The Evolution of an Independent Boutique
Magazine
A letter from the publisher
Dear Readers,
One of the things that I love about the sky
is that it is constantly changing. I
love the possibility of change. And it’s
a necessary part of life in all things.
We all change. We never stay the same.
Now in my fifth year of publishing SKY (10 years in total), it is time
to evolve with the times, and the realities of our daily lives.
My founding intention for SKY was to create
a magazine that would inspire us, and tell the stories of people living in
their vision. This continues to be my
intention.
SKY is an entrepreneurially driven
independent magazine, owned and operated by yours truly and created with the help and
vision of two amazing entrepreneurs and artists, Greg Huszar, photographer, and
Amber Moon, Designer. SKY has built a strong brand and following.
Over the past four years, SKY has
changed. When I first became the
publisher, SKY was a 100% cover to cover advertorial publication. The print run was
32,000 and it was mailed (for free) to homes in high income neighbourhoods in
Regina and Saskatoon via Canada Post. The
cost of producing a single 16-page issue was approximately $16,000, and that
cost was shared by the advertisers in the magazine.
I brought
something new to the table. I am a
marketer, business strategist, journalist and a professional communicator. So I introduced the concept of strategic
story telling to the pages of SKY, and personally worked with each contributor
/ advertiser to hand craft their message with their brand and desired outcomes
in mind. I created a digital platform
for SKY to move it from the mailbox into our readers’ hands more eloquently. I also added a marketing and social media
component for the businesses that supported SKY, personally promoting them,
their businesses and their products on the SKY social media platform.
In 2014, I began looking at SKY from true
magazine perspective, since that was my intention from the beginning – to
create a magazine that tells the story of who we are through the eyes and
experiences of the inspired. I looked
to Magazines Canada for a model, adopted the policies and made editorial
changes to the extent that I could based on the financial implications of the
print environment. I submitted
application to become part of Magazines Canada but the financial business model
and the choices that I had to make accordingly that were driving the magazine created
limitations, so I was not able to take SKY far enough and make the changes that
Magazines Canada would have required.
However, I continued to evolve the model to
strengthen the magazine, moving to a 70/30 split on advertising versus
editorial. Since 2014 the front
cover space has not been available for
purchase, and has been created out of SKY’s editorial vision.
SKY does not sell advertising. We sell spaces in which to play. With each space, I work directly with the
client to define how that space should be used. I have been the sole strategist
and writer. I have also created a social
media platform to market my clients post print, and into the digital world of
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and other amazing places.
Our last issue, Winter Reimagined, the
cover was a harbinger of change, with a woman walking and turning her back to
convention. The image was gifted to SKY
by Lisa Wicklund, designer.
As a business strategist, I see that the
world is changing. That dollars are
getting tighter for businesses to spend in print, that the market is already
over populated in terms of advertising that people are rejecting “flyers” in
their mailboxes.
The print industry is changing too, and the
cost for an independent is becoming prohibitive. Twenty years ago, when I was in journalism school
with Jim McKenzie, the now deceased professor who taught me more than I could
appreciate at the time, the web had just begun to show itself. It was unknown
as to what it would be. Our classes
would ruminate on the business model that was going to drive the World Wide
Web, and how that would translate to the journalism environment. I just have to look at my own life to know
and understand the impact of the way we distribute, share and assimilate
information. It is a function of two
things: less time and more access to information literally at our fingertips.
I love print magazines, indeed I subscribe to
my favourites. I love the feeling of
paper in my hands, and I love the way a new magazine smells. But on my coffee table right now is a stack
of magazines that I have not been able to read. What am I doing when I sit
down? Reading my emails. Checking my Instagram feed. Posting. Communicating. Reading.
My phone has officially become part of my life and business. Readers are reading online more and
more. Is there a place for print? Yes,
but it is becoming an individual choice to print or not to print.
SKY is a boutique business, owned and
operated by a person like all boutique businesses. Boutiques are
famous for their service experience and individualized attention. And so must be we, to be successful and
relevant to our clients. From a business perspective, my clients
want to stand out. They do not want to
be lost in a sea of advertisements, stuck somewhere on page 68 in an inside
corner. They want to be seen. They want
to be shared. They want to be marketed. And that’s what I do,
passionately.
So it’s time that we called a spade a
spade. The magazine has to evolve to
match the value proposition for all concerned – our readers, our clients, and
our very viability.
Inspiration is what SKY is all about. And possibility. And exploring new
places. SKY is about being seen.
This issue, I am so pleased to share our
first “magazine” featuring a
strengthened editorial vision to inspire and raise the profile of the
inspired and the visionaries who are changing the world on a daily basis.
I am so honoured to share the story and the
work of Brenda Rossow-Kimball, a woman who works tirelessly to improve the
lives of people with complex disability. Brenda is also a guest contributor in this
issue.
Read
the issue on your tablet, and share it with your friends and family. If you do
choose to download the PdF to print, please keep the planet in mind.
Sincerely and without further adieu,
Lynn Armstrong
Publisher
SKY Magazine
