Early May numbers show a healthy month in launches

My early numbers for May show a total of 81 new magazines launched during last month. That brings the total number of launches this year to 283 so far which is still short 84 titles from the 367 total of the same period last year. Although it is too soon to say that this may be the beginning of the reverse of the decline in number of launches, it is however the highest number of launches this year (20 more than the previous high of 61 in January). Keep in mind that all the numbers used in Samir Husni’s Guide to New Magazines (Volume 22 out now, you can order here) and Mr. Magazine website are numbers based on real physical possession of the magazines and not launch announcements or preview issues. To ensure your new magazine is included in the Guide or considered for review on our website, please send a copy of your first issue to: Samir Husni, Department of Journalism, The University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677.

A new twist on “on-line magazines”

It is amazing how a little common sense can take you a long way. The folks at Automotive Traveler an online-only publication that brings “travel back to the real world,” and where the editors like to say “every drive is an adventure,” did just that. Richard Truesdell, editorial director of the new magazines tells me in an e-mail that Automotive Traveler is “a hybrid, a combination of what I like to think is 75% Condé Nast Traveler with 25% Motor Trend.” He goes on to say, “We are totally interactive, using Olive Software’s innovative Active Magazine platform, combined with a few tricks of our own. You’ll notice we’ve designed and built Automotive Traveler horizontally, taking advantage of almost all of the available screen real estate (The Automotive Traveler viewer interface automatically scales to optimize the viewing experience from everything from a 9-inch laptop to a 42-inch flat panel home theater monitor). This minimizes the need to scroll and zoom; like a traditional magazine, you just flip the page by clicking on the upper right-hand corner of the image when you want to move on.” That horizontal platform is what caught my attention (it is in direct proportion to the magazine spread). I never understood why magazine publishers continue to try to fit a horizontal space on a vertical medium. It is just not easy on the eyes. I have said it before and I will continue to say it, we do not have a problem with any of our platforms…we have a problem with what we are trying to put in and on them… Using the right dimensions, the right typography and the right movement makes Automotive Traveler a welcomed addition to the world of on-line media. They do not need to call themselves a magazine and they do not need to be ink on paper. They are just another medium providing a relevant message through what they consider the best relevant vehicle. Interested in going for a ride, click here.

When a Single Mother is not a Single Mother (Hot and New this Week, take 8)

Once a week, I highlight three new magazines on my web site Mr.Magazine™. This week the three new magazines are American Driver, Single Mother and Ty Pennington At Home. Read here about these new launches. To be considered for review on my web site, please send a copy of your first issue to Samir “Mr. Magazine™” Husni, Department of Journalism, The University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677.

Nico is the magazine, Interviews and Fashion are the subject matter

A welcomed surprise arrived in my mailbox today. The first international issue of Nico magazine published by my friend Mike Koedinger of Colophon 2007 and the We Love Magazines conference in Luxembourg. Mike and his Fashion Editor Angelina A. Rafii wrote the intro to the first issue. In it they wrote, “Some say that the best thing about magazines is creating them…The result is a 252-page magazine that will be distributed all over Europe and exported to Australia, South Africa, USA, Tokyo and Hong Kong… The reason why we’ve created this bi-annual is simple: we deeply love magazines. We still get excited discovering new titles, flipping through their endless pages and reading the features. This is our contribution to your excitement. Enjoy!” Well my friend, the excitement spills all over the pages and the love is evident in every page. Mike, I know you love magazines and so does Andrew Losowsky; Angelo Cirimele; Samir Husni (that’s me); Jeremy Leslie; Horst Moser; and David Renard. Thanks for giving us space in your first issue of Nico to share the love. To get your copy of the first issue click here.

LA has its Fashion, and Hot Wheels have their magazine (Hot and New this Week, take 7)

Once a week, I highlight three new magazines on my web site Mr.Magazine™. This week the three new magazines are Fashion LA, Hot Wheels and The Sopranos. Read here about these new launches. To be considered for review on my web site, please send a copy of your first issue to Samir “Mr. Magazine™” Husni, Department of Journalism, The University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677.

