Oh Comely Industries case study - blog tasks

Iceberg Press

 Visit the Iceberg Press website - particularly the Who Are We page and the Why Are We Here page.

1) The people behind Iceberg Press set it up because they believe in the "power of word" and "other magazines are giving up on their readers." Iceberg wish to do things differently and are independent.

2) The iceberg press mission statement:

It's all about the audience.

Chase the work, not the money.

Compromise isn't our friend.

We will always make time for ideas.

We are stronger when we work with others.

We want good people to work in a good place.

Every year we will help a cause that matters.

We believe in a thing called Print.

3) The two magazines that Iceberg press publishes are:

• Oh Comely-
• The simple things

These are both niche magazines and aimed at a minority audience.

4) The similarities between The simple things and Oh Comely are:

• both targeted at a niche audience
• minimalist- lack of cover lines.
• cover images- both use different approach to cover images.
• quite artistic/ value design
• sophisticated

5) The differences between Hearst Publishing and Iceberg Press are:

• target audience- Hearst Publishing is aimed at a mainstream audience, whereas Iceberg Press is aimed at a niche audience.
• content- Hearst publishing provides content which a mainstream audience finds interesting, whereas  Iceberg Press has content which can be viewed as sensitive.
• the model for cover image- Hearst Publishing is a mainstream company so they tend to use celebrities as their models as that type of audience will be influenced easily, whereas Iceberg Press uses a normal person so they make it more relatable for their audiences.

Writer's Edit journal article

Writer's Edit academic journal article on the independent magazine industry

1) An independent print magazine is “published without the financial support of a large corporation or institution in which the makers control publication and distribution…“

2) Hamilton (2013) suggest that independent magazines in the digital age are "A small but growing body of evidence suggests that small printed magazines are quietly thriving even as the global newspaper and book industries falter” (Hamilton 2013: 43).

3) The aim of Kinfolk magazine is to finding “ways for readers to simplify their lives, cultivate community and spend more time with their friends and family” (Kinfolk 2014).

The similarities with Oh Comely are:

• this magazine has hit upon a market that appreciates slow living, rejects the transience of the online world and is willing to pay high cover prices.
• this market has been referred to as the “global niche” (Hamilton 2013: 44) and highlights the differences between independent and established mainstream magazines
• they both use artistic approaches

4) The article suggest that independent magazines might be succeeding while global magazine publishers such as Bauer are struggling because they are struggling to keep readers from online. The rise in new/digital media is having a negative impact on them.

5)  Independent magazines launch by raising enough funds they a filmmaker to produce a short film to exemplify the mission of the magazine.

6) The article suggests how independent publishers use digital media to target their niche audiences by resourcefully utilise technological advances as well as social media to operate. Thanks to developments in areas such as digital printing and electronic file transfer, “people with expert knowledge of a special interest area can potentially take advantage of the low barriers to entry in the industry to originate their own magazine titles and use contract printers to create the finished product” (Cox and Mowatt 2008: 513).

7) It is significant that independent magazines are owned and created by the same people:

• Independent magazines are able to hone in on such specific markets because they are owned and developed by the same people: the founders, editors and art directors who share a similar creative vision. This is another distinction from mainstream, large-scale magazine publications. Where monthly and weekly magazines are directed by deadlines and the bottom dollar, and thus the demands of the owner or publisher (Le Masurier 2012: 392), the release of an independent magazine issue is dictated by the pursuit of original content.

This changes the creative process and direction of the magazine because  the "(Founders) prize their small-scale for the basis for the intimate and creative character of their work. They opt for micro-entrepreneurship because independence will give them a sense of authorship and ownership: it is the best way for them to develop their own work” (Leadbetter and Oakley 1999: 22).". Therefore magazines are able to maintain a strong vision.

8)  Regarding the benefits of a 'do-it-yourself' approach to creating independent magazines the article suggests that  “The term “do-it-yourself/do-it-with-others” emphasises semiotic self-determination in how citizens formulate and live out their identities and actions as citizens” (Hartley 2010 241). It is through this collaboration that the concept of a magazine community is established.

9)The article discusses the audience appeal of print. Audiences might love the printed form in the digital age because "Contributors also gain, as they are published in print, their name becomes recognised by a new market and from this they may receive new commissions. “We also need to be attentive to the capacities and competencies of the participants, both professional and non-professional, commercial and non-commercial, to negotiate and navigate the possibilities of these emerging co-creative relationships for mutual benefit” (Banks and Deuze 2009: 426).  prefers “something real [that] will never go away. Because nothing beats the experience of print. There is beauty in the ritual of holding a physical magazine in front of you” (Brimble 2014). This physical print magazine is the output of years of work, both online and in meeting and working with contributors and supporters. Other independent magazine creators, like Jordan Vouga, art director and founder of Ancestry Quarterly, share this attitude. There is something nostalgic about a magazine. It’s substantial and you can smell the paper. It hits you at a subconscious level. I don’t get the same emotional connection with digital content” (Garrett Mettler 2014).

10) The challenges in terms of funding and distributing an independent magazine are:

• having financial backing.
• having an established presence of a large publisher.

Irish Times feature

 A short feature in the Irish Times on the growth of independent magazines

1) Independent magazines are so popular because:

• their subject matter is diverse
• aesthetics
• their content
• their printed form
• able to reach a wider audience due to technology

2) The magazine publishing industry is set up to favour the big global conglomerates because printing your own magazine isn't easy. "That’s not to say printing your own magazine is easy – many of the independents never get past the first issue. That’s partly due to the way the magazine publishing industry is set up to favour the big publishers – those with multiple titles, large sales teams and economies of scale. These are the titles that rely on advertising (rather than copy sales) for revenue. They have a relatively cheap cover price (a 12-issue subscription to Vogue UK costs less than £20), and are filled with adverts."

3) Regarding finding an audience for an independent magazine the article suggests that you have to find the right type  of content and where you can sell them.

4) The challenges for magazine distributors are:

• where they should distribute
• the costs involved
• the amount to produce- make sure they get direct sales, rather than shipping back which is quite expensive.
• target audience.

5) The article suggests that many independent magazines only make money by diversifying into other products. The examples they give are:

• The likes of The Gentlewoman, The Gourmand, Cereal and Kinfolk all prove that with the right idea (and some savings) you can create something that lasts. So, be bold, be original, and get to work – you never know what might happen.

TCO interview with Ruth Jamieson

 Excellent interview on the TCO London website with Ruth Jamieson, who has written a book on the renaissance of the independent magazine sector.

1) Ruth Jamieson suggest there's a renaissance in independent publishing because "the internet may have decimated mainstream publishing, but Ruth argues it’s never been easier to start a magazine and find an audience. The fierce competition between titles is pushing up production values and the quality of writing and art direction – even if the people putting magazines out there are still struggling to pay the bills."

2) The common themes for successful independent magazines are:

• engage with readers.
• looks good
• produced by passionate people
• have something unique and necessary to say.

3) I can see that Oh Comely has all of these aspects. This is because of their aesthetic appeal. They have a glossy front cover, which has smooth pages. They talk about issues which are important and significant about women. An example is the 'Speaking Out' feature and the quotes, they are produced by Iceberg Press, an independent company that has passionate people working for them.

4) Jamieson sees the future of the magazine industry as a 'renaissance'.  They are having a positive impact.

5) This might affect the future of Oh Comely because it means that their magazine will be more interested in, due to its niche genre and unique approach. I think that Oh Comely will survive for the next five years because the common themes for a successful independent magazine are to engage with the reader, look good, produced by passionate people and have something unique and necessary to say- this is what Oh Comely provides.