News Archives
"Editors have to start thinking like product managers." I Disagree
By Matt Holliday, editor, Pennsylvania Magazine, November 23 2011
David Fry, who spoke at our Branson conference and who is an expert in digital formats and websites, while attending another conference, posted this comment on his Facebook page: “Time, Inc’s president of Digital: ‘Editors have to start thinking like product managers’.”
Here’s my response to that comment:
I…
What do Publishers Actually Do, Anyway?
By Andrew Jackson, Executive Director, June 08 2011
Every magazine has a different management structure. There are publishers, editor/publishers, creative directors, directors of operations, management teams, VPs, and on and on. But in every case there’s a function that needs to happen that usually falls to a “publisher” by whatever name.
Based on my background as a former…
Apple vs. Google: What Publishers Need in an Online Subscription Deal
By Andrew Jackson, Executive Director, February 18 2011
There’s lot of buzz out there about Apple’s recently announced subscription plan for online content including magazines. They’ll allow publishers to sell subscriptions to their iPod/iPhone/iPad digital versions for a 30% cut.
Only two days later, Google announced its Google One Pass, a way for online publishers to sell…
The Magazine-on-an-iPod Experience
By Andrew Jackson, Executive Director, December 21 2010
Ok, I’m probably not an early adopter in the handheld computer market. Some of you probably already have an iPad or another tablet device. But I may be among the first of our members to actually read a magazine I subscribe to on an iPod.
The magazine is The…
See the 2010 IRMA Award Winners
By Andrew Jackson, Executive Director, October 05 2010
The 30th annual IRMA Awards were presented at a gala banquet in Branson, MO, September 26. See a slide show of the winners in 23 categories including Magazines of the Year up to and over 40,000 circulation, and/or download the winners list (PDF) .
Rolling Stone(?) on Magazines
By Andy Jackson, Executibe Director, April 14 2010
My wife subscribes to Rolling Stone, and pointed out to me the two-page ad(?) on pp. 4-5 of the April 15th issue. Opposite a photo of super Olympic swimmer Jim Ficus, in large type, is the following:
We surf the Internet
We swim in magazinesThe Internet is exhilarating.…
To Be Ad Driven or Circ Driven, That is the Question
By Andy Jackson, Executive Director, March 10 2010
Even before the current recession, we were debating the future of magazines. The relentless march of information technology—and remember, we’re in the information business—was posing big questions for all of print publishing including magazines. And the current economy has thrown into sharper relief an old question for magazine publishers: To…
Is the iPad the Next Big Thing for Magazines?
By Andy Jackson, Executive Director, January 28 2010
It’s way too early (as I write, less that 24 hours after its announcement) to know what impact Apple’s iPad will have on magazines, but my sense is that it will be big. It looks like the closest thing yet to a non-paper medium that can offer something like the…
Guest Blog: What Makes IRMA Conferences Different
By Mark Newman, January 13 2010
Mark writes: “I thought I sent this link to a blog I did on the IRMA conference for Folio:. Better late than never I suppose. http://www.foliomag.com/2009/conference-group-therapy
IRMA Members Share Ideas on
By Andy Jackson, Executive Director, October 18 2009
IRMA members (magazines & sponsors), keep up with your regional magazine publishers’ community. Join IRMA’s Facebook group . Do you have a question about circulation, special issues, ancillary products, or another aspect of your publishing business? Here’s the place to keep the discussion going.
To join…
