Book Magazine
Encyclopedia
Book Magazine was an American bi-monthly popular literary magazine
founded in 1998 by Mark Gleason and Jerome Kramer and published by West Egg Communications. Described by its editor as "the Rolling Stone
—not the Billboard
—of the book industry", MediaBistro.com said it was "also the Us Weekly
of the industry, offering up juicy tidbits of what passes for gossip in this relatively respectable trade", noting for prospective writers that it was aimed at "enthusiastic leisure readers". The New York Times said Book "profiles authors and their works in much the way that People magazine
reports on celebrities".
In November 2000, bookseller Barnes & Noble
purchased a 50-percent share of the company for $4.2 million, after which the magazine operated as a partnership. Thirty-one issues were published through the end of 2003, when the magazine ceased operations after Barnes & Noble stopped its funding following several years of losses. During the entire run, Gleason served as Books publisher and president and Kramer as its editor-in-chief.
In 2003, Book was nominated in the fiction category of the National Magazine Awards.
, with business operations running out of Summit, New Jersey
. Kramer and Gleason—a former reporter for Advertising Age
—raised $200,000 to publish the first two issues, mostly from their own pockets. Before Barnes & Noble stepped in, Book lost $700,000 in its first two years of operation.
In November 2000, the magazine made a deal with Barnes & Noble to offer a free one-year Book subscription to new members of their "Reader's Advantage" loyalty program
. This added about 1.3 million readers to the magazine's original circulation of 100,000, although the magazine promised its advertisers a "base rate" of 700,000. Kramer said "when it came down to converting those people over [to paying subscribers] we ran into a concrete wall." Readers who were receiving the magazine for free through Barnes & Noble refused to pay for subscriptions. Only five percent of readers renewed their subscriptions. Gleason said that advertisers had difficulty believing the circulation numbers because they rose so quickly; the magazine's production costs grew, but advertising income did not. In an article about small publishers with income problems due to an advertising recession in 2001, Gleason remarked, "It's harder for the independents ... because usually we're not the first item for people buying advertising". To help cover the costs, Barnes & Noble invested $4.2 million in the company, gaining half ownership. In 2000, the magazine relocated to Manhattan
after Barnes & Noble's investment.
In March 2002, the bookstore chain ended the promotion, and the magazine's circulation fell to 150,000. The bookseller had been paying a fee to Book for the free subscriptions, but felt that the deal had become too expensive.
Between 2001 and 2002, advertising income at the magazine tripled to $1.5 million. However, by early 2003, the production costs of the magazine overwhelmed the revenues, forcing Book and Barnes & Noble to restructure the partnership: Barnes and Noble gave Book a $2.5 million loan in 2001, and in 2002 the magazine lost about $1 million. The magazine's name was changed to Barnes & Noble Presents Book with the May/June 2003 issue, and the store displayed the magazine more prominently. The "base rate" for advertisers was cut to 150,000. The name change was a gamble, because it meant the other nationwide United States bookstore chain, Borders Books, would not carry the magazine featuring its rival's name. There were also concerns that the rebranding would cause readers to assume that Books content was controlled by the bookstore.
In mid-October 2003, the bookseller's senior leadership met with Kramer and Gleason and told them that the company was not going to provide any further funding. "They'd made the decision that they were not magazine publishers", said Kramer.
Following Books demise, Kramer was recruited as managing director and editor-in-chief of the VNU
U.S. Literary Group, publisher of Kirkus Reviews
.
Along with book reviews and author interviews, Book offered features such as "Anita Shreve
's Secret Passions" and "Hype! Hype! Hype! Wild Publicity Stunts". Front covers of the magazine's issues often featured close-ups of writers, including Tom Wolfe
, T.C. Boyle, Frank McCourt
, Nicole Kidman
, J.K. Rowling, Ethan Hawke
, Sebastian Junger
, and Toni Morrison
. Book frequently featured "Best" features, such as "The 100 Best Characters in Fiction Since 1900", which ran in the March/April 2002 issue, and "20 Books That Changed America”, which ran in July/August 2003.
Literary magazine
A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry and essays along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters...
founded in 1998 by Mark Gleason and Jerome Kramer and published by West Egg Communications. Described by its editor as "the Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
—not the Billboard
Billboard
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
—of the book industry", MediaBistro.com said it was "also the Us Weekly
Us Weekly
Us Weekly is a celebrity gossip magazine, founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, who sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986. The publication covers topics ranging from celebrity relationships to the latest trends in fashion, beauty, and entertainment...
of the industry, offering up juicy tidbits of what passes for gossip in this relatively respectable trade", noting for prospective writers that it was aimed at "enthusiastic leisure readers". The New York Times said Book "profiles authors and their works in much the way that People magazine
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
reports on celebrities".
In November 2000, bookseller Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton...
purchased a 50-percent share of the company for $4.2 million, after which the magazine operated as a partnership. Thirty-one issues were published through the end of 2003, when the magazine ceased operations after Barnes & Noble stopped its funding following several years of losses. During the entire run, Gleason served as Books publisher and president and Kramer as its editor-in-chief.
