http://www.mastheadonline.com/rss/blogs.php MastheadOnline Blogs RSS en-us Tue, 21 May 2013 23:24:28 EDT Tue, 21 May 2013 23:20:24 EST http://www.mastheadonline.com circulation@masthead.ca webmaster@northisland.ca http://www.mastheadonline.com/blogs/?blogId=457 Stacey May Fowles Thu, 17 Jun 2010 21:36:12 EST Since the recent Davidar allegations came to light I’ve been thinking a lot about how to use this opportunity to create a dialogue about the culture of publishing. As someone who has worked in both publishing spheres, book and magazine, the allegations, however disturbing and upsetting, are actually unsurprising to me. The most striking thing about the s http://www.mastheadonline.com/blogs/?blogId=446 Stacey May Fowles Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:10:58 EST There’s been some recent circ chatter about Ontario Out of Doors’ decision to take a shot at competitor Outdoor Canada in a recent circ piece. Without actually naming OC explicitly, the piece (signed by publisher Mike Reader) clearly calls out the magazine’s decision to decrease it’s annual circ from eight to six in it’s opening line: “Why would anyone settle for only 6 issues on an outdoors magazine, when Ontario OUT OF DOORS magazine delive http://www.mastheadonline.com/blogs/?blogId=430 Stacey May Fowles Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:51:15 EST 

I occasionally get asked to talk to editorial interns about circulation—you know, to round out their “education”—and inevitably it always goes the exact same way. Either they fail to show up (yeah, that happened), or they very kindly pretend to be interested but inevitably nod off by the time I get to insert card codes and eight series renewals. I’ve even tried to entice unpaid interns to do their learning at the bar, with the promise of a pitcher or t http://www.mastheadonline.com/blogs/?blogId=423 Stacey May Fowles Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:39:36 EST I've been hunting all over town to get my hands on a copy of V magazine's oft-talked about "size issue". There's been endless buzz about their controversial decision to have a plus-sized spring issue, complete with ground-breaking plus-size drop-dead-gorgeous high-fashion http://www.mastheadonline.com/blogs/?blogId=412 Stacey May Fowles Wed, 6 Jan 2010 20:40:08 EST Let’s all say it together: Thank God 2009 is finally over. I for one am very pleased to see it go.  Although circ was not necessarily decimated by the economic downturn, having to shoulder the financial burden of advertising shortfalls and struggling with decreased returns meant that most circulators enjoyed the winter break a little more than usual.  Maybe 2010 is the year that our battered industry bounces back. Fingers crossed, folks. 2009 made the “magica http://www.mastheadonline.com/blogs/?blogId=396 Stacey May Fowles Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:39:33 EST “Circulation is not a discipline for the feint of heart,” begins Folio’s 2007 salary survey circ jobs in the US. With the recession, this statement has never been more true. There was a time when a circulator did just that⎯circulate a magazine. Now the job description can include anything from ad sales, to events and fairs, to grant writing, to ordering office supplies, chan http://www.mastheadonline.com/blogs/?blogId=387 Stacey May Fowles Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:36:00 EST I was excited to learn this morning that there’s actually a sanctioned circ term for what I notoriously do on lunch breaks, shopping excursions, and (after a few cocktails) at my 7-11 pit stop on the way home from the bar. The Newsstand Shuffle is an age-old circulation sport explained by Ted Bahr at Folio. "Basically, all you had to do was go to a newsstand, browse th http://www.mastheadonline.com/blogs/?blogId=318 Stacey May Fowles Mon, 1 Jun 2009 18:26:44 EST Despite the fact that circ generally flies under the radar, when things go wrong, they go very wrong. In fact, if I’m completely honest, I am constantly amazed by how many things could potentially go wrong that don’t. The average circ work day consists of innumerable possibly disastrous decisions that for the most part work out just fine. Data pulls and complex coded mailings, judgments on the fly, last http://www.mastheadonline.com/blogs/?blogId=316 Stacey May Fowles Thu, 28 May 2009 16:31:49 EST Thanks to a generous contribution by the Canada Summer Jobs program, my long standing dream to find the perfect circ intern has suddenly become a dream to find the perfect paid temporary circ assistant. Here's another (more concrete) invitation to come to the "other side" of publishing, this time with a paycheque and some prestige attached. Those who responded to my original plea for interested and passionate magazine lovers are encouraged to re-apply, provided they're http://www.mastheadonline.com/blogs/?blogId=297 Stacey May Fowles Wed, 6 May 2009 17:48:38 EST The other night I went out for a few beers with some of my favourite “circulation friends,” a small group of great people I’ve been friends with for many a year who all work on the my side of the biz. What began as a “beer after work to catch up” became a pretty epic discussion/rant session on all things circulation and marketing; direct mail, audits, renewals, and yes, a little bit of industry gossip here and there (hey, a recession is no fun without the gossip.) F http://www.mastheadonline.com/blogs/?blogId=291 Stacey May Fowles Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:58:36 EST The smaller your mag, the smaller your world. This is a truth I’ve admittedly learned the hard way over time. It's kind of gotten to the point now where I'm surprised when I meet a new small magger. Everyone seems to know everyone else, and sadly, everyone seems to know everyone else's "business." The small mag community can be unbelievably supportive, with hugs and beers and list swaps all around, but when everything’s a party there’s always the coming http://www.mastheadonline.com/blogs/?blogId=279 Stacey May Fowles Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:19:15 EST Everything I’ve ever learned about circ has been from consultants. It pains me to admit this. I often rant about how skewed the industry is toward the old school⎯when you look at a list of our most valued and celebrated circ pros, it’s hard not to notice that most of them are of the older, big mag (and male) variety. When you’re working at a tiny indie mag full of mostly unpaid 20-somethings and someone claiming to have more experience than you saunters in http://www.mastheadonline.com/blogs/?blogId=266 Stacey May Fowles Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:58:30 EST Everyone’s got an opinion about the economic downturn, the future of magazines and the fate of the industry as a whole, and it seems they’re not afraid to share it online, in print or over cocktails. Everywhere you look it seems there’s some old-school “industry expert” waxing poetic about print being doomed or mostly doomed or not doomed at all. News of layoffs and closures are everywhere. We're all scared, pessimistic and pretty miserable most of the time. http://www.mastheadonline.com/blogs/?blogId=247 Stacey May Fowles Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:32:00 EST I know what you’re thinking: Circulation? Why would you ever want to do that? Editorial is the glamorous gig. Editorial is sexy. You’ve seen enough prominent editors at prestigious parties surrounded by pretty young things to know that the wordsmith is the superstar of the magazine world. Editors get the awards, the praise, and the good dates. It’s their headshots that grace printed pages. It’s their words that are quoted. There has never been a “Letter from the Cir http://www.mastheadonline.com/blogs/?blogId=237 Stacey May Fowles Wed, 4 Mar 2009 15:39:47 EST I’ve been known to joke that a magazine is the most ridiculous business model imaginable. Explaining to someone that a circulator often “pays for subscribers” with a campaign, crosses their fingers and prays for renewals two or three years down the road, is rightfully met with a quizzical look. Magazines are clearly a game of admirable stupidity driven by rare passion, propped up by nothing more than belief. Even for those of us in circ, the business model is no