Earlier this week, I was interviewed by Jason Allen Ashlock about my new digital magazine Scratch, and how things have changed in the magazine publishing world since my days at Writer’s Digest.
Here’s a bit of what I had to say:
It’s more difficult to turn a profit on a magazine, whether print or digital. People expect they can get quality information for free, and the magazine package (or experience) isn’t as valuable as it once was. People cherry pick a lot, rather than committing to single publications or outlets. I suspect that if and when Scratch becomes sustainable for the long term, it will be a result of additional content and services we develop, not subscription revenue.
It’s a wide-ranging conversation, and I also touch on:
- good and bad trends in author education
- exciting changes in the publishing industry
- a digital-inspired publishing effort that inspires me
Many thanks to Jason for the excellent questions. Read the full interview.
Jane Friedman has spent nearly 25 years working in the book publishing industry, with a focus on author education and trend reporting. She is the editor of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2023. Her latest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press), which received a starred review from Library Journal. In addition to serving on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund, she works with organizations such as The Authors Guild to bring transparency to the business of publishing.
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