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Post by Leone on Jul 17, 2019 18:36:54 GMT
I’ve been saying for the last year after seeing all the excitement about Crafters Companion on HSN that the UK seems to be far more innovative in paper crafts and now sewing than what you see coming out of the USA. There really hasn’t been much that is new and creative in the stores for sometime now. We all know that pretty much any of the beloved scrapbooking magazines we use to love are now long gone. Well, last night on the HSN 24 hour craft day, Sara of Crafters Companion was selling a subscription to her magazine. She mentioned that in the UK, there are currently 28 different monthly paper crafting magazines...it was either the UK or the EU...either way, I was amazed. And kind of sad that the industry has withered so much in our country.
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Post by mamagidget on Jul 18, 2019 3:02:36 GMT
There is a great scrapbooking magazine that comes from Canada, Creative Scrapbooker (they mail to the US). I had never heard of it until I saw their booth at an expo.
It is interesting that other countries are seeing growth in this industry, while the US is seeing a decline. It would be interesting to know the whys behind that!
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Post by Eddie-n-Harley on Jul 18, 2019 3:08:41 GMT
I wonder if it's simply a matter of a smaller market (and I mean physically, like the size of the UK vs. the size of the US) meaning smaller shipping costs and a better profit margin on a smaller subscriber base.
Or sometimes I wonder if the rest of the world is more willing to pay for things than here in the US. The cover prices on those UK magazines here-- because almost all of them come with something-- are anywhere from $13-$25 dollars. Can you imagine how much longer US magazine companies could have stayed in business if subscriptions actually cost the face value of the magazine or close to it instead of "subscribe now for 12 issues for the price of 1!"
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Post by katlady on Jul 18, 2019 6:05:43 GMT
When I go to B&N I am amazed at the number of art and craft magazines from the UK.
They are expensive in American dollars, but I wonder if they are considered expensive in the UK. For example, one magazine I have is $12USD but 4.40GBP. Is that considered expensive in Britain?
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Post by peachiceteas on Jul 18, 2019 7:09:29 GMT
When I go to B&N I am amazed at the number of art and craft magazines from the UK. They are expensive in American dollars, but I wonder if they are considered expensive in the UK. For example, one magazine I have is $12USD but 4.40GBP. Is that considered expensive in Britain? No, not for a specialist interest magazine. And they almost always come with something for free - stamps, papers, sometimes even dies. The UK doesnt have a good scrapbooking magazine in my opinion but we have loads of sewing, card making and general paper craft magazines. And you can buy them in most places too, not just specialist magazine stores.
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Post by peachiceteas on Jul 18, 2019 7:10:44 GMT
When I go to B&N I am amazed at the number of art and craft magazines from the UK. They are expensive in American dollars, but I wonder if they are considered expensive in the UK. For example, one magazine I have is $12USD but 4.40GBP. Is that considered expensive in Britain? Also $12 USD is about £14.50 GBP - which would be expensive for a magazine. £4.40 is like the price of a large coffee from Starbucks which I think is totally fine for a specialist magazine.
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Post by katlady on Jul 18, 2019 7:22:38 GMT
Thank you peachiceteas! I actually like the art and computer magazines from the UK. But they are expensive by the time they get to the US so I can’t buy too many of them.
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Post by sleepingbooty on Jul 18, 2019 8:34:35 GMT
The UK doesnt have a good scrapbooking magazine in my opinion but we have loads of sewing, card making and general paper craft magazines. And you can buy them in most places too, not just specialist magazine stores. Same in France: it's paper crafting in general, not scrapbooking, that prevails here. I find that sewing and knitting magazines from around Europe are also usually very creative and interesting (more than the US ones I have access to, to be honest). As far as scrapbooking goes, I know two physical magazines exist around here: Esprit Scrap Passion Scrapbooking
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Post by sleepingbooty on Jul 18, 2019 8:37:21 GMT
Also $12 USD is about £14.50 GBP Coffee for peachiceteas! It's the other way around. (£12 would be US$14.50-ish, US$12 is approx. £9.60)
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Post by Patter on Jul 18, 2019 11:00:01 GMT
Oh yes for sure. I have noticed this for years. Most of the later design teams I worked on were filled with designers from around the world. The level of work and design/differences I saw was amazing. I loved it and was always inspired by my fellow designers. I also have subscribed to several magazines from Europe. They are my favorite. I too always wondered why our industry hasn't thrived as well.
