Magazines Are Perfect. The Industry Is Not

Something more than a little unsettling dawned on me the other day: I’ve spent five decades in and around the magazine business, all on the editorial side. Half a century! How did that happen? Well, to borrow a phrase from master lyricist Paul McCartney, it’s been a long and winding road. Occasionally bumpy. But most of the journey has been a joy, even when (especially when) publishing deadlines demanded stress-filled late-nighters. Magazines have been my life’s singular passion. (That geeky teen who scattered scores of covers around his parents’ house so he could “analyze” the art? Yep, me.) The bug bit early. Back in the era of Sony cassette recorders, and following six years of teaching journalism to Penn State undergrads, I began writing for popular magazines, and then, after a while, editing them. Local books, regional books. Eventually, national titles. Mostly glossies. (I was also briefly the editor of Folio: magazine, where, let’s just say I, uh, s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d the then definition of B2B.) I appreciate that, to many peripatetic journalists and designers, this may seem like an uninspired career path, with not nearly enough zigging and zagging for spice. I concede that, and I also embrace it. It’s the path I carefully carved. Along the way, I have shared my great enthusiasm for all sorts of magazines—sometimes here in Folio: and also in other publications. (Side note: Folio:’s founder, Joe Hanson, once told me that I was the book’s first comp subscriber at the... Continue reading at 'Folio Magazine'

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-03-09 20:25:47 UTC ]

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Magazines Are Perfect. The Industry Is Not

Something more than a little unsettling dawned on me the other day: I’ve spent five decades in and around the magazine business, all on the editorial side. Half a century! How did that happen? Well, to borrow a phrase from master lyricist Paul McCartney, it’s been a long and winding road.... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-03-09 20:25:47 UTC ]
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