Nov '06
Lady Jae
Last month Scrapbook Answers was forced to close it's doors to the scrap community due to the fact that it's teaching based format (as opposed to focusing on the latest products)was not appealing to manufacturer's who were looking to fill it's pages with ads for product. We lost what I consider to be a stellar magazine because they couldn't afford to operate without significant advertising dollars and they couldn't pull that kind of advertising without sacrificing a great deal of what many of us loved about the magazine. In my opinion, Scrapbook Answers got it right. Rather than succumbing to the pressure of the not so mighty dollar, they bowed out and with their good name in tact (though I really wish they could've gotten away from the plastic encapsulated publications because I always felt like I was buying scrap-porn.
Anyway, now we have:
Creating Keepsakes (CK) who is trying to answer the call of the masses by including more pictures in more realistic size formats on their layouts. The problem is that there isn't much room for them with all of the advertising and internal Design Team layouts that are featured (notice I didn't mention anything about the spreads about individual "celebs"... oops...I guess I just did!)
Memory Makers (MM) has been trying to regain it's bearings and to cater to the call for a more Suzy Scrapper friendly format. Some would call it growing pains, but many liken the magazine's current struggles to a beached whale in a tight tutu. Will they get it back together before all of their loyal customers jump ship?
Scrapbooks Ect. IMO has pretty much maintained an even keel, though I have noticed more advertising and less layouts as well.
Simple Scrapbooks (SS) has gotten a bit simpler, but has also been able to offer a little something to the reader, despite an increased reliance on ad dollers.
Scrapbook Trends (ST) appears to have been in the medicine cabinet because they have just doubled the price per issue to $15. Now if that is so that they can run the magazine without making the reader suffer through page after page of advertisements, then I'd say okay... it might work, but $15 is still $15 dollars when you're used to spending $6-$7 on the mag!
This is my focus today.
I want to know how you feel about about the magazines offerings right now.
Are you getting your money's worth from them?
Do you subscribe to any?
Do you intend to continue to subscribe?
Which magazine do you think will be next to fold? Why?
Sound off ladies!!!
Anyway, now we have:
Creating Keepsakes (CK) who is trying to answer the call of the masses by including more pictures in more realistic size formats on their layouts. The problem is that there isn't much room for them with all of the advertising and internal Design Team layouts that are featured (notice I didn't mention anything about the spreads about individual "celebs"... oops...I guess I just did!)
Memory Makers (MM) has been trying to regain it's bearings and to cater to the call for a more Suzy Scrapper friendly format. Some would call it growing pains, but many liken the magazine's current struggles to a beached whale in a tight tutu. Will they get it back together before all of their loyal customers jump ship?
Scrapbooks Ect. IMO has pretty much maintained an even keel, though I have noticed more advertising and less layouts as well.
Simple Scrapbooks (SS) has gotten a bit simpler, but has also been able to offer a little something to the reader, despite an increased reliance on ad dollers.
Scrapbook Trends (ST) appears to have been in the medicine cabinet because they have just doubled the price per issue to $15. Now if that is so that they can run the magazine without making the reader suffer through page after page of advertisements, then I'd say okay... it might work, but $15 is still $15 dollars when you're used to spending $6-$7 on the mag!
This is my focus today.
I want to know how you feel about about the magazines offerings right now.
Are you getting your money's worth from them?
Do you subscribe to any?
Do you intend to continue to subscribe?
Which magazine do you think will be next to fold? Why?
Sound off ladies!!!






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THAT'S FUNNY!

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