Detroit has a new Ambassador (Hot and New this Week, take 6)

Once a week, I highlight three new magazines on my web site Mr.Magazine™. This week the three new magazines are Ambassador, Gladiator and Kitu Kizuri. Read here about these new launches. To be considered for review on my web site, please send a copy of your first issue to Samir “Mr. Magazine™” Husni, Department of Journalism, The University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677.

New Magazines: The numbers for the first trimester

Flower is but one of 202 magazines that were born in the first trimester of 2007. Two trends appear to go hand in hand for the first four months of 2007 when it comes to new magazine launches: the first is the drop in the number of special issues and one time publications (almost 33% drop from last year); and the second is the drop of the number of magazines with a frequency of four times or higher (almost 20% drop from last year). As I mentioned earlier on this blog, this is NOT an unnatural occurrence in the field of magazine publishing. Every few years we see a market correction and the numbers drop. It is not new. This market correction has happened every few years, both before and after the birth of the internet. However, the silver lining in all of this is that the number of magazines with four times frequency or more is closing the gap with the numbers of the specials and one-time titles. So, here goes the numbers (at least for now as we keep on updating the numbers as we receive titles we’ve missed) for this year compared to the numbers of last year. In the first trimester (Jan. through April 2007) at least 202 new magazines were launched with the following frequencies: Four times or more, 79 titles (100 in 2006), Specials, 104 titles (155 in 2006), Annuals, 12 titles (25 in 2006) and the remaining seven titles were published either two or three times a year. For a complete list of all the titles of the first trimester click here. To send us a first issue that we’ve missed from the first trimester click here for address.

Alef magazine or the Middle East like you’ve never seen…

Alef is the name of the new quarterly magazine that aims to “showcase a progressive vision of the Middle East and to spotlight the cultural contribution of people of Middle East origin.” For those of you not familiar with the Arabic language, Alef is the first letter of the alphabet; same as the A in English and the Alpha is in Greek. What the editors promise, the editors deliver. It is indeed one of the best showcases of the Middle East and is unlike any showcase you may have seen from the Middle East. No war pictures, no killings and no stereotypical content, but rather art, fashion, lifestyle, travel, music and architecture spreads that will stop you every turn of the page. It is a stunning reversal of the image you see on your daily television shows or in the movies when it comes to the Middle East. The second issue of the magazine (Spring 2007) is now out and available for your “indulgence and pleasure” about an area of the world that you’ve never seen presented this way. Check Alef magazine here or pick up a copy at your nearest bookstore or newsstand.

“Heal”ing after the Cure: a great role for magazines

First there was Cure the magazine for Cancer Updates, Research and Education. Cure launched in 2002 as a “quarterly magazine that combines the science and humanity of cancer for those who have to deal with it on a daily basis. CURE provides scientific information in easy-to-understand language with equally understandable illustrations.” Now comes Heal: Living Well After Cancer, a magazine “for cancer survivors from the day treatment ends, and for the rest of their lives.” For anyone who doubts the power of magazines in creating communities that can be felt, connected and shared, those two magazines are the prime example for that. My friend Eija Ailasmaa, CEO of Sanoma Magazines recently sent me a copy of Magazine, a book celebrating Sanoma’s Magazines fifth anniversary. In it I found this wonderful quote that best describes Heal and Cure among many other magazines. “Today, lifestyle magazines answer the question of how people can realize the potential in themselves and overcome all anxiety. How they can handle their human relationships, how to show to others a favorable picture of themselves; and how to set and achieve their life goals. People read these magazines with great enthusiasm. The chaotic richness of the problems described and their suggested therapies by magazines is astonishing. There are a wide variety of questions which arise with answers provided for all.” I guess the comments of Elemér Hankis, a Hungarian sociologist and philosopher, will more than suffice as a comment on both Heal and Cure.

Bag it, fish it and live it (Hot and new this week… take 4)

Once a week, I highlight three new magazines on my web site www.mrmagazine.com. This week the three new magazines are American Bagger, Destination Fish and The Journal of Life Sciences. Read here about these new launches. To be considered for review on my web site, please send a copy of your first issue to Samir “Mr. Magazine™” Husni, Department of Journalism, The University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677.