March – The month designated for us to celebrate women, Irish lineage, combat Islamophobia, elimination of racial discrimination and the international day of transgender visibility. It brings in daylight savings time, ends one season and brings in another. Winter’s grasp is still tight, and we are so ready to kick it to the curb and open our arms to Spring, a fresh new season of rebirth, growth, warmer temperatures and longer days.
This month MC reviewed how we weathered through the long winter season and past year and what resources we need to start our new fiscal year. At our board meeting on the 6th we held open and frank discussions on this topic then embraced the joy of welcoming in two new members, the Canadian Society of Cinematographers and Hamilton City.
In order to get a pulse check on our Professional Development material, we sent out a survey to you, our members, for your feedback on past delivered materials and what you would like to see in the new year. You delivered big time, with a participation rate of 53%!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to inform us of your needs and shaping the supports your organization provides.
Watch your emails in the next few weeks for a notice of interest to be considered for our delegation to the FIPP Congress in June. This exciting opportunity will be one for the books with specialized training provided by FIPP experts to our delegates.
In closing, I wish you all the best with your own review of resources and plans to plant the necessary seeds for a new season of rejuvenation and growth with your publications. By working together, we make the magazine industry stronger and more resilient to face the many ongoing challenges.
Take care and talk soon,
- Kim Coles, Executive Director - Magazines Canada
MESSAGE FROM DISTRIBUTION
At this time the Magazines Canada Distribution network of retailers stands at about 70 stores—mostly book and magazine stores, a few gallery and art supply shops receiving some of our art magazines. Our partner distributor, Disticor, gives us access to most of their network, which includes about 200 more stores: Chapters, Indigos and Multi Mags stores (around Montreal). There is one other national magazine distributor in Canada these days, the big one—TNG (The News Group).
We share many of our stores with Disticor and TNG—these are usually the go-to shops for magazines in their cities and towns. Many of these have been with us for decades. Each year at this time I run various sales reports to try to see trends and two stood out to me this time: 1) It looks like sales are up (a little) year over year!!! And 2), our best selling stores continue to find customers for our magazines. We salute them all—here is a list of the best:
2022 Top Selling Indy Retailers for Canadian Magazines
(in alphabetical order)
Atlantic News, Halifax NS
Book City, Toronto ON (4 locations. FOUR!)
Bolen Books, Munro’s and Tanner’s Books (the 3 powerhouses of Victoria BC)
Daily Globe, Calgary AB
McNally Robinson in Winnipeg MB and Saskatoon SK
McNews, North Vancouver BC
Novel Idea, Kingston ON
Presse Internationale, Toronto ON (2 bestselling locations)
Salt Spring Books, Salt Spring Island BC
Type Books, Toronto ON (Queen Street W and Junction locations)
Wordsworth Books, Waterloo ON
(from Magazines Canada Distribution sales
April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022)
Happy Spring!
Have a question about Distribution? Would you like to join our Distribution Program?
Contact me: Chris Chambers
Magazines Canada
Director of Distribution cchambers@magazinescanada.ca
Is your magazine distributed by Magazines Canada?
If so, please send to the following address:
Magazines Canada Distribution
c/o Tilwood Inc.,
420 Deerhurst Drive, Unit #4
Brampton ON
L6T 5H9
MESSAGE FROM ACCOUNTING
I'm in the process of preparing the latest publisher payments which will be going out next week. We have been encouraging publishers to set up EFT/Direct Deposit payments and many of you have. Thank you! If you are able to have this set up at your magazine please contact me and I'll send you the Magazines Canada details you'll need to be set up.
For all the members of Magazines Canada Distribution Program, please be advised that Magazines Canada will apply Newsstand Payments to any outstanding Annual Membership Dues.
If you do not wish for Magazines Canada to deduct the dues owing from the payment, or would like to set up EFT/ Direct Deposit please contact Rabeet Sarfraz at msarfraz@magazinescanada.cato make alternate arrangements.
Thank you,
Rabeet Sarfraz
Controller, Magazines Canada
MAGAZINES CANADA HIGHLIGHTS WOMEN IN PUBLISHING!
Magazines Canada is proud to feature Samia Madwar, Senior Editor at The Walrus. Samia volunteers as a contributing board member at Magazines Canada and the Editorial Board at Inuit Art Foundation for the last five years. Samia previously worked at Up Here and Canadian Geographic magazines. In her spare time, she specializes in impromptu travel.
What ignited your passion for the publishing industry?
After I graduated from university, I was fortunate enough to intern at Canadian Geographic magazine as a fact checker. I loved delving into the stories, but I also found myself enjoying the nuts and bolts of the production process. I got to attend story meetings, proofread pages, and join discussions about everything from selecting cover images to writing display copy. None of those tasks ever felt boring, and to this day, I still get a thrill from chatting with colleagues about details such as cover lines. And, cheesy as it may sound, what has always kept me excited about working in publishing is the camaraderie it takes to produce a good magazine.
What do you love most about working at a general-interest magazine?
