Recently I was asked why I haven't launched my own magazine. I thought it was a fair question considering I have been busting my butt in the publishing industry with only minor success. Truth be told, I have considered launching a magazine, but given the current state of publishing and the fact that some of the oldest and most respected magazines are on the verge of collapse, I fear the odds are stacked against me. There is no question that publishing industry has taken a hit in recent years and as a result, magazines are closing their print editions in favor of the online version. New mags are launching as web-zines, a notion that horrifies me! I am rather old school when it comes to this topic, I don't think a magazine should exist solely on the internet. Look at Vogue, Vanity Fair and W! Everything that makes these magazines great would most certainly be lost if they were only available digitally. To launch a magazine online would contradict the very reasons I aspire to work in the field, despite the fact that the world of publishing seems to be heading that way.
I have always enjoyed leafing through the pages of my favorite magazines, hoping to one day see my name printed on their pages. As the magazine world tries to establish itself in the face of online competition, my greatest fear would be to see the world's most respected magazine fold because people would rather look to the digital pages of a magazine crafted in some blogger's bedroom. Perhaps I am stuck in the past, but I strongly believe that an online magazine, no matter how many followers it has, could never have the reach and recognition of Vogue in its 118-year history. In an age when the words of respected journalists are being overlooked in favor of 140-character Tweets, I remain nostalgic for the days when a subscription to Vogue was in vogue and books came in paperback or hardcover and not Kindle or eBook.
Some may say that I lack of initiative, but I see it as a reverence for the greats that inspired me to try my luck in an industry that is notorious for making "the little guy" pay his dues. I work long hours with little thanks or recognition, but one day it will all pay off. One day, I will be working wtih the writers, editors and photographers I so highly esteem!
And while I'm on the subject, let's to pay tribute to some of the fallen giants...
Bisous x x x Ophelia
Mademoiselle (1935- 2001)
Mirabella (1989-2000)
Teen Magazine (1954-2009)
Gourmet (1941-2009)
Ma chère Ophelia,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I totally agree with you on the fact that real magazines are only made of paper you can touch, articles you can find page 14...or 40...OR 54 (which is surprinsingly 40+14).
I know exactly how you feel about having your name on one of those pages almost for ever. I had a chance to have many articles published both online and in a newspaper and I can tell you that the feeling of seeing your lines on a screen is nothing compared to the one you experience when you can proudly hold a page and read it outloud to your friends and family (as long as you are proud of your style!). I can tell you, judgind your style on this blog, that one day you'll have the pride to read some lines outloud to the ones you love and hopefully, one day, your talent will allow to have an eponymous fashion magazine.Can you imagine...Women all over le Monde waiting for the upcoming issue of "Ophelia"...Well, I can imagine.
Plein de bisous.
Well played Ophelia,
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more
GG