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Print Publishing on the Web
Have you guys been following Scott Karp's blog "What Magazines [and Newspapers] Still Don't Understand About the Web"?
I work for a [print] magazine publisher who is transitioning into being an online magazine publisher. It's very exciting. Scott brings up some very interesting points and I love the comments that some have been leaving—on both sides of the "argument".
I, myself, am a heavy internet user, so I am of the belief that premium content should be available at no additional cost to internet users. But then how do the publishers make their money? Advertising alone? If print subscriptions are phasing out, is it up to advertising dollars alone to bare the burden.
Obviously, if the print magazines went away, the overhead (mainly print costs) would be far less and subsequently we wouldn't have to rely on advertising as much. But I don't see that as the way this industry is going. Not yet, at least. So in the interim... is it okay to give away premium content for free on the internet and just "hope" that advertising brings in enough bucks to cover the nut?
I work for a [print] magazine publisher who is transitioning into being an online magazine publisher. It's very exciting. Scott brings up some very interesting points and I love the comments that some have been leaving—on both sides of the "argument".
I, myself, am a heavy internet user, so I am of the belief that premium content should be available at no additional cost to internet users. But then how do the publishers make their money? Advertising alone? If print subscriptions are phasing out, is it up to advertising dollars alone to bare the burden.
Obviously, if the print magazines went away, the overhead (mainly print costs) would be far less and subsequently we wouldn't have to rely on advertising as much. But I don't see that as the way this industry is going. Not yet, at least. So in the interim... is it okay to give away premium content for free on the internet and just "hope" that advertising brings in enough bucks to cover the nut?
Tags: e-zine, print, publishing
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by sherry patterson on -
Hi, I am sherry and I have quite a bit to say about advertising. I am a new freelance writer; I use the internet very often and I think advertising is quite useful in promoting my small freelance business. I browse websites, Ezines, blogs. For those who think of writing as a professional activity I am near the end of my novel and is very excited about it. This group can bring a lot of interesting points. I think content is available without much cost. Well if it could be free, I think all of us whether you are a writer, editor, publisher could benefit from advertising.
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Permalink Reply by Adam Trull on -
Hi Cara,
Naturally, you're going to read my signature and you may assume that I have a bias in this discussion. I've read SO many articles on this topic, I hope that I have a non-biased background on this discussion.
A lot of publishers are actually now pulling back on this practice, and requiring pay-for-online-content (via the downfall of the newspaper industry). From a consumer-behavior perspective, consumers tie "price" to "value" (e.g. a pair of Nike shoes for $125) , so if something is "free" then therefore it is "valueless".
I believe that digital magazines should be used as a new revenue-channel, and not as a replacement to print, but as a supplement. Consumers tie a higher "user-experience" with print. In fact, did you know that the average number of pages read on a digital magazine is only 12. The experience with print and digital is just so different, that I can't imagine that one should replace the other. They should work in tandem.
Just my two cents,
Adam Trull, Quad/Graphics
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