Category / 100 Words

by Magdiaries

I’m feeling lucky

I worry.

I worry about late payment and non-payment.

I worry about industry friends who aren’t valued enough, about the talent that’s lost when headcounts are cut.

I worry about thinning walls between advertising and editorial, about writers who don’t need paid because someone else is picking up their tab, about slideshows and pop-ups and weird tricks for flat bellies.

But I still feel lucky.

Lucky to be a freelancer, the perfect role for the imperfect; lucky to have been mentored by passionate, talented people; lucky to love my job as much today as when I started, sixteen years ago.

Gary Marshall | Freelance writer



Grub Street Journal
by Magdiaries

A digital mag is not the same

I like a printed magazine. A digital mag is just not the same.

I’m fine reading about music without hearing it. I can imagine a supercar going from 0-60.

Pinching and zooming photos is over-rated. Enlarging text is what glasses do.

Sharing articles? I can give away the entire publication!

When you’re on a plane or the tube – there’s no internet. What happens there?

It’s good to support your local newsagent and keep the postman busy; why would I pay almost the same money when most of the cost of producing a magazine is paper, ink and sending it out?

Neil Morgan | Managing Director, Magvault



Grub Street Journal
by Magdiaries

Don’t forget the basics

What makes a magazine great will make a digital magazine great.

In my role as marketing manager for digital editions it is clear that in this period of disruption the quality of content produced will continue to make you stand out from the rest, whether that content’s in a PDF replica or in a fully interactive product.

If you keep changing your approach too much it becomes impractical to market, as the value proposition for the customer keeps shifting, ultimately becoming incredibly confusing.

It’s a cliché but listen to what your customers old and new are saying at all times.

Iain Russell | App Marketing Manager, Future



Grub Street Journal
by Magdiaries

I want to tell you a secret

Listen, I want to tell you a secret about magazines.

It’s a secret as true of Angling Times as it is of Glamour and Hello. It’s got nothing to do with paper stock or binding, nor even price. It’s this.

For our readers, each new issue is a delight and a treat. And like all good treats, it’s best enjoyed at your own pace and in the splendid isolation of your own thoughts. What else matches the rare thrill of flicking through the latest issue and then returning back whenever it suits?

Oh and our readers like the adverts too.

Alun Probert | ex Emap, Communications Consultant (South Australia)



Grub Street Journal
by Magdiaries

No second chances

I have a one-man creative magazine called Elsie.

For me, Elsie is a receptacle (for my work), a catalyst (to new work), a door opener (to new opportunities), a conduit (to new relationships) and… a source of immense personal satisfaction.

The printed form gives the magazine longevity… it continues to physically exist long after the publication date. This permanence pushes me to challenge my approach to designing and editing each page. Because once it goes to press, there are no second chances.

I don’t feel the same weight of responsibility to create something special in the digital medium.

Long Live Print!

Les Jones | Publisher, Elsie Magazine



Grub Street Journal