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Post by peachiceteas on Jul 18, 2019 12:18:57 GMT
Also $12 USD is about £14.50 GBP Coffee for peachiceteas! It's the other way around. (£12 would be US$14.50-ish, US$12 is approx. £9.60) Oops - that’s me and my frustration at the pound to dollar right now on overdrive!
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pancakes
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Post by pancakes on Jul 18, 2019 14:47:15 GMT
I used to be an editor for a magazine. Magazines are dying because most of their profit comes from advertising. Subscription revenue is negligible. Companies simply are not willing to pay for print advertising anymore because so little is retrieved, analytically, about the consumers they reach. It’s hard to track a customer conversion through an ad like that. Hard to determine your ROI. That’s why digital ads are still doing well, especially with the amount of targeting and data.
Some magazines, esp trade publications, are still around because they make a lot of money off of sponsored content (often paid-for shill. unless you’re the NY Times or other excellent organization) and also from sponsorship of their events.
There were many months where we would prepare a full book but then had to pull full stories or pages because we didn’t get enough advertising. It wasn’t exactly this, but imagine if a full page ad didn’t get sold. That could result in one or two pages being removed from the final magazine. That’s why you see such a fluctuation in how thin each issue is. The Vogue September book is so thick, purely due to advertising.
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Post by sleepingbooty on Jul 18, 2019 15:28:09 GMT
Coffee for peachiceteas ! It's the other way around. (£12 would be US$14.50-ish, US$12 is approx. £9.60) Oops - that’s me and my frustration at the pound to dollar right now on overdrive! I feel ya. That was me a few years back with the euro to British pound rate. I was not a happy monkey... "Stop taking more money from me!"
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scrapnnana
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Post by scrapnnana on Jul 19, 2019 18:41:05 GMT
I subscribe to 2 UK card/papercraft magazines.
I think it is sad that the U.S. magazines nearly all disappeared. I have always suspected that the U.S. magazines themselves contributed to the waning of the scrapbook/papercraft industry. The magazines seemed so intent on pushing products and extreme creativity that I feel they drove potential and even current customers away. It’s great to see creative ideas, but when it is so different from the way most people scrapbook, it can result in alienating a lot of customers who feel overwhelmed or inadequate. I worked for the LSS near me. The design team pages and projects that I saw displayed at the LSS were beautiful, and they wisely appealed to a wide variety of scrapbookers. The magazines, however, did not. They exclusively showed the same styles from the same big name scrappers. Not everyone wants to imitate the celebs, and the magazines all started to look alike to me, issue after issue. I got tired of it and didn’t renew my sub.
As for the two U.K. magazines that I subscribe to, often they include patterns and techniques with which I am already familiar or have seen on Pinterest or at convention. I like their magazines mostly for the unique freebie that comes with them, far more than the ideas in them.
I’m not entirely surprised that the advertising revenue is drying up. The papercraft industry is hanging on, but it’s not exactly thriving.
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Post by joblackford on Jul 19, 2019 23:50:29 GMT
I was just flipping through the one issue of British Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine I ever bought. I'm not much into magazines because I prefer to limit my exposure to advertising. But it came with one of the most useful stamp sets I own. I wasn't sure how the quality was going to be but a faux calligraphy script alpha was just what I needed and it's been so useful (and people totally think I penned it by hand!)
