Mr. Magazine

Rocket, Sewstylish, Saphir, Urban Ink, Barbie, First Home, and Seven are but seven (no pun intended) new titles from a total of 145 new magazines introduced to the American magazine scene in the first quarter of 2007. This is a drop of 47 titles from 2006. The first quarter of 2006 witnessed the introduction of 192 new magazines. Another major drop was the number of titles published four times or more in the first quarter of this year. Only 50 magazines were launched with the intention to be published at least four times a year compared with 72 in 2006. There were fewer annuals, 10 compared to 20 last year and fewer specials, 77 compared to 93. For a complete list of all the titles launched in the first three months of 2007 click here. So what do those numbers mean? Not much. Since I have started tracking new magazine launches, I have witnessed a two or three years’ declines after a very healthy and busy year. In 2005 we have seen 1013 new launches, the number dropped to 901 last year, and if the trend of the previous years continues, we will see another drop again this year before the numbers bounce back. Call it market correction if you please, but definitely it is NOT a sign that print is on its way out. History will tell us otherwise. So enjoy this quarter’s crop and look forward to more titles to come next month.

A new magazine aimed “to satisfy the need in the West for balanced non-political reporting in respect to everyday issues of life in Russia – however big or humble – and the country’s place in a modern world,” is ready to hit the nation’s newsstands. Russia’s publisher Ilya Merenzon says that ‘Unlike existing magazines about Russia the magazine has the unique roster of contributors having brought together the ‘dream team’ including the pioneer Russian web-designer Artemy Lebedev, internationally acclaimed writer Boris Akunin, famed art critic and dissident Marat Guelman and others. Glossy Russia! is produced in collaboration with Andrew Paulson, the founder of Afisha Publishing House (Moscow, Russia) and one of the most successful western businessmen in the former Soviet Union.” The magazine will come out as a quarterly this year and shifts to monthly in 2008. With a tag-line “Since 882 A.D.” the magazine plans to fill a void in this category of the “world is flat.” Check out the first issue of Russia here.

2006 brought 901 new magazine launches to newsstands all across the country. While this number is a drop from the number of new titles launched in 2005, my staff and I did not have an easier time sifting through all the new magazines and deciding on the top launches of the year. From nation-wide launches to small, regional titles, this year’s crop was full of high-quality launches that could have easily made the cut. However, after the dust settled six magazines were left standing and one rose to the top as launch of the year. So without anymore waiting, we proudly announce the 2006 Most Notable Launch of the Year and the four runners up…
Relish
Relish means 1) to enjoy or take great pleasure in an experience, 2) to enjoy the taste of a particular food, and 3) to give a pleasing taste to food, for example by adding spice or relish. What appropriate definitions to describe the new cooking magazine, Relish. With Relish you have to dig in, prepare, bake and eat and enjoy. To read more about Relish and to find out about the four runners up and our inspirational launch of the year click here.

Antenna is the new magazine coming this July from Harris Publications promising to be “a survival guide for smart people who realize that every buying decision is made better by more options.” Before you jump to any conclusions and ask if the world needs another shopping magazine, read what Dennis Page, Antenna’s publisher told me. “Please do not think of us in the same breath as Cargo, Vitals, Sync, etc.,” Dennis told me. “Antenna is focused on a much more eclectic audience who consider themselves influencers and early adapters who worship great, innovative product,” he added. Antenna will not carry celebrity articles or features on the 10 best gadgets under $100. The preview issue serves as a good helping of things to come…”no concept shoots and no chasing of fleeting trends.” The products and the people behind them is what Antenna promises to deliver four times a year starting this summer. The preview issue offers a great starter dish; I can’t wait for the main course.

The count down for the Most Notable Launch of the Year 2006 has started… This coming Friday and exclusively on the Mr. Magazine web site www.mrmagazine.com we will announce the most notable launch out of the more than 900 new magazines launched in calendar year 2006… We’ve boiled down the numbers to 30 most notable launches…3 days from now we will announce the one and only most notable launch for 2006…stay tuned…
As a reminder last year’s 2005 most notable launch was domino magazine, in 2004 it was Life & Style Weekly, in 2003 Everyday Food, in 2002 In Touch Weekly, in 2001 The Week in 2000 a tie between O The Oprah magazine and American Profile. Each and every one of our most notable launches’ choices is still published and going strong.