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A Whopping Dose of Western Canadian Give'r
The Story Behind Canadian Scrapbooker
Canadian Scrapbooker founders Jackie Ludlage (Editor-in-Chief) and Katherina Doyle (Publisher), celebrate their milestone fifth year by sharing their publishing success story in their Summer 2010 issue. Doyle describes the magazine’s rather impromptu inception...
Rah Rah Alberta-rific
The Results of AMPA's Summer Story Contest
This summer AMPA decided to do a little publishing of our own, putting out a call for entries describing the “best summer memory in Alberta—the more rah rah Alberta-rific, the better." We're pleased to present...
NEWS
WMA Finalists Include AMPA Members Aplenty
AudioMag Podcast Episode 17 on Small Circ Mags
Canada Periodical Fund Announces New Opportunities
Easier Grant Access for Start-up Publishers
EVENTS & CONTESTS
2nd Annual Sugar Bowl
Sell Your Book, Not Your Soul
Maximizing the Potential of Your Web Presence
What Editors Want
Litfest: Andrew Potter and Lawrence Scanlan
Grant MacEwan Writing Works
JOBS
Account Executive, Redpoint Media
Editor, Avenue Edmonton magazine
Art Director, Avenue Edmonton magazine
Assistant Publisher, Venture Publishing
Sales & Circulation/Traffic Coordinator, WHERE Calgary
A Whopping Dose of Western Canadian Give'r
The Story Behind Canadian Scrapbooker
Canadian Scrapbooker founders Jackie Ludlage (Editor-in-Chief) and Katherina Doyle (Publisher), celebrate their milestone fifth year by sharing their publishing success story in their Summer 2010 issue. Doyle describes the magazine’s rather impromptu inception:
I would like to tell you that Canadian Scrapbooker was born of a shrewd analysis of the growing size of the crafts marketplace, comparable publications and focus groups with potential consumers. It was not. This is a story of simple and undiluted enthusiasm mixed with a whopping dose of western Canadian ‘Give’r!’ We jumped in and, luckily, we were the first to offer something uniquely Canadian.
It was clear from the inaugural issue—sold out in a day and a half—that the magazine had tapped into a niche audience thirsty for more (currently the print run is 24,000 and growing).
The magazine features how-to articles and what’s-new product features, but it is the specifically Canadian content of the photo-album-cum-brag-book layouts which resonate most with its readers. A perfect example is this issue’s Seasonal Gallery with scrapbook pages featuring the 2010 Vancouver Olympics as well as Canada Day celebrations from across the country—where else would you see a photograph of Tim Hortons coffee immortalized with such loving creativity? Each issue also includes a Passport to Creativity section devoted to a specific Canadian province, and lo and behold our very own Alberta scrapbookers have their moment in the spotlight this issue. Canadian Scrapbooker connects in-person with its readers, and the scrapbooking community as a whole, by hosting the upcoming 3rd annual “Great Canadian Scrapbook Carnival” in Calgary (Roundup Centre, September 25 & 26) and Edmonton (Mayfield Inn, October 1 & 2). To learn more about the event, and the magazine itself, visit http://www.canadianscrapbooker.ca/. Now get out those scissors and paper (oooh, and glitter) and start that scrapbooking!
Rah Rah Alberta-rific
The Results of AMPA's Summer Story Contest
This summer AMPA decided to do a little publishing of our own, putting out a call for entries describing the “best summer memory in Alberta—the more rah rah Alberta-rific, the better.”
The Winner
“We loved those summer getaways so much that my husband and I recently moved to Lacombe from Calgary to be closer to Gull Lake. We hope to continue the tradition with our grandkids one day.” Fran Kimmel
My best summer memories are of packing up my daughters for a visit to grandma’s Gull Lake cottage. The vast 26-mile lake, sitting smack in the middle of the Alberta prairies, is paradise to every mother not fond of hovering. Here, sunburn, aging, or starvation on the wade to the depths all pose greater threats than drowning. A city block out, wet ankles only. A football field-distance, hip dipping if you’re not too tall. It’s only when a head becomes a tiny speck on the horizon do you know it’s in for the real thing. After a chlorine-free splash, even my city kids know what to do with the rippling white sands. Forts, castles, moats and tunnels. And perhaps even more the miracle, the construction site dismantles itself, not like bedrooms and backyards, with the magic of the night winds and waves.
