Magazine Industry Resource Library
Management/General Industry
Financial Ratios
Average departmental expenses : (editorial, production, ad sales, circulation, etc.) as a percentage of overall revenue for different types of magazines. A useful guide for benchmarking your own magazine. (Masthead QuickGuide, pdf)
Average revenues : (advertising, single-copy, subscriptions, back-issues, ancillary, web, other) as a percentage of overall revenue for different types of magazines (general-interest consumer, special-interest consumer, business/trade, farm, religious, scholarly). A useful guide for benchmarking your own magazine. (Masthead QuickGuide, pdf)
Government Programs
Government Programs for Magazine Publishers : This special Masthead QuickGuide provides a fast overview of federal and provincial support programs for all types of publishers. It includes eligibility criteria, application deadlines and contact numbers. (Masthead QuickGuide, pdf document)  
Job Descriptions
Brief job : descriptions for most staff positions on a magazine. (Masthead QuickGuide, pdf)
Q&A
Q&A with Prof. Samir Husni, University of Mississippi, “Mr. Magazine” : Samir Husni has been tracking magazine trends for more than 20 years, and in this interview he discusses the hot categories, the declining categories, classic mistakes made by publishers, and what to do about newsstand sales. Originally published in Masthead May 2005 issue. (Masthead article, pdf)
Q&A with Cathleen Black : President of Hearst Magazines: The president of one of America’s largest and most illustrious magazine publishing companies tells Masthead how she sees magazines fitting into the hyper-competitive new media landscape… and how they can thrive. She also talks about her own rise to fame. (Masthead feature, pdf)
Q&A with The Economist publisher Paul Rossi : One of the executives behind The Economist’s amazing success explains the secrets behind its recent circulation achievements, and also discusses some of the magazine’s idiosyncrasies. (Masthead Q&A, pdf)  
Salaries
Salary Survey 2006 : Results of the biannual Masthead Salary Survey. New methodology and a record response rate make for one of our most accurate guides on who makes what. Includes average sales commissions, salary ranges, and other demographic information for all magazine staff positions. (Masthead feature, pdf)
Salary Survey 2004 : Results of the exclusive Masthead Salary Survey. First published in Masthead November/December 2004 ©. Average salaries, salary ranges, benefits and other HR and demographic information for all magazine staff positions. (Masthead Feature, pdf)
Tips
Mags U Review 2007—More than 150 tips : Masthead’s reporters share the wisdom from top experts at the June 2007 conference. More than 150 tips for ad sales, marketing, circulation, editorial, online publishing, design, fundraising, production and more. (Masthead article, pdf.)
Exclusive Online Tips from Magazines University 2006 : Sixty more industry secrets that will help make your magazine the best it can be. Don't forget to check Masthead's July/August issue 2006 for our special pull-out section with more than 150 Mags U tips and tricks. (Link)
Trademarks
Canadian Intellectual Property Office : CIPO is the federal repository of all registered trademarks. You can look up existing trademarks using the Trademarks Database (to see if your hot new magazine name is already taken) and also learn more about registering your trademark. You may be able to register both the name and the logo design of your trademark, but it is not automatically guaranteed. It's best to use a trademark lawyer to help you after your initial research. Outside Link
Trends and Analysis
Tally ’07 of Launches and Closures : This annual Masthead exclusive (March/April 2008) tallies up all the launches and closures for 2007, with analysis on hot categories, circulation models, closure rates and more. (Masthead article, pdf)
Top 50 Magazines 2006 : Exclusive ranking of the top 50 magazines in Canada, ranked by revenue. Published in the May/June 2007 issue of Masthead. (Masthead Feature, pdf)
Masthead Tally 2006 : Our annual tote board of magazines launches and closures, organized by category. Includes the age of magazines that died in 2006, for a sense of how long new magazines last. Also analyzes paid vs. controlled circulation launches, circulation sizes and frequencies. First published in Masthead March/April 2007 issue. (Masthead article, pdf)
Top 50 Magazines 2005 : Exclusive ranking of the top 50 magazines in Canada, ranked by revenue. Published in the May/June 2006 issue of Masthead.
(Masthead Feature, pdf)
Top 50 Magazines 2004 : Exclusive ranking of the top 50 magazines in Canada, ranked by revenue. Published in the May 2005 issue of Masthead. (Masthead Feature, pdf)
Top 50 Magazines 2003 : Exclusive ranking of the top 50 magazines in Canada, ranked by revenue. Published in the May 2004 issue of Masthead. (Masthead Feature, pdf)
Top 35 Magazines 2002 : Exclusive ranking of the top 35 magazines in Canada, ranked by revenue. Published in the May 2003 issue of Masthead. (Masthead Feature, pdf)
Masthead Tally 2005 : Our annual tote board of magazines launches and closures, organized by category. Includes the age of magazines that died in 2005, for a sense of how long new magazines last. Also analyzes paid vs. controlled circulation launches, circulation sizes and frequencies. First published in Masthead March/April 2006 issue. (Masthead Feature, pdf)
Masthead Tally 2004 : Our annual tote board of magazines launches and closures, organized by category. Includes the age of magazines that died in 2004, for a sense of how long new magazines last. First published in Masthead March 2005 issue ©. (Masthead Feature, pdf)