Making it easy for readers to feel smarter key to success of Mental Floss

The New York Observer has an interesting profile of the magazine Mental Floss that essentially says prosperity can come from telling readers interesting stories about interesting things they didn't realize they were interested in; off-beat rather than insidery; breaking all the rules. Co-founder Mangesh Hattikudur says "“Everything is still about trying to make you feel smarter, without feeling like it’s a chore.”

“This is going to sound kind of like Al Gore saying he invented the Internet, but I really think in some ways Mental Floss invented the culture of lists,” editor in chief Jessanne Collins crowed. 

The magazine, which tells stories that are easily converted to dinner party anecdotes, slowly developed a cult following, helped along by book deals with HarperCollins, board games and t-shirts.

Now publishing 10 times a year, the magazine started out in a dorm room conversation at Duke University in 2000, grew until today it has 160,000 circulation in print. It has a Youtube channel that recently hit a million subscribers. The publication was snapped up in 2011 by Felix Dennis, the (recently deceased) British magazine publisher.

The Walrus magazine to partner with Royal Ontario Museum on centennial book

[This post has been updated] The Walrus Foundation, publishers of The Walrus magazine, is collaborating with the Royal Ontario Museum on a lavish coffee table book marking the ROM's centenary. It will be published in March 2014 as the 100th anniversary year begins. The ROM, which is and agency of the Ontario government, is Canada's largest museum of natural history and world cultures, with six million objects in its collections and galleries. 

"The full-colour, approximately 120-page book will focus on ROM’s encyclopedic, internationally recognized collections and their continuing relevance to contemporary audiences," according to a release. "While it will include a history of the ROM’s collections, the core of the publication is a dialogue about specific artifacts and specimens in the collection by ROM curators and writers from across Canada, selected by The Walrus and the ROM."

The book project will be led by The Walrus editor and co-publisher John Macfarlane and Kelvin Browne, ROM vice-president, communications. In addition to the bound paper version, an e-book is also to be produced.
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Canadian Poker Player magazine owner consolidating poker operations

The publishers of Canadian Poker Player Magazine and the operators of the Canadian Poker Tour and Canadian Poker Player Television Network are spinning off and consolidating all poker operations and all affiliated licensing and sponsorship agreements in a new, separate division. 

Kelly B. Kellner, President and CEO of HeadsUp Entertainment International, Inc., said in a release

"As the result of recent expansion, new market opportunities and potential interest from acquirers we have decided it would be in the best interests of the company and its shareholders to consolidate all poker operations into one unit," said Kellner. "We have begun to actively recruit a president for that division who not only understands the industry but shares the passion we all embrace at HeadsUp. We anticipate announcing the successful candidate for this position in the next 2 weeks." 

The reference to "potential interest from acquirers" suggests that the poker operations, magazine and television properties are being buffed up and packaged for possible sale. In January, the company announced that it had launched an online version of the magazine to supplement its print distribution, including being the exclusive magazine in nine of the major poker rooms and casinos in Canada.

NOW asks Toronto integrity commissioner to censure Mayor Ford for trying to ban it

NOW magazine has filed a complaint with the Toronto integrity commissioner, claiming that Mayor Rob Ford's office infringed freedom of expression by trying to ban the weekly from all city-owned properties (see previous post). The action was taken after a clearly photoshopped cover picture that put Ford's head on a near-naked body, illustrating a story called The Naked Truth about Rob Ford. A story posted on the NOW website says, in part

The affidavit filed with the integrity commissioner names Ford as the subject of the complaint and asserts that any attempt by the mayor's office to remove copies of NOW from city property amounts to a violation of the Code of Conduct for Members of City Council.

In particular, section VIII, which states “No member of Council shall use the influence of her or his office for any purpose other than for the exercise of her or his official duties.” The affidavit also cites section XIV of the Code, which reads “All members of Council have a duty to treat members of the public … appropriately and without abuse, bullying or intimidation.”

The story says if the integrity commissioner found  Ford had violated the Code of Conduct, he could face a reprimand from Council [unlikely, given that he and his supporters predominate] or the suspension of  his pay for up to 90 days. A formal apology could also be ordered. 

A story on CTV.ca quoted editor Alice Klein saying  that NOW has solid evidence that "someone in the Mayor's office felt empowered to order the removal and disposal of all our newspapers from all city buildings and facilities including all libraries." This apparently refers to the e-mail memo from Lorraine Pickett, a custodial service supervisor at city hall, sent out an email suggesting the Mayor's office demanded the magazine be removed from city buildings.

Keeping The Walrus's head above water

Reading an interesting editor's note in the May issue of The Walrus magazine, I recalled the conversations in which I was intimately involved during its formative stages about the need for a "third stream" of revenue.

That's what editor and co-publisher John Macfarlane writes about and how this third stream (charitable donations from people who wish the magazine and its works well) remains critical to its future.