The magazine itself has a range of projects for all levels of crafters, and it's really chatty - there seems to be a lot of customer/reader interaction. There were some things I rolled my eyes at but I'm making notes of several neat ideas I found in there - nothing brilliant and unique, but ideas that I can actually use. Maybe I struck it lucky because they show 6 ways to use a stamp I already own, but it also just feels more relatable. (And btw I get a kick out of weird terminology like "sticker fixers" which I gather are pop dots ?)
I'm also flipping through my 4 issues of Scrapbook and Cards Today and not seeing much at all that catches my eye. It's very slick and perfect. Not taking any notes or clippings from any of those.
I wondered if the Brits have a different relationship to magazines culturally, and/or if it has to do with more people using public transportation to get around. Magazines are nice to look at in the bathroom and on trains, IMO. Outside of those 2 contexts I barely look at them. Maybe our US car culture (outside the east coast cities) is part of the problem?
Or are British publishers just better at pitching their magazines to a broader audience?
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scrapnnana
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Post by scrapnnana on Jul 20, 2019 4:44:09 GMT
I think the British publishers are better at considering all customers and trying to appeal to a wider audience, but I really love how they show a variety of ways to use the freebie that is included.
I haven’t really looked at Scrapbook and Cards Today, but the issues which I have thumbed through seemed a bit like a CK wannabe. I can’t think of any that I found inspiring or exciting. Are there any other U.S. magazines these days?
With the U.K. mags, even if I don’t find exciting ideas that appeal to me, I have a fun “freebie” to play with. Of course, it’s not really free, but I usually feel that between the magazine and the freebie, I had something good from it. I rarely have felt that about the U.S. magazines. Maybe they should start including stamps and dies and fun ways to use them.
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Loydene
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Post by Loydene on Jul 23, 2019 13:14:05 GMT
scrapnnana What are the names of the UK magazines that you look at -- and where do you find them?
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Post by katlady on Jul 23, 2019 16:00:54 GMT
Loydene You can find UK magazines at Barnes & Noble.
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scrapnnana
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Post by scrapnnana on Jul 23, 2019 17:38:58 GMT
scrapnnana What are the names of the UK magazines that you look at -- and where do you find them? I have a subscription to these two (less expensive than buying individually, and it comes to my door): Cardmaking & Papercraft Papercraft Inspirations I have found a variety of the UK magazines at JoAnn Fabrics.
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kate
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Post by kate on Jul 23, 2019 19:46:47 GMT
I always buy one of the UK cardmaking mags when I go to B&N. I love the free presents. I think of it as spending $15 on a stamp-and-die set, with the magazine coming as the bonus, rather than the other way round!
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Post by artgirl1 on Jul 24, 2019 19:25:28 GMT
They exclusively showed the same styles from the same big name scrappers. Not everyone wants to imitate the celebs, and the magazines all started to look alike to me, issue after issue. I agree with this, but I also think that so many free-lance scrappers wanted to be recognized, and published that they gave away so much free information and pages, etc on their blogs. Blogs were instant gratification and most magazines had a 3-6 month lead time. Often, by the time layouts were published in magazines, the product were from a prior season and often not available. I worked for several LSS and Archivers over 10 years, and can't tell you how many people came in with a magazine and wanted that specific paper for this specific layout. Sorry, but that was from a line from 2 Christmas's ago! Frustrating for consumers and stores as well.