In 2003, Book was nominated in the fiction category of the National Magazine Awards.
History
Books editorial and production offices were originally in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, with business operations running out of Summit, New Jersey
Summit, New Jersey
Summit is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 21,457. Summit had the 16th-highest per capita income in the state as of the 2000 Census....
. Kramer and Gleason—a former reporter for Advertising Age
Advertising Age
Advertising Age is a magazine, delivering news, analysis and data on marketing and media. The magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930...
—raised $200,000 to publish the first two issues, mostly from their own pockets. Before Barnes & Noble stepped in, Book lost $700,000 in its first two years of operation.
In November 2000, the magazine made a deal with Barnes & Noble to offer a free one-year Book subscription to new members of their "Reader's Advantage" loyalty program
Loyalty program
Loyalty programs are structured marketing efforts that reward, and therefore encourage, loyal buying behavior — behavior which is potentially beneficial to the firm....
. This added about 1.3 million readers to the magazine's original circulation of 100,000, although the magazine promised its advertisers a "base rate" of 700,000. Kramer said "when it came down to converting those people over [to paying subscribers] we ran into a concrete wall." Readers who were receiving the magazine for free through Barnes & Noble refused to pay for subscriptions. Only five percent of readers renewed their subscriptions. Gleason said that advertisers had difficulty believing the circulation numbers because they rose so quickly; the magazine's production costs grew, but advertising income did not. In an article about small publishers with income problems due to an advertising recession in 2001, Gleason remarked, "It's harder for the independents ... because usually we're not the first item for people buying advertising". To help cover the costs, Barnes & Noble invested $4.2 million in the company, gaining half ownership. In 2000, the magazine relocated to Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
after Barnes & Noble's investment.
In March 2002, the bookstore chain ended the promotion, and the magazine's circulation fell to 150,000. The bookseller had been paying a fee to Book for the free subscriptions, but felt that the deal had become too expensive.
Between 2001 and 2002, advertising income at the magazine tripled to $1.5 million. However, by early 2003, the production costs of the magazine overwhelmed the revenues, forcing Book and Barnes & Noble to restructure the partnership: Barnes and Noble gave Book a $2.5 million loan in 2001, and in 2002 the magazine lost about $1 million. The magazine's name was changed to Barnes & Noble Presents Book with the May/June 2003 issue, and the store displayed the magazine more prominently. The "base rate" for advertisers was cut to 150,000. The name change was a gamble, because it meant the other nationwide United States bookstore chain, Borders Books, would not carry the magazine featuring its rival's name. There were also concerns that the rebranding would cause readers to assume that Books content was controlled by the bookstore.
In mid-October 2003, the bookseller's senior leadership met with Kramer and Gleason and told them that the company was not going to provide any further funding. "They'd made the decision that they were not magazine publishers", said Kramer.
Following Books demise, Kramer was recruited as managing director and editor-in-chief of the VNU
VNU
Nielsen is a global marketing and advertising research company headquartered in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Nielsen is active in over 100 countries, and employs some 32,000 people worldwide...
U.S. Literary Group, publisher of Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus . Kirkus serves the book and literary trade sector, including libraries, publishers, literary and film agents, film and TV producers and booksellers. Kirkus Reviews is published on the first and 15th of each month...
.
Along with book reviews and author interviews, Book offered features such as "Anita Shreve
Anita Shreve
Anita Shreve is an American writer. The daughter of an airline pilot and a homemaker, she graduated from Dedham High School, attended Tufts University and began writing while working as a high school teacher in Reading MA. One of her first published stories, Past the Island, Drifting, was awarded...
's Secret Passions" and "Hype! Hype! Hype! Wild Publicity Stunts". Front covers of the magazine's issues often featured close-ups of writers, including Tom Wolfe
Tom Wolfe
Thomas Kennerly "Tom" Wolfe, Jr. is a best-selling American author and journalist. He is one of the founders of the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and 1970s.-Early life and education:...
, T.C. Boyle, Frank McCourt
Frank McCourt
Francis "Frank" McCourt was an Irish-American teacher and Pulitzer Prize–winning writer, best known as the author of Angela’s Ashes, an award-winning, tragicomic memoir of the misery and squalor of his childhood....
, Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
, J.K. Rowling, Ethan Hawke
Ethan Hawke
Ethan Green Hawke is an American actor, writer and director. He made his feature film debut in 1985 with the science fiction movie Explorers, before making a supporting appearance in the 1989 drama Dead Poets Society which is considered his breakthrough role...
, Sebastian Junger
Sebastian Junger
Sebastian Junger is an American author, journalist and documentarian, most famous for the best-selling book The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea, his award-winning chronicle of the war in Afghanistan in the 2010 movie Restrepo, and his 2010 book War.-Background:Junger was born...
, and Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison is a Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, editor, and professor. Her novels are known for their epic themes, vivid dialogue, and richly detailed characters. Among her best known novels are The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon and Beloved...
. Book frequently featured "Best" features, such as "The 100 Best Characters in Fiction Since 1900", which ran in the March/April 2002 issue, and "20 Books That Changed America”, which ran in July/August 2003.