Tyler Brûlé goes his contrarian way

[this story has been updated]

“We’re not in the business of trying to build a galaxy of bloggers and churn out copy all day.” -- Monocle editor (and Wallpaper founder) Tyler Brûlé, quoted in the New York Observer.

Brûlé, the Winnipeg-born wunderkind, says he thinks the big guys are getting it all wrong. While they're cutting back, trimming pages and replacing original journalism with user-generated content, he's pushing ahead by opening new bureaus (Sydney is the latest for Monocle)and publishing a stylish, traditional, glossy, large format, high end and expensive magazine. He does so by taking some backhanded shots at other publishers.

Mr. Brûlé said that he expects the magazine, published 10 times a year, to grow “organically,” rather than taking “the Hollywood, blockbuster approach to publishing [with] all the expectations that come with it.” To wit, he said, “Look what happened to Portfolio.”

Instead, Mr. is hoping that educated, affluent readers—the kind advertisers drool over—will discover the magazine (and be willing to drop $10 an issue, with no subscription discount).

[UPDATE]You may want to read a story from the Vancouver Sun, in which Brûlé talks about the virtues of magazines over other media and explains why Canada is misunderstood in the world.