What the Hell Has Happened to Vanity Fair?

As dramas go, it is minor stuff. But in the itsy-bitsy, hothouse world of magazine glossies, the question everyone seems to be asking this summer is, “What the hell has happened to Vanity Fair?” You remember Vanity Fair, no doubt. It was big not so long ago. The chatterati obsessed over it—its striking covers, its fabulous photo features, its stories (the revelations, the scandals, the crime deconstructions!), even its stylish advertising, which filled its shiny pages. And, of course, its larger-than-life editor, Graydon Carter, who announced his retirement at the end of last year after a quarter-century at the helm. Now, half a year since Carter handed over the reins to his surprise-pick successor… silence. And not the kind of silence that issues from respect. Well, that’s not entirely accurate. I do hear things, mainly because I’ve spent my life in the media. I listen for the whispers. This is what media people are whispering: Vanity Fair is disappearing from the radar. In various forms and contexts, I hear the words “disaster,” “awful,” “irrelevant.” Unfortunately for the magazine’s owner, Condé Nast, this is occurring at a most inauspicious moment. The publisher is confronting strong economic headwinds on several fronts, to the extent that it has begun the process of selling three of its books. For the time being, it’s said that VF is safe, but how long before some sort of radical change, or rescue, is deemed necessary? (As if to kick sand in VF’s face, a newly... Continue reading at 'Folio Magazine'

[ Folio Magazine | 2018-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #guilty pleasure

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Hashtags to Use and Follow This Week at The Frankfurt Book Fair

Whether following from abroad or tweeting from the conferences, here are the essential hashtags for The Frankfurt Book Fair. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: Working the Digital Content Space

Uncertainty is one big obstacle holding publishers back from outsourcing their distribution, observes CEO Gareth Cuddy of ePubDirect. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair: rights preview 2

The second of two previews of agents' hotlists on the eve of the Frankfurt Book Fair. WME... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: An American’s Take on the French E-book Market

When I moved to Paris in 2010, I’d already begun doing the majority of my reading on my Kindle. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: CONTEC Makes Its Debut

In March of this year, following a wonderful day of programming at TOC Bologna, I sat at dinner with a few of our speakers from the day—my friend and CONTEC Frankfurt speaker Paul Rhodes included—and the conversations at that table were simply absorbing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: BookMachine: A Meetup for Global Book Professionals

On Wednesday, September 25, six speakers in six different cities around the world gave related presentations loosely organized around the effects of the digital transition on publishing, entrepreneurship, and the power of collaboration. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: E-books Go Global

One of the allures of ebooks for American publishers is the opportunity the format provides to sell titles to international markets, free of the costs of printing—and shipping—books overseas. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: The Publisher: Innovator or Traditionalist?

There is no denying that the past decade has seen some mighty changes within the publishing industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Göteborg Book Fair: Sweden’s Global Gathering of Book Lovers

Last week's Göteborg Book Fair offered an overview of and new insights into what's hot and what's next in Swedish literature and publishing. Saskia Vogel reports. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ether for Authors: What Happens When Everybody’s a Critic?

Our look at the week's web buzz including hotbutton issues around reader reviews, at questions of print vs. ebooks, and at Amy Tan's new book cover. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Briefcase 2013: What the American Agencies Will Be Selling At the Fair

Barbara Ehrenreich tackles "the truth"; Arianna Huffington tackles success; Elizabeth Gilbert tackles fiction; Alice McDermott tackles being ordinary; and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-09-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair finalises CONTEC

The line-up has been confirmed for the first CONTEC Frankfurt, the Frankfurt Book Fair’s... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Last Call for Frankfurt Book Fair Show Daily Stories and Advertising

It's the last week to pitch your stories and book advertising in our printed Frankfurt Book Fair Show Daily issues running October 8-11. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Yves Bonnefoy Wins $150,000 Guadalajara Book Fair Prize

Following a controversial choice last year, FIL comes back with an august winner for it's $150k prize for literature: French poet, essayist and critic Yves Bonnefoy. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Strong Moscow Book Fair Still Offers Mixed Signals

Title production hit 56,000 copies for the first six months of 2012, though overall sales are lower, according to news out of this year's Moscow International Book Fair. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ether for Authors: Is the Dust-Up Over Kobo’s Devices Fair?

In Publishing Perspectives' Ether for Authors, Porter Anderson looks at controversy over Kobo's new push, at ebook pricing, Frankfurt Academy's CONTEC, and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors Guide to the Frankfurt Book Fair

Many authors wonder if attending the Frankfurt Book Fair is a worthwhile expense. Our downloadable guide explains the steps you need to take to know if it's right for you. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair Director on German/Brazilian Collaboration

With Brazil as Guest of Honor at this year's Frankfurt Book Fair some 250 Brazilian books are being translated and Germany will feature at Rio's book fair this month. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Agent? Scout? Send Frankfurt Book Fair Your Old LitAg Photos

To mark the 35th anniversary of the Literary Agents and Scouts Center, the Frankfurt Book Fair is asking for photo submissions from the Agents Center's past. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishing Perspectives Frankfurt Book Fair Preview 2013

Download Publishing Perspectives' Frankfurt Book Fair preview of what’s new, what’s happening, and what are likely to be some of the hot topics of discussion this year. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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