The other two streams (circulation -- subscriptions/single copy sales -- and advertising) are sufficient for most mainstream magazines to make a modest margin and to stay in business. But for a magazine like The Walrus, which retails ideas and long-form journalism, something more is needed. That something else is apparently there so far in sufficient amounts to keep The Walrus afloat. 

Macfarlane reports that in 2010, supporters gave more than $1.6 million to The Walrus Foundation to make up the difference between what it costs to produce 10 issues a year (about $3.3 million) and what it can raise through the traditional two streams ($1.625 million).

He recalls his Quixotic quest to keep Saturday Night magazine alive (it died later, but not on his watch) with a similar mission under similar strictures.

"Is such a magazine sustainable? Our contract with the foundation’s patrons is not so different from our contract with the magazine’s readers; both oblige us to deliver the goods. So yes, as long as we can continue to convince patrons and readers alike that its existence is vital, The Walrus will survive. Shelley Ambrose, our co-publisher and executive director of the Walrus Foundation, calls it an “optimistic national project,” which it is. But for me, it is also personal, because in The Walrus the spirit of Saturday Night lives on."

Is proprietor Rick MacArthur the solution for Harper's or the problem?

The lamentable spiralling saga of Harper's magazine has another installment with an article in the New York Observer by Kat Tossel. It brings up to date the firing of the literary editor and de facto second in command Ben Metcalfe, scapegoated by patron and publisher Rick MacArthur for unionizing the magazine. [See previous posts here and here.] 

MacArthur pumps considerable part of his personal fortune into the magazine to cover its losses every year ($4.4 million in 2009) but resists new ways of making the magazine substainable, as two of the other "thinkies" -- The Atlantic and Mother Jones have done.

"Harper's doesn't have to be run at such a terrible loss," says former editor Rick Hodge, who was fired a year ago over disagreements with the owner. "The fight is over whether Rick MacArthur is going to continue to be the sole owner or whether Harper's is owned by American history, you could say. Whether it's something bigger than him or not. Harper's is bigger than that, and the American public will keep it alive if it is allowed to do so. Rick believes that only he can save the magazine." 

Of some interest are the comments appended to the NYO story from former interns and staff. One example:

"It sucks not to feel valued at work, and I feel bad for the editors who had to go through that. But as the article said, many Harper's staffers have only worked at Harper's - I did get the sense while I was there that it was seen as a job for life, as long as you were one of the chosen few. Which was nice for the chosen few, but apparently didn't produce the most dynamic magazine as compared to those which used to be its peers."

Rogers buys 50% of TOPS, Torstar's online publishing system

Rogers Communications is becoming an equal partner in the online publishing system that was developed by Torstar Corp. and is used by some Rogers-owned magazine, TV and radio operations.

According to a story on The Canadian Press, TOPS has been used for four years to publish TheStar.com, the internet edition of the newspaper, as well as for Toronto.com and the news sites of Metroland Media community papers and Metro News.

"We have been working with the TOPS platform for a year to great success," said Claude Galipeau, senior vice-president and general manager for digital media at Rogers Media.

Citytv.com, Flare.com and 680News.com, which are the Internet affiliates of Rogers-owned television, magazine and radio operations respectively, have been using the Total Online Publishing Solutions system since last year.

"TOPS has vastly improved the publishing power of our journalists and editors, our search engine performance, and our speed to market," Galipeau said.
"This investment allows Rogers to co-develop a best-of-breed content management platform, and accelerate its adoption for our brands."

Aside from the all-but-impenetrable phrase "best-of-breed content management platform", the deal is yet one more example of the convergence of interests between the larger publishing companies.

On the virtues of being reader-centric

Mr. Magazine, Samir Husni, has started an occasional feature called The One Minute Advisor on his website and one of his first offerings is a short interview with marketer James Elliott, talking about the major mistake magazine publishers make today -- being magazine-centric rather than reader-centric.

As the saying goes, "it's not about your grass seed, it's about their lawn."

Tracy Stefanucci named BCAMP's volunteer of the year

Tracy Stefanucci, publisher and editor-in-chief of OCW Magazine, has been named 2009 volunteer of the year by the BC Magazine Publishers Association (BCAMP).

"Since co-founding OCW Magazine, a Vancouver-based arts and literary magazine, in 2006, Stefanucci has nurtured the talents of over 40 industry professionals, many of whom have gone on to work at other magazines, and arts and publishing organizations," said a BCAMP release. "Her work at the not-for-profit, volunteer-run magazine has also provided a strong platform for the careers of up-and-coming writers, artists and musicians."

Stefanucci will be honoured alongside other regional award recipients at Magazines Canada’s cross-Canada volunteer appreciation reception on June 3, held during MagNet: Canada’s Magazine Conference. She will also be recognized at the BCAMP Annual General Meeting on June 12.