The Great Canadian Literary Hunt
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THE GREAT CANADIAN LITERARY HUNT: AN EXTENSION OF THISMAGAZINE'S BRAND IDENTITY by Christine Da~iidson B.A., University of Calgary, 2000 PROJECT REPORT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF PTJBLISHING In the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences Publishmg Program O Christine Margaret Anne Davidson 2006 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Spring 2006 All rights reserved. Thls work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. Approval Name: Christine Davidson Degree: Master of Publishing Title of Report: The Great Canadlan Literary Hunt: An Extension of This Maga@e's Brand Identity Examining Committee: Rowland Lorimer, Ph.D. Senior Supervisor Director, Master of Publishmg Program Professor, School of Communication Simon Fraser University John Maxwell, Supervisor Instructor, Master of Publishing Program Simon Fraser University hamttington-Hd Publisher, Thi~n/laj!a@ne 401 Richmond Street West, Suite 396 Toronto, Ontario M5V 3A8 Date Approved: SIMON FRASER "Nlv~~sl~library DECLARATION OF PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENCE The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. The author has further granted permission to Simon Fraser University to keep or make a digital copy for use in its circulating collection, and, without changing the content, to translate the thesislproject or extended essays, if technically possible, to any medium or format for the purpose of preservation of the digital work. The author has further agreed that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by either the author or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without the author's written permission. Permission for public performance, or limited permission for private scholarly use, of any multimedia materials forming part of this work, may have been granted by the author. This information may be fourid on the separately catalogued multimedia material and in the signed Partial Copyright Licence. The original Partial Copyright Licence attesting to these terms, and signed by this author, may be found in the original bound copy of this work, retained in the Simon Fraser University Archive. Simon Fraser University Library Burnaby, BC, Canada Abstract Ths project report is based on my internship with This Magape and my role as the coordrnator of the 2005 Great Canadan Literary Hunt. The report presents how writing contests are an initiative for extendmg small magazines' brand identity and reachng a new readership. I begm with a general dscussion of circulation strategies that magazines use to develop and maintain their readers. I then present the unique nature of small magazines and small-magazine readers, and move into a dscussion on the challenges of keeping these readers' attention. I then define This Magape '.r brand identity and introduce the Great Canadian Lterary Hunt. The report closes with an evaluation of whether the Great Canadian Literary Hunt successfully meets This Maga@ze 'ireadershp needs. I d~awfrom academic sources that outhe the business of magazine publi.shmg, government sources that discuss the current challenges of the Canahan small-magazine industry and information gathered from This Mtgqine. Keywords Canadian periohcal publishing, literary contests, rnagazine branding, magazine market opportunities, small magazines. Acknowledgements I would hke to extend my gratitude to my advisory committee, Rowland Lorimer, John Maxwell and Lisa Whittington-Ha, for thelr suggestions that shaped thls project report. I would also hke to thank everyone at Tbi~.Magqzne for providing me with an amaz~ng internship and a warm welcome to Toronto--I :m fortunate to have worked with such an incredble group of people. I would hke to especially thank This Magape? publisher Lsa Whittington-Hdl for her guidance, support and, most of all, her friendship. Table of Contents Approval................................................................................................................................................ ii ... Abstract ................................................................................................................................................ UI Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................ v List of Tables ....................................................................................................................................... vi Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................1 1 A General Discourse on Developing Magazine Readershp .................................................. 4 1.1 Large-Circulation Magazines and the Realities of Reachmg Their Readers .............. 4 1.2 Canadtan Small Magazines and Their Readershps .......................................................9 1.3 The Unique Challenges of Developing Small-Magazine Readershp ....................... 12 2 This Maga~neand the Great Canadtan Literary Hunt: A Glimpse Inside a Canahn Small Magazine and its Lterary Contest ............................................................. 15 2.1 Thir Magaene: Presenting the Best m Independent Canadtan Journalism ............... 15 2.2 Thir Magaee 'J Great Canadtan Literary Hunt .............................................................23 3 An Evaluation of How the Great Canadtan Literary Hunt Succeeds with the Goals of This Magaene .............................................................................................................. 34 3.1 AddressingThisMaga@ne'JReadershl~Challenges .....................................................34 3.2 Extending This Maga@ne'J Brand Iden ti17 .....................................................................46 Conclusion ..........................................................................................................................................50 Appendices ......................................................................................................................................... 53 Appendur A: 2005 Great Canadtan Literary Hunt Guidehes and Marketing Material .. 54 Appendur B: A Complete List of Great Canadtan Literary Hunt Winners and Judges .. 55 List of Tables Table 1. This Magape's 2004 Circulation Figures .........................................................................18 Table 2 . This Maga@nels Subscription Sources ............................................................................... 19 Table 3. Contest Entries from 1996 to 2005 .................................................................................27 Table 4 . Contest Revenue from 2002 to 2005 ...............................................................................27 Table 5. Newsstand copies sold and sell-through rates from 1996 to 2000 ............................. 36 Table 6 . Newsstand copies sold and sell-through rates from 2001 to 2004 ............................. 37 Table 7. Total subscription figures and new subscription orders from 2000 to 2005 .............41 Table 8. Number of renewals generated from the contest from 2003 to 2005 ........................ 44 Introduction I was first introduced to magazine publishg over four years ago when I began worlung as a volunteer for a literary magazine in Vancouver. Although at the time I knew very little about what was involved in publishg a magazine, I had always been drawn to the subversive voice, subject and design of smaU magazines and wanted to be a part of their production in any way I could. As a volunteer, I sorted the subnlissions, replied to queries and took care of the general office tasks. I was soon invited to participate in the magazine's edtorial meetings where the publisher and edtorial board dscussed the content for the coming issues and intensely defended their choices of stories, poems and images. The edtorial boarcl-a group of local writers, edltors and artists-were devoted to publishing content that challenged readers to thmk about their surroundmgs in a new way; this group was determined to educate readers and make a dfference in their lives. One important lesson that I took away from my volunteer experience was that small magazines shape our cultural identity by inspiring dscourse and creative expression. These magazines are read, dxcussed then passed on to others so they can have their own experience of the magazine. Small magazi.nes in thls sense provide our community with an important means of communication, and we need these magazines to gve us an alternative perspective. Rather than profit, it is emo~ionsand ideas that drive small-magazine publishers, and the:y use representational content to communicate their message to the reader. As Peter S. Grant and Chris Wood point out in their book Blockbwters and Trade Wars, a cultural product hke a small magazine "has value not for what it is, but for the experience it conveys." ' My time as a volunteer eventually led me I:O other publishing opportunities,