[Paleopsych] Star Tribune (Minneapolis): Your own corner of the world has its own magazine
Premise Checker
checker at panix.com
Sat Aug 6 01:28:07 UTC 2005
Your own corner of the world has its own magazine
http://www.startribune.com/dynamic/story.php?template=print_a&story=5541591
5.8.4
Bill Dawson
Star Tribune
If you're a Subaru-driving face painter with a jones for Jane Austen,
there's a magazine -- actually, three -- for you.
Subiesport ("Your guide to tuning and driving Subarus"), Face Painting
International and Jane Austen's Regency World are geared to readers
with highly specialized interests. You also can subscribe to Bonsai
Today, Atomic Ranch, Face Painting International and Gene Simmons
Tongue. "Even the Ford Focus has a magazine," says professor Samir
Husni, a University of Mississippi professor and president of Magazine
Consulting & Research.
Husni calls these "specialized specialty" publications, and they
account for a large portion of the 450 or so magazine startups in the
first six months of this year. Magazines are being launched faster
than at any time since 1998, which means even the narrowest of niches
is being filled, Husni says.
The catch is that you have to move fast. Only 38 percent of these
specialized titles survive a year, and even those have a limited life.
Modern Ferret, for instance, recently went belly-up after a 10-year
run and one-of-a-kind features including a two-page photo spread of an
albino ferret. Fortunately, there's still Ferrets, publishing since
1998, for connoisseurs of these domesticated polecats.
Here are sample titles launched in recent years:
o Gene Simmons Tongue This quarterly, founded in 2002, includes
"coverage of music, movies, style, entertainment, celebrity news,
fashion and sex all covered from the perspective of [former KISS
guitarist]) Gene Simmons."
o Ferrets With the death of Modern Ferret, this bimonthly is striving
to be your one-stop source for ferret information. Sample article:
"That's not a ferret: Cases of mistaken identity."
o New York Dog This bimonthly debuted in September, 2004, and has an
obituary section titled "Rex in Peace." Sample article: "Update your
dog's summer wardrobe."
o Elevated Living This bimonthly describes itself as "the lifestyle
magazine for people loving life at elevation." That means living in a
location well above sea level, not in a downtown high-rise.
o Jane Austen's Regency World Bimonthly for those who enjoy debating
the relative merits of Elizabeth Bennett, Emma Woodhouse and Elinor
Dashwood. Sample article: "Dilemma! -- Sue Le Blond has a problem with
Mr. Darcy."
o Subiesport Your guide to tuning and driving Subarus. One article
begins, "Marc and Kyra Lein have been into Subarus for years now,
dating back to a classic SVX they owned. Through fate, time, and a
mutual desire to work on and modify Subarus, both ended up with
extremely fast Impreza 2.5RS's of their own."
o Atomic Ranch A quarterly for those who live in modest, mid-century
ranch houses -- or wish to read about them. Sample article: "The house
that Jack built: Sergeant Friday's Palm Springs party pad."
o Russian Bride of New York This bilingual magazine was founded in
2004 and has been described in the New York Times as "a kind of Martha
Stewart Weddings for young women of Soviet heritage."
o Face Painting International Quarterly that seeks to elevate "face
and body painting to a new dimension." Sample article: "Belly painting
on expectant moms."
o Tall magazine Bimonthly is for people of elongation, specifically
men at least 6 feet 2 and women at least 5 feet 9. Tagline: "Because
life may be short, but we're not." Everard Strong, the publisher, is 6
feet 9.
o Cthulhu Sex For connoissuers of erotic horror. Tagline: "Blood, sex
and tentacles." Title is from H.P. Lovecraft's "The Call of Cthulhu."
A Cthulhu is described as "humanity's most basic nightmare" on
[3]www.cthulhu.org.
o Eco-structure A bimonthly "dedicated to improving the environmental
performance of buildings and their surroundings." Sample article:
"Highland center educates visitors about sustainability."
o Inside Cheerleading Bimonthly is designed to help readers "enjoy,
train, perform, compete and live cheerleading to the max!" Sample
article: "Camp Survival Guide: Find the best camp for your squad, what
to bring to camp and the coolest camp styles."
o Mushroom The journal of wild mushrooming. Sample article: "The First
Time We Saw Mushrooms: A pair of experienced mushroom-hunters
reminisces about the start of it all."
o Reality Check Claims to be "your backstage pass to the world of
reality TV." Sample article: "Survivor's Rupert: I was the true
winner."
o ROT (Riders of Tubes) This quarterly is aimed at wave riding's more
mature bodyboarders, "while remaining true to the sport's core
13-19-year-old audience," according to [4]www.rcsmagazines.com.
o Family Tree Magazine Purpose is to help readers "discover, preserve
and celebrate your family history." Sample article: "After a harrowing
ride through Canada's House of Commons, the bill that will open access
to Canadians' 1911 census records has become law."
Bill Dawson is at [5]wdawson at startribune.com.
References
3. http://www.cthulhu.org/
4. http://www.rcsmagazines.com/
5. mailto:wdawson at startribune.com
More information about the paleopsych
mailing list