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Post by baylorgrad on Jul 24, 2019 20:12:15 GMT
I was just flipping through the one issue of British Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine I ever bought. I'm not much into magazines because I prefer to limit my exposure to advertising. But it came with one of the most useful stamp sets I own. I wasn't sure how the quality was going to be but a faux calligraphy script alpha was just what I needed and it's been so useful (and people totally think I penned it by hand!) The magazine itself has a range of projects for all levels of crafters, and it's really chatty - there seems to be a lot of customer/reader interaction. There were some things I rolled my eyes at but I'm making notes of several neat ideas I found in there - nothing brilliant and unique, but ideas that I can actually use. Maybe I struck it lucky because they show 6 ways to use a stamp I already own, but it also just feels more relatable. (And btw I get a kick out of weird terminology like "sticker fixers" which I gather are pop dots ?) I'm also flipping through my 4 issues of Scrapbook and Cards Today and not seeing much at all that catches my eye. It's very slick and perfect. Not taking any notes or clippings from any of those. I wondered if the Brits have a different relationship to magazines culturally, and/or if it has to do with more people using public transportation to get around. Magazines are nice to look at in the bathroom and on trains, IMO. Outside of those 2 contexts I barely look at them. Maybe our US car culture (outside the east coast cities) is part of the problem? Or are British publishers just better at pitching their magazines to a broader audience? IIRC, Cathy Zielske is the person who does the layout for Scrapbook and Cards Today. I'm pretty sure she also did the layout for Simple Scrapbooks -- not sure about CK, though.
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azcrafty
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Post by azcrafty on Jul 24, 2019 23:46:16 GMT
I love the British magazines always pick 1 or 2 up a month. Some of them comes with stamps,dies and embossing folder for $16. It's a great value. I use to subscribe to a scrapbooking magazine I loved it,always come with a CD packed full with digital goodies and great videos. This was before YT. Then it just disappeared. One of the magazines next month it will come with a altenew poppies stamp set and coordinating stencil. I will sure pick that one up.
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kate
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Post by kate on Jul 25, 2019 21:33:23 GMT
One of the magazines next month it will come with a altenew poppies stamp set and coordinating stencil. Wowza! Which magazine? I'll look out for it!
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azcrafty
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Post by azcrafty on Jul 25, 2019 22:27:02 GMT
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Post by 950nancy on Jul 25, 2019 22:34:39 GMT
I love the magazines with extra stuff, but I find that the extra stuff isn't my jam. It is usually filled with flowers and more feminine products. I know they sell to the majority, so I realize I am out of luck.
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azcrafty
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Post by azcrafty on Jul 25, 2019 22:47:16 GMT
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azcrafty
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Post by azcrafty on Jul 26, 2019 2:54:10 GMT
I love the magazines with extra stuff, but I find that the extra stuff isn't my jam. It is usually filled with flowers and more feminine products. I know they sell to the majority, so I realize I am out of luck. Creative stamping issue 72 has a beach themed stamp set plus a coastal bird stamp.
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Post by riversong1963 on Jul 26, 2019 14:33:26 GMT
Just a heads-up about Cardmaking & Papercraft Magazine. I received an offer for a discounted subscription in the mail in January, $24.99 for a year, which was listed as 6 issues. When I found that I was missing an issue. I contacted their customer "service" twice, and finally resorted to posting on their social media pages, to find out what happened to my missing issue. Their answer was that, in order to "save money," since I am in the US, they send only the EVEN-NUMBERED ISSUES. If I want the odd-numbered issues, I will have to PURCHASE them on the newsstands. Umm, what? Six issues are six issues. That's misrepresentation. They advertised a whole year of 6 issues, but this implied that that the magazine came out every 2 months. Very misleading. Their customer service is terrible. And I receive my magazines at the END of the month, when all the contests and special offers have expired.
This was after I waited 3 months for my first issue, only to find out, after 6 emails, that they had "suspended" my subscription (which hadn't even started yet). The original offer said that they would send me the first issue, and if I liked it, I would pay for the "year" and continue to receive future issues. They were waiting for me to pay them before they sent the first issue. As I said, misleading and misrepresenting.
Just be aware that the company is difficult to deal with when it comes to subscriptions. It is a really nice magazine, though, and the freebies are great.
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kate
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Post by kate on Jul 26, 2019 22:49:13 GMT
Wow, riversong1963, thanks for the heads-up! I was thinking about putting a subscription on my Christmas list, but I may reconsider. One of the things I was hoping for was to have it "in time" rather than a month (or more) behind as it is in B&N.
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