As Downtown Shuts Down, City Magazines Confront a Crisis

As the COVID-19 pandemic forces marketers to tighten their advertising budgets and organizers to cancel or postpone events, media companies of all sizes are scrambling to account for lost revenue. In cities across the U.S., a virtual suspension of public life is taking a disastrous toll on alt-weeklies—many of which entered 2020 on unstable financial footing—but it's also having an acute impact on the nation's city and regional magazines, who devote much of their pages and resources to guiding readers toward experiences: things to get out and do, see or eat. On Monday alone, Time Out Group announced it was suspending the print editions of each of its roughly 40 city-specific magazines worldwide, while San Diego Magazine laid off nearly its entire staff, apparently shutting down after more than 70 years as a result of the pandemic, reports the Voice of San Diego, though its owner says he hopes to restart operations after the crisis is over. "After this has peaked, there will be plenty to report about if, when and how places are coming back," says Margaret Seiler, managing editor at another city magazine, Portland Monthly. "But those activities that have ground to a halt include a lot of our advertisers, too. So while we're pivoting to more immediate digital coverage and revamping plans for our sure-to-be-delayed next print issue, we're also not sure we'll all still be employed." Mike Schaffer, editor of the D.C.-based monthly Washingtonian, notes that while paid... Continue reading at 'Folio Magazine'

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-03-23 14:46:51 UTC ]
News tagged with: #editorial teams #simple task #google docs #microsoft teams #video calls #mental health #moving forward #digital publishing

Other Publishing stories related to: 'As Downtown Shuts Down, City Magazines Confront a Crisis'


Frankfurt Book Fair expected to go ahead despite Covid-19 crisis, says Boos

Frankfurt Book Fair is still expected to go ahead in October despite the coronavirus crisis, its president Juergen Boos has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-22 04:49:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #covid-19 crisis #coronavirus crisis #frankfurt book fair #book fair


A News Publisher in South Africa Briefly Considered Shutting Down but ‘Simply Could Not’

At the northern tip of South Africa, bounded by Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, Limpopo Province might seem a world away from the Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2020-04-21 17:30:37 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #south africa #news publisher


Crime writers launch anthology for Samaritans during Covid-19 crisis

A group of crime writers are publishing a digital short story anthology to help raise funds for charity Samaritans in the light of the coronavirus crisis. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-20 05:15:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #covid-19 crisis #crime writers #raise funds #coronavirus crisis #anthology


Pandemics have destroyed cities before. Could they do it again?

Charles Kenny, author of a forthcoming book on pandemics, is cautiously optimistic that cities will prevail in the era of COVID-19. Here, he talks to Richard Florida about how infectious diseases have shaped cities throughout history, how COVID-19 could impact urbanization, and why preparedness... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2020-04-14 11:15:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #cautiously optimistic #senior fellow #books including #modern world #california press


Fundraiser Buys City Lights Time to Plan

San Francisco's City Lights raised nearly half a million dollars on GoFundMe. The money was necessary to cover short term costs and buy time to form a viable strategic and succession plan for the future. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #succession plan #million dollars #buy time


Ingram shuts down data breach at CoreSource

Ingram has warned clients of a breach within its CoreSource platform, which stores publishers' digital assets. According to the wholesaler and distributor it led to the "unauthorised downloads of some publishers’ titles", but was quickly shut down. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-13 20:44:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #data breach #digital assets


Literary Magazines Published by Libraries

Many libraries publish art and literary magazines featuring authors and artists from their local community and from all over the world. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-04-13 10:31:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #local community #libraries


City Lights Bookstore launches successful GoFundMe campaign

One of the world's most famous bookstores was forced to close because of the coronavirus outbreak and asked for help to pay the bills Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2020-04-12 16:59:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #coronavirus outbreak #bookstore


City Lights Books could close for good—and it’s asking for your help.

