Are You A Magazine-aholic?
How many magazines do you buy a month?
The only one I buy religiously is Empire UK because I’m a film fanatic. It’s pretty commercial but they have the odd insightful article and I enjoy their writing style and witty captions. Awesome website, too.
Empire costs $6 in the UK, $9 in the US and (gulp) $18 in New Zealand. I know, insane. There is an Australian edition but the quality is much lower. I’d rather pay more for the better read.
Other choices include Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, Economist, Wired, Business 2.0… and the odd gossip rag. It adds up, and so many magazines are pumped out so often that there’s always something to buy.
I know there are ways to save: subscribe and get a discount (if only I’d stay in one place long enough), swap them with friends (if only I had some), get free ones if you work in media, but let’s face it, most people go out and buy one from the local store when they feel like it.
Sometimes I feel like a trashy read but then I get magazine remorse. Like when I read Marie Claire yesterday (which is far from the worst, but it happens to be on my desk, sorry MC). I learned:
- What British women are up to in the bedroom (summary: yawn)
- Getting that healthy summer glow (summary: fake tan, airbrushing)
- Courtney Cox interview (summary: leave Jennifer alone!)
- Interview with former Hollywood Supermadam (summary: went to prison)
- Fashion Trends (summary: everything I own is inadequate)
300 pages, 200 of it ads. Result: Unsatisfied (rather like British women).
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Saturday, June 23rd, 2007 at 8:36 am
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I could probably be considered a recovering magazine-aholic. Last year I purchased about 15 subscription from Amazon. It was great at first, but after three or four months I got tired of reading them all. The subscriptions are just now running out and I am in the process of consolidating to only 4 subscriptions, each on a different topic.
June 23rd, 2007 at 12:14 pm15, that’s quite a few! Amazing how many magazines exist these days and yet many, if not most, still make a profit from sales and/or glossy ads.
June 23rd, 2007 at 12:54 pmIt has been almost a year since I bought a mag. Recently I just read a few at a kids play zone since my kids are busy playing… while I on the other hand enjoy my latte and read all the magazines.. for free!
June 24th, 2007 at 8:10 pmFree magazines are definitely the best kind!
June 24th, 2007 at 8:23 pm