As an editor at a general-interest magazine, I'm constantly learning. I'm always working on multiple stories at a time, which means that I might start out my day editing an essay about health care policy, then read a draft of a story on urban tree management, and then spend some time researching a filmmaker's biography for a profile I'm editing. I also get to work with writers with a wide range of experiences, as well as other editors, designers, and fact-checkers. And I learn a great deal from every one of them about how we can do better work and, in general, be better people.
What advice would you give to up-and-coming young women in the publishing industry?
I am privileged enough to really enjoy the work I do, and I think that, for anyone aspiring to work in publishing, having fun is important. To be clear, most of the stories I work on often tackle serious and challenging issues; they're not usually cheery or lighthearted. What keeps me going, however, is the fact that I feel energized by the work I do and the people I work alongside. I'm never bored by the work itself. So my advice would be: check in with yourself regularly. If you're still excited by the work, if you enjoy collaborating with your colleagues, then you're in the right place. If the work is starting to feel like a slog, or you're not quite clicking with your team, then maybe it's time to move on.
If you could change one major aspect about the publishing industry with a snap of your finger, what would it be?
I graduated from university during the recession in 2008, and I've only ever known a post-recession publishing industry. I've heard plenty of stories about the lavish resources magazines once had. I'd love to have the budget and resources to be able to send journalists across the country and around the world to report their stories. I'd love to be able to pay better rates to our contributors. I'd love to be able to bring shuttered publications back to life. I'd love to be able to experiment more with digital publishing. I've been seeing some great ideas in this sector for how to sustain publications even during economically tricky times, and I hope those great ideas will allow all of us to do the work we really want to do.
One possible downside of being passionate about your work is that you can easily burn out. I've often found myself giving up my personal time for work, not because I felt I had to, but because I wanted to. I'm still learning how to set firmer boundaries so that I can get the rest I need when I need it and spend my time doing other things I enjoy. The issue of burnout is certainly not unique to publishing. But it would be great to see work-life boundaries normalized in an industry that's so often thrived on people stretching their own limits—and, sometimes, going a bit too far.
In your own words how do you feel women impact the publishing industry?
I am constantly learning from my female-identifying and 2SLGBTQ+ colleagues how to be more inclusive and more empathetic in everything I do. And I know I'm not alone in absorbing these lessons. I believe this spirit of inclusivity is helping change magazine journalism for the better.
MEMBER AND REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
We'd like to welcome Canadian Society of Cinematographers as a new member with their magazine called Canadian Cinematographer. Canadian Cinematographer is published by the CSC and is an embodiment of the Society’s philosophy to foster and promote the art of cinematography. The magazine does so by championing the successes and initiatives of the CSC membership through the production of informative articles that are pertinent to cinematographers and to the film community at large.
Another great addition to our membership, please welcome HAMILTON CITY Magazine who celebrate all things Hamilton and tell the stories that have influenced the city’s past, present and future. The magazine will be your go-to guide for all things Hamilton in 5 engaging sections: City Life, Food + Drink, Arts + Culture, “Made in Hamilton” and Things to Do.
Add your voice to the mix! The 2023 Musicworks Survey is now live. Musicworks' digital presence is evolving and your feedback can help.
Visit HERE to complete the survey by April 1, 2023 and enter to win prizes, including a $100 Visa gift card, a 1-year subscription, or other goodies!
MAGAZINE MEDIA 3.0 - THE FUTURE IS NOW
Together again in spring 2023! AMPA is programming two days of inspired keynote presentations, multi-track sessions for editors, art directors, publishers and writers. Register to discover the latest trends and innovations from our industry partners. The conference will kick off Thursday, May 11 with a full-day of programming with keynote presentations and concurrent breakout sessions followed by the 2023 Awards Gala in the evening. On Friday, May 12, we’ll kick off this half day of programming with a keynote presentation followed by concurrent roundtable discussions.
AWARDS GALA
The Alberta Magazine Awards program honours and celebrates the work of magazine makers who collectively bring passion and insight to our unique Alberta culture and ensure Alberta voices and stories are shared throughout the province and beyond our borders.
Join us to honour and celebrate the work of magazine makers – the editors, art directors, writers, photographers, and illustrators in 18 written, visual, digital, and integrated Showcase Award categories, 5 Alberta Achievement Award categories, and 3 Out-of-Province Awards.
Stay tuned as we continue to work to bring you the Awards Gala and recognize the hard work of all the dedicated magazine professionals.
Emily Chow is a marketing strategist and copywriting unicorn that helps organizations reinvent the way they show up and stand out online. Because you all deserve to get seen, loved, and selling with your ideal customers. She does this through premium branding solutions, custom websites, copywriting and social media solutions, email nurturing campaigns, marketing plans, and engagement strategies that keep you top of mind with your target market.
Learn more about Emily and her marketing and business background here on her website, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Workshop 1, took place on Wednesday March 15.