As the city layers chip away, my daughters and I start to wear the cottage ways with ease. Grandma teaches us to stoke a fire, to wait like statues on the hill for the woodpecker’s knock, to string rosehips for jewelry, to wrap the delicate heads of wild oats with tinfoil, creating a shiny silver-tipped spray. We sneak across the railway tracks and through the thick hedges to the cottagers’ secret Saskatoon patch, where row upon row of sweet purple berries await. We experience the nights of novels – writers’ nights – great black, starry spaces, coyotes songs, the man in the moon. We learn to breathe all over again.
Honourable Mention
“I have just recently joined a writer's group in Lacombe and this motivates me to keep writing.” Maureen Pocock
Mom loved picking raspberries. I remember her in her huge berry patch — a wide straw hat on her head and one of Dad’s long sleeved shirts to protect her from the sun and the prickly raspberry bushes. A length of baler twine for a belt held a tin bucket for her to pick into. Mom would lose herself in the patch. It never mattered how hot the day was or how many mosquitoes buzzed around her, wasting nature’s bounty was not an option. Every other day for the month of August she would pick the bushes clean, bringing in pail after pail. Mom shared her patch with neighbours and friends, worrying that berries would go to waste if no one could come to pick, and when they did she would spend time helping to fill all their containers to take home.
Next came canning and jam. Strangely the berries never came out exactly right for the recipe. So one of us kids would be sent out to find one or two or three cups more. With jars in shiny rows in the canning cupboard, Mom was ready to share. Friends and even strangers who dropped by were always sent off with a jar or two. And we learned that jam was Mom’s way of expressing her love for people.
I never enjoyed raspberry jam until I grew up and left home. Now I do what Mom did. I fill every jar I can find. And like Mom, I love to share with friends, family and even strangers.
NEWS
WMA Finalists
Include AMPA Magazines Aplenty
The finalists for the 2010 Western Magazines Awards (WMAs) have been announced, and we're thrilled to see that so many AMPA members are being recognized for their hard work. Kudos to Alberta Oil, Alberta Venture, AlbertaViews, Avenue, up!, West, Western Living and Westworld.
The WMA Gala Reception and Awards Ceremony will be held on Friday, October 15, 2010 at Vancouver's Century Plaza Hotel and Spa, featuring a day of professional development at Magazines West, and then an evening celebrating the best of Western Canadian magazine publishing. See full event details at http://www.westernmagazineawards.ca/.
AudioMag Podcast
Episode 17 on Small Circ Mags
The latest episode in Magazines Canada's AudioMag series, a podcast featuring industry news and information, is now available online.
Episode 17 features John Shelling, Managing Editor of BlackFlash, talking about the joys and stresses of running a small circulation magazine with a skeleton staff. Learn how he handled the tough task of taking over a one-person publishing venture.
To listen to and/or download any of the Magazines Canada AudioMag podcasts, visit http://www.magazinescanada.ca/development/audiomag
Canada Periodical Fund
Announces New Opportunities
The Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) has just launched its new Business Innovation Grant program. This program offers project funding to eligible small and mid-sized print and digital periodical publishers. It encourages innovation to adapt to changing market conditions and contributes to the diversity of content sought by Canadian readers. This will be of particular interest to small literary publishers left out in the cold with the revamping of Canadian Magazine Fund, as this fund requires only a minimum average circulation of 250.
For details concerning applicant, periodical and project eligibility criteria, application requirements, assessment process and application forms, please consult the Canadian Heritage website at http://www.pch.gc.ca/eng/1267313838781/1268328701928
For the Business Innovation for Print Periodicals sub-component, applications must be received prior to the project start date. Applications received after October 1, 2010, may be considered for funding in the 2011-2012 fiscal year.
Easier Grant Access
for Start-up Publishers
The Cultural Industries Project Grant program (which offers support for projects creating and producing new cultural work or for assistance with operating expenses) has been rewritten to further encourage start-up companies in sound recording, magazine publishing, book publishing, and film and video production. Applicants can now apply if they simply have a trade name registered with Alberta Corporate Registry (in the past, only incorporated companies could apply).
Links to the program may be found at the Alberta Foundation for the Arts website
http://www.affta.ab.ca/cultural-industries-grant-program.aspx
EVENTS & CONTESTS
2nd Annual Sugar Bowl
Have you been eagerly awaiting the chance to hoist the winner's trophy at this year's Sugar Bowl in support of the Amber Webb-Bowerman Memorial Foundation?
