UPPERCASE magazine to go ad-free

Janine Vangool, the publisher and editor of UPPERCASE magazine, has decided to do away with advertising in the magazine altogether. It has always been reader-supported publication (disclosure: I am and have been one of its loyal subscribers.)

But advertiser support that was expected/anticipated has been slow in coming and, given that Vangool is a one-woman show, she lacks the resources to sell even the "calling card" ads for small creative businesses in the back of the magazine. She told her readers in her regular e-letter:

"Just think about how advertising and sponsored posts and paid content have changed over the past 7 years... As a single person on editorial, design and marketing duty, I simply don't have the time to craft content for advertisers (nor do I want to be influenced in that way). So I've decided to remove ads from UPPERCASE altogether. Freeing up more time for me, and more pages of content for you."

The decision came soon after she recently took a week off.

"It wasn't a complete break, but enough of time away from my laptop and work worries to return with some fresh perspectives and new ideas (oh no! more ideas! ha ha)."