Workshop 2, April 13, 12 noon PT How Well Is Your Magazine Doing?: Gain Marketable Insights On Your Magazine's Performance Through Google Analytics
With Emily Chow Registration and more information
In this one-hour workshop, you will learn how to:
1. Interpret the (sometimes confusing!) data in each of the reports on your dashboard
2. Use the information you've gathered from each report and turn them into actionable strategies to get you seen, heard, and subscribed to
3. Understand your target audience better to develop a basic marketing strategy that you can apply right away
Workshop 3, April 26, 12 noon PT It's Time To Market: Gain Actionable Insights On How To Increase Readership and Subscriptions
With Emily Chow Registration and more information
Join us in this workshop and you'll learn how to:
1. Create a basic tactical marketing plan to get you seen by Google and your ideal readers
2. Increase readership and subscriptions through organic social media, user-generated content, and influencer outreach
3. Engage your current readership, turn them into loyal evangelists, and encourage growth and referral traffic
4. Create a basic plan for getting more advertisers.
Attendees at each workshop will be given a chance to register for one of three 45-minute personal tutorials the following week to help them with anything they’re having problems with.
The 45th FIPP World Media Congress takes place from 6-8 June 2023 in Cascais, Portugal on the outskirts of Lisbon. Building on the successful event held in June 2022 at the same venue, Congress 2023 will bring together people from a cross-section of media and technology sectors worldwide. FIPP will explore key industry topics with the foremost global experts. Network, and build professional connections while enjoying the best of what Portugal has to offer.
Grants for Publishing organizations and literary artists
The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) supports the work of artists and arts organizations. The following upcoming program deadlines offer support to publishing organizations and literary creators: Publishing Organizations: Operating (Magazine publishers): June 15, 2023 Literary Creation Projects (Works for publication): September 7, 2023 Literary Creation Projects (Works for Performance): October 24, 2023 Recommender Grants for Writers: This program runs from September 1, 2023, to January 12, 2024.
For more information, visit OAC’s website www.arts.on.ca or call 416-961-1660 (toll-free in Ontario: 1-800-387-0058).
REMINDER - CALL FOR APPLICATIONS – Industry Development Program
The Ontario Creates Industry Development Program provides support to Ontario’s established trade and event organizations to offer initiatives, events and activities with long-term impacts on growth and sustainability in the book, magazine, film, television, and interactive digital media sectors.
Deadlines
April 5, 2023 5:00 PM ET
August 10, 2023 5:00 PM ET
Applicants must begin their project planning no later than 3 months after the deadline at which they submit their application, and have a total of 12 months to complete the project.
Refer to the guidelines for the best time to submit an application for your project.
Program Streams:
Business Development – support to organizations for business to business (B2B) industry activities and business to consumer (B2C) audience development activities that offer opportunities for new business leads, sales and relationships.
Capacity Building – support for strategic activities that address challenges and opportunities or environmental changes that contribute to either the capacity of the applicant organization or its stakeholder group.
In both the Business Development and Capacity Building streams, Ontario Creates has identified three priority areas for 2023-24:
Skills development, mentorship and increased workforce capacity
Diversity and inclusion
Marketing and discoverability, including high impact B2B opportunities
Guidelines and Application Process
Complete Guidelines and the link to the Online Application Portal (OAP) are posted on the Ontario Creates website:
Ontario Creates 175 Bloor Street East | South Tower | Suite 501 Toronto | Ontario M4W 3R8Main phone: 416-314-6858
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEWS
#Webinar:The Secrets of Successful Grant Writers
Through the process of running several magazines, three associations and serving on cultural boards and grant juries, publisher and consultant Joyce Byrne has learned that a good plan is the best strategy for grant-writing success. In this hour, Joyce will cover the grant landscape in Canada, a year-round approach to hunting and farming funding opportunities, and how to ensure your proposals are what the funders are really looking for. Plus, tips for finding opportunities outside government programs. HERE
#Webinar:It’s a 1st Data Party! 2nd and 3rd are also invited
We welcomed host Vesna Moore, Director of Audience Development & CASL Compliance Officer with Annex Business Media. Monetizable Data is a term we’ve all heard for a while now. Ever wonder how you might actually do it, or even what you could be doing with all that data in general? Vesna discusses how you can leverage your data and marketing tech-stack for deep metrics, uber-reporting, social & omnichannel marketing, sales support and product development. Engage your readers and your sales teams with examples of data-driven products and reporting, email acquisition tactics and engagement analysis. HERE
Newest Hotsheets:
Fact Checking In A Post-Truth World
Our March hotsheet, Fact Checking is paramount in the journalism and publishing industry. As Publishers and Editors we can use fact checking to curb the flow of misinformation. AnnMarie explains the “Why's, What's and the How’s" to help optimize your fact checking proficiency in 2023. See here if you missed it.
Sales Best Practices
Our February Hotsheet Sales Best Practices - Tips & Tricks for Evolving Your Approach to Sales provides you an in-depth look at solution based selling, which is a sales approach that focuses on your customers' needs and pain points and provides products and services that address those underlying business problems. See here if you missed it.
Missed a Magazines Canada Professional Development? Find it HERE
MEMBER EVENTS
Keep us posted on your upcoming events, we’d love to show our support on social media and highlight them in the monthly e-newsletters. Contact chris@messengerbagmedia.ca with your content.
