Magazines Canada to publish biannual print magazine called Canadian Magazines canadiens

[This post has been updated]Magazine Canada is poised to announce that it is getting into the magazine business by publishing the biannual (2x a year) Canadian Magazines canadiens. It's aimed at opinion leaders, to inform them of the industry, its strengths and its issues. (Shown at right is a working prototype; the final version may be somewhat different.)

The magazine will be issued in spring and fall, starting in February 2011, each with a circulation of about 3,000 -- to all Members of Parliament, through Magazines Canada members and polybagged with literature from the Federation of the International Periodical Press (FIPP) to 500 of the top operating publishing companies and associations in Canada, the U.S. and Great Britain.

The editor of CMC will be Chantal Tranchemontagne of Vancouver Nelson, B.C. and Barbara Zatyko, MC's general manager will be publisher. Production will be by the Montreal custom publishing company Spafax, the publishers of enRoute. Advertising will be sold as part of conference sponsorship sales by Barbara Gould, who also manages the National Magazine Awards and the KRW awards program for b2b magazines. The editorial consultant on the project is Kim Pittaway; the publishing consultant is Deb Rosser.

“The genesis of the project came from discussions with suppliers interested in a print vehicle capable of showcasing just how engaging magazines are and can be," said Mark Jamison, the CEO of Magazines Canada. 

"The conversations and collaborations grew from there as we realized that this would also be an opportunity to tell the stories about the people who make magazines a success.

This is coming at a time when the Canadian magazine media is showing just how resilient and vital its print platform is and how leading edge its magazine brands are on multiple digital platforms.

We have learned from our international contacts that the Canadian magazine media draws considerable respect worldwide.  This project will help spread that news at home and abroad.”

[Disclosure: The Canadian Magazines blog is unrelated to Canadian Magazines canadiens, though I am writing an article for the first issue.]