Happy New Magazine Year

Happy New Year. Like me, most of you know, or feel, that the year actually starts in September, after Labour Day, a situation that is the residue of all those years in school. But you know the magazine business seems to work the same way.

After September 4, you'll still get voice mail on your calls to people, but you'll at least know they're in their offices screening you, rather than on a dock somewhere. Most consumer magazines with a 10- or 12-time frequency actually start their fall in June or July, preparing for the big issues of September through December. It is the money that's made in those fall issues (and March, April, May) that pays for the overheads in the lean times post-Christmas and in the summertime. I know, you work hard all year round, but the focus is on those good months, at least in terms of advertising sales. (Editors, on the other hand, worry year-round about whether they have too much or too little content in the pipeline. If those ad guys don't sell some pages soon, this story will never run...)

I think a case can be made that the magazine year, when all the work is done, is actually a matter of about 35 weeks -- 120 days or so, August to the end of November plus another 120 days from about January 15 to May 15. Ever tried to set up a meeting after December 1 or in July?

So enjoy the Labour Day weekend and on Tuesday, wish your colleagues Happy New Year and get back to work.