New Popular Woodworking Magazine
#21
I think you guys are talking about Woodworking Magazine, not Woodwork Magazine which died long before the former.

M&T is not the same as a regular magazine as it is published only once a year. Try rolling it out once every two months and its publisher will face the same challenges and pressures as all other magazines.

Simon
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#22
(11-18-2019, 10:00 AM)Handplanesandmore Wrote: I think you guys are talking about Woodworking Magazine, not Woodwork Magazine which died long before the former.
I agree, two different magazines. IMO, F+W should have kept Woodworking Magazine. It was an outstanding publication, but I understand it is hard to cover costs without advertising.

Quote:M&T is not the same as a regular magazine as it is published only once a year. Try rolling it out once every two months and its publisher will face the same challenges and pressures as all other magazines.
It’s published twice a year now, but I agree with the rest of your observation. It’s more like a book, and costs like one too.
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#23
(11-18-2019, 10:23 AM)Greg Jones Wrote: I agree, two different magazines. IMO, F+W should have kept Woodworking Magazine. It was an outstanding publication, but I understand it is hard to cover costs without advertising.

It’s published twice a year now, but I agree with the rest of your observation. It’s more like a book, and costs like one too.

Thank you for the update. Simon.
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#24
(11-16-2019, 07:49 PM)Derek Cohen Wrote: As I understand, Pop Wood mag was a thriving magazine in a company where everything else was failing. It was sinking as the parent company was drowning. It was worth purchasing because it was a money earner.

It makes NO SENSE to me to change a winning format (largely the influence of Chris Schwarz), which is what the new owners have done. The new format is Wood magazine. My subscription was not renewed.

Regards from Perth

Derek

I wouldn't exactly use the word thriving, but it was one of the F&W titles that was still in the black at the time of the bankruptcy. Unfortunately, the parent company had not spent much money on the title for the last year or two, and consequently, circulation began to suffer (as well as some other aspects such as paper quality, ads, etc.)

The change in editorial direction happened under the old owners (F&W). AIM (Active Interest Media) owns it now (in addition to Woodsmith), but Andrew Zoellner is still the editor. From the discussions I've had with him, he has a pretty clear vision for the magazine. It's not as heavy on the hand-tool content that it was under Chris, but still includes some of that. They're definitely trying to attract a younger audience, which is probably a good thing if we want this hobby to survive.

Vince
Vince Ancona
WoodNet Moderator
Editor, Woodsmith Magazine
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#25
When I look at Family Handyman (over 1 million in circulation, not sure now) and Fine Woodworking (well-regarded by its peers), I see a similarity: they both have the largest number of contributors of contents. 

Of course, that alone does not guarantee success. Woodwork (not Woodworking) magazine folded even though it featured many different contributors. Despite its demise, many still consider it a quality publication in furniture building.

Simon
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#26
(11-18-2019, 08:28 AM)AHill Wrote: The combining of Woodworking with PWW was an internally-driven decision, proposed by Steve Shanesy to F+W Media.  There were no layoffs from the merger (so states the linked article).  The reasons provided in the article were kind of vague.  I suspect publishing two different magazines with different kinds of artwork and printed on different media was taxing on the existing staff.  I do think cost savings was at least a partial reason for the switch.  Schwarz started Lost Arts Press in 2007.  The demise of Woodworking was 2010.  That would support the lack of time for staff (Schwarz) to devote to publishing two different magazines.

https://www.foliomag.com/f-w-merges-popu...-magazine/

Don't believe everything you read, especially the Folio article. Doing both magazines was a strain on the minimal staff. No extra bodies were ever hired to produce "Woodworking Magazine" and the decision to kill it was top-down, not bottom up. The whole affair was a "proof of concept" to determine if the "Woodworking Magazine" format would be profitable, which it was. Those above my pay grade (and Shanesy's) didn't want to hire any additional staff to keep it going. That was the typical F+W attitude-increase the workload and launch new projects without ever investing in resources. You can see where that lead.
Bob Lang
ReadWatchDo.com
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#27
(11-23-2019, 04:16 PM)Bob Lang Wrote: Don't believe everything you read, especially

book reviews found in woodworking magazines. Seldom does one find a negative review published of any woodworking books.

Simon
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#28
(11-23-2019, 05:36 PM)Handplanesandmore Wrote: book reviews found in woodworking magazines. Seldom does one find a negative review published of any woodworking books.

Simon

Not peculiar to magazines.  I can't recall which website I was visiting that offered a section on book reviews.  I had just finished a book from the library that was riddled with errors and useful only for lighting fires.  I was more specific about its errors in the review, and, I thought, polite about it; but the review never got published.

Handplanesandmore Wrote:I think you guys are talking about Woodworking Magazine, not Woodwork Magazine which died long before the former.

Simon

I remain ticked off at F&W for buying "Woodwork" magazine and then killing it within a year or two. I had an online conversation with Megan Fitzpatrick at the time it was being terminated, and she told me she'd been advocating strongly for continuing it, but getting overruled. A quirky magazine, but one of the best.
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#29
(11-23-2019, 06:07 PM)Bill_Houghton Wrote: Not peculiar to magazines.  I can't recall which website I was visiting that offered a section on book reviews.  I had just finished a book from the library that was riddled with errors and useful only for lighting fires.  I was more specific about its errors in the review, and, I thought, polite about it; but the review never got published.

Much like Google search algorithms, reviews of books (and anything really) has become easy to "game". I have had people ask for a free copies of my books in exchange for a "good review", and I've seen online "personalities" ask their audience for good reviews on Amazon. One of the problems with woodworking books and magazine articles in the last 10 years or so is that hardly anyone involved in the editing/production side of things knows their stuff, and production is rushed to get the product out the door. One of the CEOs at F+W began his tenure by asking "why do we have so many editors and so few marketing people?"
Bob Lang
ReadWatchDo.com
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#30
(11-24-2019, 10:41 AM)Bob Lang Wrote: One of the CEOs at F+W began his tenure by asking "why do we have so many editors and so few marketing people?"

Now, that's depressing!  For the CEO of a publishing company to ask that says volumes.  So to speak.
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