I am a huge fan of print magazines. Even with the interactive features of the Ipad versions I still love to get a magazine in the mail, curl up with a glass of wine-- without worry that I will spill on my "device"-- and read. I love to smell the perfume inserts, and fight with the subscription cards as they litter the floor. I love flipping pages, real pages. And truth be told, once I'm finished reading it from front to back, I relish reading it again from the last page to the front cover. But I must confess I have a bone to pick.
In a time when subscriptions are waning it bugs me to receive my issue long after it's appeared on the newsstand. This may be a problem only here in NYC, but it is sooo annoying to walk by magazines on my morning commute that have yet to make it to my mailbox. It is a daily abuse in those early weeks of the month when the mags first hit the market. Wanting to crack open the pages of my favorite reads, but forcing myself to wait until it finally comes home.
I want to continue to support print media. I will continue to support print media. But give me the customer a little in return for my undying patronage. There are some of you (I'm looking at you Elle) who offer me gorgeous front covers that I alone as your exclusive mate get to enjoy , but you my love are a rare breed. While the covers of other mags may be different from newsstand to subscription the difference is rarely enough to encourage a higher artistry, or push the envelop of our creative intelligence.
I will wait if you are giving me something more, something edgier, than what I can purchase at retail. Of the countless takes that end up on the cutting room floor, allow us, the faithful, to see how far you were willing to push culture. It's safe--we've already signed the lease to live with you for the next year.
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