Faire Magazine May end as soon as it started

[SirBlackFox]

I got word this past week from 12 different Barnes & Noble and Borders booksellers that they cut their magazine orders in half back in May and have just now cut that in half.  Of course the independent magazines such as The Pyrates Way and Faire Magazine are the first type to be dismissed.  They're keeping The Pyrates Way but not ordering Faire Magazine because it targets only the 1.6 million folks who go to Renaissance Festivals each year.

Thus, the winter issue is in jeopardy unless some faires, festivals, vendors, and advertisers help us out.  It actually takes only a very few full page ad buys in order to keep each issue afloat but without the want of the ren-buyers (i.e. YOU). . . . it's not going to happen.

I appreciate all the positive response by the first issue but it might be the last if advertisers don't  buy ads.  You folks can do a few things to keep us alive. . .  1) when you buy from advertisers in either The Pyrates Way or Faire Magazine, point out where you saw their ad. . . .  2) tell the vendors/advertisers that you want to see them in the magazines. 3) Get more folks to subscribe (we're still not at the initial 500 subscriber goal for which free pins are mailed out) 4) Get your local bookstore or Renfaire bookstore to carry our magazines.

I love both magazines as much as you do, but reality is reality.  We can't continue without readers, vendors, advertisers, subscribers, and basic lovers of faires, whether pyrate, pirate, or renaissance.

[groomporter]

They're keeping The Pyrates Way but not ordering Faire Magazine because it targets only the 1.6 million folks who go to Renaissance Festivals each year.

I'ld really be interested in how they come up that number. MNRF alone has somewhere between 200 and 300 thousand per year. Even if that includes a lot of repeat customers with about 180 faires around the country last time I looked that seems like a low estimate on the potential market. Or are the thinking more in terms of participants as opposed to attenedees?

[SirBlackFox]

that's their numbers. . .not mine. . .who knows where they got that from.  I think that number is off by a zero.

[Lady Nicolette]

It's so hard to start a new business in these economic times...Your magazine was beautiful, perhaps you can try and squeak by until we see if the tides turn?

[Scotsman]

This is not the way I wanted to start my week off ... next time you have bad news, save it for Wednesday ... or when I am drunk! Or both!

[Terry Griffith]

One reason our whole economy is going south is bad demographics.  What ever method current markets use for determining buyer information is skewed.  We know that number is wrong but they will base their actions on it.

On the other hand, an over abundance of ads is what most people objected to about the Ren Mag.  $22 is a pretty stiff price for 4 magazines and I'm wondering why that isn't enough to cover the costs.  Maybe the great paper that impressed everyone was not such a good idea to start off with.  I loved it but I'm probably not going to decorate my walls with it and the information and pics would still have been the same.  I'm not complaining about it but I can't help thinking something could be adjusted to publish this for less. 

i have to believe that, during this downward economy, more people would have subscribed if the subscription price was lower and that could only happen if the costs to publish were lower.  At least for the first several issues. 

With advertisers using the Internet and search engines, magizine ads are not as important to business as they used to be.  The cost of a magizine ad verses the cost of a good web site just doesn't hold up anymore.

I would love to see this publication continue and do it without relying on ads.  I've never published a magizine and know nothing about the business.  I'm probably making invalid assumptions but  logic would dictate that things have to change with the times and everyone is cutting back.  I would be less disappointed if the quality went down than if it wasn't published at all.

Just my 1 cent (its not worth 2 cents anymore) but I have to vent.

[Carl Heinz]

On the other hand, an over abundance of ads is what most people objected to about the Ren Mag.  $22 is a pretty stiff price for 4 magazines and I'm wondering why that isn't enough to cover the costs. 

Granted that the magazine isn't all that lengthy, but it's been done in a very high end manner.  A lot of effort went into just packaging it for mail.

I subscribe to several other special focus magazines relating to my model railroading hobby.  I got in on the ground floor of one of them and within a year of the beginning of the second.  The subscribtion price for Faire isn't out of line with these others.  I suspect there was a quantity of free labor to publish this first issue.

It wasn't quite perfect, but it came pretty close.

You can bet I'll be sharing it.

[groomporter]

On the other hand, an over abundance of ads is what most people objected to about the Ren Mag.  $22 is a pretty stiff price for 4 magazines and I'm wondering why that isn't enough to cover the

If I remember correctly, the general rule of thumb is that most periodicals need to be about 50% advertising in order to survive.

[SirBlackFox]

as I stated in other posts. . . . OUR DEATH HAS BEEN GREATLY EXAGGERATED!


The Advertisers have jumped to our aid AND subscriptions are up. . . although we've STILL not reached 500 so if you subscribe now, you'll get a FREE metal, beautiful, "First 500" pin for your garb!!!!!

Get on board now because these pins ONLY go to advertisers. . .not even m'own wench or children have one. . . well, unless they pony over the $22!!