Book (magazine)
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Editor-in-Chief | Jerome Kramer |
---|---|
Frequency | Bi-Monthly |
Publisher | Mark Gleason |
Total circulation (2002) | 150,000 |
First issue | October/November 1998 |
Final issue | November/December 2003 |
Company | West Egg Communications |
Country | United States |
Based in | New York City |
Language | English |
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".[1] The New York Times said Book "profiles authors and their works in much the way that People magazine reports on celebrities".[2]
In November 2000, bookseller Barnes & Noble purchased a 50-percent share of the company for $4.2 million,[3] 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.[4] During the entire run, Gleason served as Book's publisher and president and Kramer as its editor-in-chief.[1]
History
Book's editorial and production offices were originally in Chicago, with business operations running out of Summit, New Jersey. Before Barnes & Noble stepped in, Book lost $700,000 in its first two years of operation.[3]
In 2000, the magazine relocated to Manhattan after Barnes & Noble's investment. Initially, Barnes & Noble gave a free one-year Book subscription to new members of their "Reader's Advantage" loyalty program.[4] 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.[2] Kramer said "when it came down to converting those people over [to paying subscribers] we ran into a concrete wall."[4] Readers who were receiving the magazine for free through Barnes & Noble refused to pay for subscriptions.[4] Only five percent of readers renewed their subscriptions.[3] In March 2002, the bookstore chain ended the promotion, and the magazine's circulation fell to 150,000.[2]
Between 2001 and 2002, advertising income at the magazine tripled to $1.5 million.[3] However, by early 2003, the production costs of the magazine overwhelmed the revenues, forcing Book and Barnes & Noble to restructure the partnership:[3] Barnes and Noble gave Book a $2.5 million loan in 2001,[2] and in 2002 the magazine lost about $1 million.[4] 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.[3] The "base rate" for advertisers was cut to 150,000.[3]
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.[4] "They'd made the decision that they were not magazine publishers", said Kramer.[4]
Along with book reviews and author interviews, Book offered features such as "Anita Shreve's Secret Passions" and "Hype! Hype! Hype! Wild Publicity Stunts".[3] Front covers of the magazine's issues featured 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,[5] and "20 Books That Changed America”, which ran in July/August 2003.[6]
Cover subjects
- Issue No. 1, October/November 1998: Tom Wolfe
- Issue No. 2: T.C. Boyle
- Issue No. 18: September/October 2001 Sebastian Junger;
- Issue No. 19: November/December 2001 Jimmy Carter;
- Issue No. 20: January/February 2002 Newcomers;
- Issue No. 21: March/April 2002 Nora Roberts;
- Issue No. 22: May/June 2002Jean Auel;
- Issue No. 23: July/August 2002 Ethan Hawke;
- Issue No. 24: September/October 2002 Peter Jennings;
- Issue No. 25: November/December 2002 Donna Tartt;
- Issue No. 26: January/February 2003Alice Sebold
- Issue No. 27: March/April 2003James Patterson;
- Issue No. 28: May/June 2003J.K. Rowling;
- Issue No. 29: July/August 2003Stephen King;
- Issue No. 30: September/October 2003Nicole Kidman;
- Issue No. 31: November/December 2003 Toni Morrison
- Issue numbers unknown: Frank McCourt; "Political Writing"; J.K. Rowling (first instance); Kaye Gibbons; Arundhati Roy; Steve Martin; John Grisham; John Irving; John Updike; "Teen Reads"
References
- ^ a b Beland, Nicole (September 19, 2002). "How To Pitch: Book Magazine". Media Bistro. Retrieved May 11, 2001.
- ^ a b c d Steinberg, Jacques (October 22, 2003). "Book Magazine Will Be Closed". The New York Times. New York: The New York Times Company. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Goldstein, Bill (March 17, 2003). "MEDIA; Barnes & Noble and Book Magazine Try a New Tack". The New York Times. New York: The New York Times Company. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g Miner, Michael (November 13, 2003). "Your Opinion or Your Life!/Closed Book/Olympian Task/Kup's Game". Chicago Reader. Chicago: CL Chicago. Closed Book. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
- ^ Book Magazine, March/April 2002 (March 2002). "100 Best Characters in Fiction Since 1900". Talk of the Nation. NPR. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "20 Books That Changed America". Barnes & Noble Presents Book. Barnes & Noble: 58–61. 2003.
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