San Francisco’s iconic City Lights bookstore, which has been an anchor of the city’s literary world since Lawrence Ferlinghetti founded it in 1953, is asking for help to stay financially afloat as its doors remain closed. The store launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for staff and to pay... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-10 16:03:18 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #gofundme campaign #raise money #literary world


Confronting COVID-19: ‘Publishers Weekly’ President Discusses Book Industry Impact, Shares Hope

Publishers Weekly has been providing news to book businesses since 1872, weathering many world crises since then. While the coronavirus pandemic brings new challenges to the magazine and the book industry it serves, current technologies are enabling the publisher to adapt. Continue reading at Publishing Executive

[ Publishing Executive | 2020-04-09 16:57:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book businesses #publishers weekly #book industry


Hearst Magazines President Troy Young on Publishing During a Pandemic: “We Have to Be More Innovative Than Ever.”

In this fifth installment of publishing during a pandemic, I reached out to Troy Young, president of Hearst Magazines, to see how Hearst was managing during this tragic and uncertain time. As we continue to see the gloom and doom in the news media, and very rare mention of anything uplifting or... Continue reading at Publishing Executive

[ Publishing Executive | 2020-04-09 13:46:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #troy young #hearst magazines #news media #hearst


Piatkus to bring out 'guidebook on surviving the Covid-19 crisis'

Piatkus is publishing "a guidebook on surviving the Covid-19 crisis, embracing the global pause and emerging with a new kind of future" by Beth Kempton. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-09 10:48:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #covid-19 crisis #beth kempton


How is the internet handling increased traffic during the COVID-19 crisis?

With the current COVID-19 pandemic leading to increased demand for online services there have been concerns about the web's ability to cope. New analysis by Fastly of traffic patterns between January and March looks at regional trends for key US states and countries around the globe that are... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2020-04-09 10:31:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #covid-19 crisis #increased demand #online services #covid-19 pandemic #school closures #stay-at-home orders #digital publishing


Indie publishers face 'existential crisis' after coronavirus lockdown but remain hopeful

Indie publishers face an “existential crisis” during the pandemic lockdown but remain hopeful they can make it to the other side. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-02 06:36:44 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #existential crisis #coronavirus lockdown #pandemic lockdown


Paul Lisicky’s ‘Later’ conjures a queer utopia amid the AIDS crisis

“Later” takes place from 1991 to 1994, when Lisicky moved to Provincetown, Mass., for a writing fellowship. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-03-31 12:54:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #paul lisicky #aids crisis #takes place


Complex’s Rich Antoniello’s recipe for media in crisis: ‘Brand plus brains plus balance sheet’

For publishing companies to survive a global crisis like the one we're in, Rich Antoniello's formula is 'brand, plus brains, plus balance sheet." He would know, having stewarded Complex through the 2008 financial crisis as CEO, the role he still holds now. But compared to that, the downturn... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2020-03-31 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #global crisis #digiday podcast #rich antoniello #balance sheet #coronavirus pandemic #publishing companies


A Reading List for Your Quarter-Life Crisis: Critical Linking, March 29, 2020

An awesome daily roundup of the most interesting bookish links from around the web! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-03-29 10:30:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #quarter-life crisis #critical linking


Is the Covid-19 Crisis a Watershed Moment for Library E-books?

Why the rapid shift to digital library services necessitated by the Covid-19 crisis could help chart a new, more productive course for the digital library market long term. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #covid-19 crisis #watershed moment #library e-books


Unique Magical Cities You Might Want To Visit

Taking a look at some of the most magical cities in science fiction and fantasy books for your next trip across the page. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-03-26 10:42:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #magical cities #fantasy books #science fiction


8 books to help distract you from the coronavirus crisis

We all need a break from reality. Many of us are understandably looking for an escape these days, amid the constant onslaught of coronavirus headlines and updates. A good book can help, as long as it isn’t about pandemics. Or a dystopian future. Or being stuck inside for weeks on end.Read Full... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2020-03-25 11:30:44 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #coronavirus crisis #dystopian future #stuck inside #good book