 new magazines published with a regular frequency, putting this year’s numbers at 21% more titles then 2013.” Samir “Mr. Magazine™” Husni.

Mr. Magazine™ 2014: Traveling the World Preaching the Gospel of Magazines, Magazine Media and the Power of Print in a Digital Age.

First ever Mr. Magazine™ interview with Mr. MagazIne™[/caption] As we usher in a new year, the numbers are in and the totals look phenomenal. In customary Mr. Magazine™ style, new titles are lovingly collected and meticulously counted in order to bring the most accurate set of numbers of available new magazines to the world of magazine media and people interested in the industry.

Striving throughout the year to locate as many new magazine titles that are attainable through my extensive travels, I bring to the table some of the best reasons in the world for our industry to look forward to a very bright future. And while my endeavors aren’t a mystery to anyone that is familiar with Mr. Magazine™; I felt an interview with the man himself was necessary to clarify a few of the rules and regulations that lead up to the annual year-end publishing of the new launch numbers.

And who better to interview Mr. Magazine™ than Mr. Magazine™ himself. Why not? 2015 is a brand new year and we journalists are nothing if not innovative and willing to cultivate new ideas for the New Year.

Up first, the numbers for 2014 and the comparisons to its predecessor, 2013, and in the words of the inimitable Frank Sinatra: It was a very good year…

The Numbers of New Magazines

2014 by the numbers: There were a total of 855 new magazines published in 2014. The new crop of magazines was divided into 234 magazines with an intended frequency and 621 specials, annuals and book-a-zines.

2013 by the numbers: There were a total of 838 new magazines published in 2013. The new crop of magazines was divided into 185 magazines with an intended frequency and 653 specials, annuals and book-a-zines.

The total number of magazines published in 2014 with a frequency represents an increase of 49 titles which is an increase of 21% in the number of new titles compared to those published in 2013. The total number of specials and book-a-zines decreased by 32 titles.

By the categories: The top ten categories among the magazines published with a regular frequency in 2014 are:

The interview with Samir “Mr. Magazine™” Husni as it appeared in the New York Post.

o Special Interest Publications: 39 – Examples: Raw Bike, CiderCraft and Vapor Lives

o Metro and Regional: 19 – Examples: Old Port, Sugar & Rice Magazine and Makena Magazine

o Pop Culture: 19 – Examples: Reserved Magazine, Churn and East on Pop

o Crafts and Hobbies: 15 – Examples: Knit Purl, Mollie Makes (U.S. Edition) and Hoop-la

o Children’s: 10 – Examples: Peppa Pig, Bible Fun for Children and Animal Tales

o Sports: 9 – Examples: All Things Sports, Maroon and Chicago Football

o Art and Antiques: 9 – Examples: Acrylic Artist, Artists & Makers and Art on Cuba

o Fashion: 7 – Examples: Porter, Eyelash and No Tofu

o Gay and Lesbian: 7 – Examples: Lei, Winq. and Men Addicted

o Health and Wellness: 7 – Examples: Mantra, Naturally, Danny Seo and Dr. Oz The Good Life

And now the Mr. Magazine™ exclusive interview with Mr. Magazine™… please enjoy!

The Story Behind the Numbers

Samir Husni: How do you know that you have every new magazine?
Mr. Magazine™: I don’t… these numbers are for the titles that I was able to acquire and have in my possession. I only include in the numbers the magazines that I have physical copies of. I am sure there are some local and regional magazines that I did not find or acquire. Also, when I hear about a new magazine that is not available on the newsstands, I do not include it in the count. For example, the new travel magazine Pineapple was published in Dec. but I do not yet have a physical copy of the magazine, so it is not included in the numbers. So, needless to say my numbers are the minimum number of magazines published.

SH: What magazines are included in your numbers?
MM: First and foremost my definition of a magazine is a printed product. It must be a print entity to be included in the numbers. The numbers are then divided between those magazines that are published with the intention to appear four or more times on the stands, and those that are specials or a one time publication. All the magazines included in my numbers are distributed on the nation’s newsstands with a U.S. bipad and UPC code.

SH: Where can we find a list of all the magazines?
MM: I publish a monthly update on my http://www.launchmonitor.wordpress.com blog where the cover of each and every new title I acquire is presented.

SH: How long have you been tracking the new magazines?
MM: It started as a hobby in Lebanon at a very young age. I used to buy every new magazine and every possible issue afterward of the new magazine. When I arrived in the United States in 1978 to pursue my graduate studies, I immediately knew that on a student’s budget I couldn’t buy every issue of every magazine, so I opted for collecting only first editions. In 1985, I published my first Guide to the new magazines, and since then I never stopped.

Of course, now with a little better budget than I had as a student, I can buy more magazines and I can add to my collection of more than 30,000 new titles that I currently own.

SH: Magazines are becoming more and more expensive. How much do you spend on magazines annually?
MM: You know people think that I must receive my magazines for free and I do receive a lot of them gratis. But in addition to the free magazines, I still manage to spend close to $28,000 a year buying magazines… Well, at least those numbers reflect the magazines that I have receipts for…

SH: Besides being your hobby turned profession, why do you do this?
MM: Well, I am a firm believer in print and the power of print. I know we live in a digital age and all the digital gadgets that I own (plenty of them) are a testament to that. Yet, I also believe that there is something unique about print and its power and how it relates to human beings… As long as we have human beings we are going to have print.

SH: What’s next for Mr. Magazine™?
MM: Well, putting my money where my mouth is, I am working on a new book/event that will celebrate the 30 most notable launches of the last 30 years. Some of those new magazines that were launched in the last 30 years have added life and longevity to the magazine and magazine media industry. It is yet more evidence that any industry that does not give birth is a dying industry. The magazine industry, with all its problems, is NOT a dying industry. New magazines are the life’s blood of the industry and this new book and event will celebrate those 30 titles and their stories of beating the odds and thriving in a digital age.

I also finished a new book with two of my colleagues that will be published this summer. The book, Audience First, covers all the media and aims to introduce new theories and practices for both professionals and students of the news media industry.

And of course, I will continue nourishing my hobby of buying, receiving and reading magazines… let the good life continue.

Happy New Year to all. Keep on magazine reading…

SH: Thank you. Same to all.

Editor’s Note: The numbers of new magazines were released exclusively in the New York Post in Keith Kelly’s Media Ink column yesterday, Dec. 31, 2014. Click here to read Keith’s column on the 2014 Magazine Boom.