Publishing is alive and well in NYC
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A bodega in Manhattan filled to the brim with specialty magazines. August 2022 | Photo by Katie Bolin
There is truly no place like New York.
I took this photo at a corner store in Manhattan, after flying out last month to attend the 2022 Squarespace Circle Day conference.
In addition to selling the usual corner market finds—pops, candy, chips, cigarettes, etc.—the store was also filled to the brim with specialty magazines from all over the world.
I visited this store twice and spent at least an hour and a half looking at every magazine they sold. They had everything from Vogue Italia to Popeye—a long-running Japanese fashion magazine for men whose brilliant tagline is “Magazine for City Boys.”
And yes, even Butt magazine is in there. Something for everyone!
Reading my new copy of The Paris Review with a fresh Coke at a cafe in NYC. | Photo by Katie Bolin
The magic of magazines
No pop-ups, no animated ads, and definitely no screens in sight. A true delight!
As someone who works full-time on a computer screen—no ifs ands or Butts about it—I am dying for activities that have nothing to do with a screen once I’m finished with work.
I picked up a copy of The Paris Review at the corner store pictured above, as I had never read it before but was vaguely familiar. It was around $20, and the best part—so far—is that I haven’t run into advertising in the issue.
What a joy to read something where you’re allowed to get lost in the story, free from constantly distracting ads, social media, notifications on your phone, etc.
The limitations of the internet and how travel can help you market your book
The internet is great and all—but it certainly has its limitations. There’s no walking around a neighborhood and running into a bodega-magazine store to find magazines you never knew existed.
How would you even find a list of the magazines curated in this Manhattan bodega? You couldn’t.
Many retail stores don’t bother with keeping online inventory fresh, as it doesn’t matter much to their business when customers can walk right in and see what they have.
The internet can’t replace traveling to a city and discovering curated bookstores, bodegas, zines sold on the street, or regional magazines you never even knew existed. It can’t replace asking the bookstore owner of 35 years what you should buy if you’re looking for a certain topic.
As much as the internet was built by humans, it still lacks the exciting human touch that our three-dimensional world gives us.
Why is this good for authors?
Because you don’t need to sit behind a computer 24/7 stressing out about ways to game search engines or social media to market your book. Those fields are important in your marketing strategy, but they are certainly not the be-all-end-all of marketing your book.
Head to a new city and explore the local bookshops and public libraries. See what kind of local and regional publications they feature that your hometown doesn’t sell.
Ask the booksellers or librarians questions—they are a vitally important resource of curated information you can’t really get from an algorithm on the internet.
There could be writing opportunities hidden in the pages of magazines you don’t even know about—or at least a new list of magazines you can reach out to for opportunities or pitches.
You never know what you’re going to find or who you’re going to meet that could be the little bit of luck you need!
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