Tuesday, January 19, 2010 MagaScene Newsletter 67

2010 Alberta Magazines Conference – Online Registration now Open!

Rejuvenate your magazine and freshen up your professional skills at the 2010 Alberta Magazines Conference, this March 11th and 12th at the Carriage House Inn in Calgary.

 

The conference brings the best professionals in magazine publishing to one place. Don't miss Ina Saltz, New York art director; Patrick Walsh, editor of Outdoor Canada; Deborah Morrison, publisher of The Beaver and Kayak; Melissa Ahlstrand, national sales manager of LOULOU, and many more!

 

There will be business, editorial, design, web and production seminars that will inspire your publication, without breaking the bank.

 

Register by the EARLY-BIRD deadline February 16th, 2010 for big savings.

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Featured seminar:

Build Your Brand, Build Your Business with the Utne Reader and Mother Earth News' Bryan Welch

Monday February 8th, 2010

 

REGISTER TODAY!

 

Find out why we need to redefine what the magazine business is all about, and how magazine publishers’ experience in creating branded content will be critical to moving forward effectively and profitably. Join longtime publisher Bryan Welch for a discussion about what makes a strong magazine brand and how it provides value in all aspects of your business. Specifically, he’ll talk about how to actively engage your existing audience, develop new ones and find out exactly who your readers are. Why does it matter? Because in reader-driven publishing, knowing your readers is how you successfully compete in the changing media landscape. It’s your relationship with your readers that you’re selling, and if you are the expert on your readership, then advertisers will buy from you.

 

Learn specifically how to:

• Stand apart from the competition, especially new media

• Create real value for readers and advertisers

• Develop a loyal reader base

• Deliver on the brand experience you convey

 

1pm to 4pm

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, 2425 9 Ave SE, Calgary

Cost: $20 for AMPA members/students by Jan. 25; $30 after that date

$30 for non-members by Jan. 25; $40 after that date

Out-of-town Voting Members qualify for a travel bursary.

Register via info@albertamagazines.com or by calling 403-262-0081

 

About the Speaker

Bryan Welch runs Ogden Publications, a diversified magazine publishing and affinity marketing company he started in 1996. The company publishes eight magazines in the sustainable-lifestyle, rural-lifestyle and collectible categories, including Mother Earth News, Natural Home, Utne Reader and the Herb Companion, all of which are category leaders in digital media, print and online. Ogden also publishes books, market insurance and financial services to their subscribers. About a third of their gross revenue comes from ancillary marketing. His company’s websites generate about 20 percent of revenues and two-thirds of its total audience with about 1.4 million unique visitors monthly. As a journalist, Bryan has covered sustainable lifestyles, energy alternatives, green building and conscientious business practices for nearly 30 years.

 

Q&A with “Magazine Addict” and AMC Keynote Ina Saltz

A big part of Ina Saltz's job description involves judging a magazine by its cover. It's a task the self-professed magazine addict clearly loves. The multi-talented Saltz is an art director, author, photographer, design critic, professor and magazine judge (for the National Magazine Awards—US) bringing her expertise to Calgary for the first time. Saltz is teaching Pace Yourself and CSI: Creative Scene Investigation seminars at the 2010 AMC, as well as presenting the Luncheon Keynote: Covers Uncovered. AMPA spoke to Saltz about what gets a cover noticed, common design mistakes and how magazine design has evolved over the years.

AMPA: What's the first thing you notice about a cover--good or bad--and why?

Ina Saltz: I notice whether it is graphically powerful, i.e., sending an immediately clear message with images and words working together seamlessly. And that is the same thing the readers will notice, too, though they might not be able to articulate exactly why the cover isn’t compelling. No matter what the subject matter, if readers don’t “get” the idea in a couple of seconds, you are making them work too hard and they’ll just move on.

 

Read the entire Q & A at AMPA’s blog…

 

Alberta Magazines Socialize With Facebook and Twitter

By Diane LM Cook

Social media is rapidly changing the magazine industry landscape.  Many magazines have developed an online presence to stay alive in today’s electronic environment, but magazines must now also communicate directly with their readers through social networking tools. AMPA talked to three Alberta magazine editors and publishers (Canine Review, Alberta Views and Avenue Calgary). Here's what they had to say about using Twitter and Facebook.

Canine Review

Merla Thomson, publisher of Canine Review, says “We post Best in Show winners from shows happening across Canada every weekend on Twitter and Facebook and we promote specials which we hope will drive interested parties to participate. Lots of people sign up for our features but we have come to realize we need to create excitement through this social media to provide reasons for our followers to stay engaged with the magazine online. We are currently working on a plan to measure these results.”

Thomson believes the biggest challenge of social media is figuring out the best way to capitalize on it. Thomson’s advice to fellow publishers is to figure out what your readers want to know immediately and then give them the deeper version of that knowledge in your magazine.

Find out what Alberta Views and Avenue Calgary had to say about Twitter and Facebook...

 

Magazine Events

Find out about these great events and more by visiting the AMPA Events Page.

 

 

Magazine Job Opportunities

Ad Salesperson - Routes Magazine

Routes magazine is looking for a motivated salesperson to join our team. Position is commission-based with lots of opportunity for growth.

Sales area is the foothills region (Okotoks, High River, Nanton, Black Diamond Turner Valley).

Call Sandra at 403-880-4784

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To UNSUBSCRIBE from MagaScene, please send an email with the subject "UNSUBSCRIBE" to ampa@albertamagazines.com.

MagaScene is written and compiled by Anh Chu. To be in included in the next issue of MagaScene, please send an email to ampa@albertamagazines.com.