Another publishing house going under the water

[Simon MacGowen]

I agree content is always important, but not the deciding factor because previous publications with good contents like Woodwork magazine and Woodworking magazine shared the same fate. The future of the print magazines lies in the reading habit of the young generation, not those of us who still prefer to read a hardcopy. Given our age, we are the minority and the ad dollars dictate which form of publishing will exist. Little doubt that in 10 or 20 years, many more titles won't exist in their print versions.

The convenience of packing 10 to 500 titles (and more) into a digital device so you can read on the road or the airplane far outweighs anything to the young people these days. Hey, you can even read in the dark!

One thing that I disagree with some others is the notion that everything under the sun is old or you can find everything in the old issues of FW and what not. New tools (e.g. Festool Domino) and new interests (Campaign furniture, say) are best served by new articles and/or new writers. Even the photography and printing quality of late can mean a different reading experience. The print/photo quality of Fine Woodworking, and Furniture and Cabinetmaking (UK) is not something the old issues could match to my eyes.

While I prefer the print edition, I find the online content of FW, even the free portion, a value-added part of my subscription. The only complaint I have about that is we can't save the videos (unless you spend money on a downloading program).

Simon

[Paul McGaha]

Paul - Are AW subscribers given an option of refunds?

In the case of AMC, people complained that the magazines kept accepting new subscriptions and renewals even though the owners knew they would not meet their subscription obligations. Also, many have not been paid despite their articles were published a long time ago.

Simon

Simon,

I wasn't given an option. To me, it's paid for so I don't mind trying Popular Woodworking.

I expect I'll continue to buy (1) magazine subscription, I just need to decide on which one. Leaning towards Fine Woodworking.

PHM

[Brian Holcombe]

Quite frankly you can find so much excellent material online for niches of woodworking and other hobbies that it's difficult to even be inspired to the point of buying a magazine. I think it would take something really interesting and obscure to get me to purchase a magazine, at this point I literally only buy reference material. It's useful and looks good on my shelves.

[ray hampton]

the hard copy newspapers and the printed magazines are going online or gone online WAIT the printed money may be next to be transfer to all plastic

[Pat Barry]

I haven't purchased a magazine for about a year. The last time was in the airport so I would have something to read on the airplane. The time before that I happened to see a FWW at the HD checkout counter and like the picture on the front page and made a spur of the moment decision to buy. I haven't had a subscription for 10 years

[Pat Barry]

the hard copy newspapers and the printed magazines are going online or gone online WAIT the printed money may be next to be transfer to all plastic

Yes, no doubt the day is coming where money as we know it now will be a thing of the past, probably replaced by some new newfangled smart card or celll phone account transfer

[Simon MacGowen]

Exactly that is part of the reasons why magazines (or newspapers) are dying -- the free flow of resources on the Internet kills the need or desire to pay for the content -- printed or online. Who still pays to read news when you can get or find any news free on the net. Recently, my friend mentioned to me an article he read in his daily and I could find it online free from the newspaper's site and even circulate it to others...in the old days, I needed to scan a clipping in order to share.

One must look for more than just info. (e.g. top quality photos) to justify the price of a subscription. Few woodworkers I know subscribe to more than one title, unless they charge the subscriptions as business expenses.

Of course, info. over the Internet can be wrong or misleading as it doesn't go through a screening process as a magazine does (if a magazine makes a mistake and gets pointed out, it will make a correction).

Woodcraft magazine and Woodworker's Journal are financially supported by their retail owners. They are in a better position than magazines that have no other resources to turn to, other than books, DVDs, etc. Stores like Lee Valley and Lie-Nielsen as well as many smaller makers are stepping up their own marketing efforts to promote their products via the Internet, roadshows, etc. Ad dollars could shrink even if the circulation figures stay (that is a weak assumption though). I hope publishers will find ways to survive the challenges brought by the IT revolution.

Simon

[Daniel Rode]

One of the local papers here is starting to charge for access to online articles. It's $1/ month, I think.

However, like many of the local online papers I've read, much of the content is simply a reprint from the news services AP, Reuters. The remainder is so poorly written and researched that is borders on worthless. Articles that don't say anything or get the facts wrong combined with a total lack of follow-up help make quality so low as to not be worth $1 / per month.

The same thing is going on with woodworking magazines. Much of the content is old or duplicated. In reality not much changes in woodworking. New tools, maybe. With the neanderthal crowd, maybe research and rediscovery of old tools and methods. At any rate, the quality of the content -- great writing, photography, video production -- and the quality of the delivery is the difference between a great WW mag and one closing it's doors forever.

[Paul McGaha]

I keep a few magazines or tool catalogs in my car. I have lunch by myself most of the time, gives me something to read. I see some people use tablets at lunch but I prefer a hard copy. I use computer a lot during the day and it's good (for me) to not look at a screen at lunch.

PHM