Date: Saturday, August 28, 2010
Time: Registration/practice begins at 5pm
Location: Calgary Lawn Bowling Club, 1238 - 16 Avenue SW
What: Lawn bowling tourney, food, drinks, music, silent auction, fun!!
Price: $100--includes admission, lawn bowling, dinner, AND two drink tickets. CASH OR CHEQUE ONLY PLEASE.
Don't hesitate! Register today at info@amberbowerman.ca. Registration in teams of three to five is encouraged, although singles and pairs are also welcome. Space is limited. To reminisce about last year's Sugar Bowl, visit www.flickr.com/photos/awbmf/
Sell Your Book, Not Your Soul
The Alberta Branch of the Canadian Authors Association, in collaboration with the Get Publishing Communications Society, presents a workshop by playwright/author Marty Chan. Through humorous anecdotes, he’ll highlight his successes and failures to illustrate the dos and don’ts of book marketing campaigns and how to approach self-promotion in a positive and productive way. Participants should be prepared for group work.
Date: Saturday, September 11, 2010
Time: 9:00am to 1pm
Location: TBA
To register visit http://sellyourbook.eventbrite.com
Maximizing the Potential of Your Web Presence
By now, most publishers, big and small have a web presence of some kind. But is it meeting your goals? Are you taking full advantage of the latest tools and techniques for building audiences at minimal cost? Is there more that your site could be doing in order to effectively sell subscriptions, build brand awareness or even (gasp) create revenue?
As part of AMPA’s Digital Learning Series, Rhett Soveran—web editor of WestJet’s inflight up! magazine—will show you how to maximize your Web 2.0 potential. During this three-hour session, he will go through case studies of publishers who are working the web, highlighting what is possible at different budget levels and for different goals. Rhett will also provide personal and interactive analysis and advice on websites you provide as audience members, answering questions you have about maximizing your web potential.
Date: Thursday, September 16, 2010
Time: 9:30am-12:30pm
Location: The Kahanoff Centre, Room 202
1202 Centre Street SE, Calgary
Coffee and light snacks will be provided
Price: Early-bird rates for registration by Tuesday, September 7:
$20 for AMPA members/ students; $30 for non-members
Registration rates after September 7:
$30 for AMPA members/ students; $40 for non-members
To register, email ampa@albertamagazines.com or call 403-262-0081.
What Editors Want
A day for writers with speaker, editor and author Chris Roerden, this workshop is a unique opportunity for writers of all genres to interact with an accomplished professional editor:
-
Learn the ins and outs of the submission process
- Find out what first level readers really want
- Acquire tips on how to improve your manuscript’s odds of surviving the screening process
- Participate in exercises covering several topics and emphasizing that elusive “voice”
- Learn from hands-on editing with samples
Chris Roerden has edited thousands of manuscripts for such publishers as St. Martin’s Press, Berkley Prime Crime, Rodale, Viking and more. Her own two non-fiction books include Don’t Murder Your Mystery, which won the Agatha Award for Best Nonfiction, and Don’t Sabotage Your Submission, which won the 21st annual Benjamin Franklin Award™ for Literary Criticism.
Date: September 25, 2010
Time: 9:30am to 4:30pm
Location: Calgary, Greenwood Inn
Lunch: INCLUDED
Price: $99.00 ARWA members/ $129 non-members*
*Presented by the Alberta Romance Writers’ Association
Registration and Membership Information: www.albertaromancewriters.com
Litfest 2010
The Alberta Magazine Publishers Association (AMPA) proudly presents two magazine-themed sessions at this year’s Litfest in Edmonton, on October 22nd with Andrew Potter and October 23rd with Lawrence Scanlan:
Andrew Potter
In today’s sea of ubiquitous self-publishing and universal social media, making your opinion matter can be challenging. However the difference between quality, compelling op-ed that’ll have your audience looking forward to your next column or post, and the purely narcissistic or mundane remains distinct. Writer and blogger Andrew Potter discusses what it takes to make your blog or opinion column fresh, relevant, interesting, and able to stand out from the crowd.
Andrew Potter is currently a public affairs columnist with Macleans magazine and features editor with Canadian Business Magazine. Potter co-authored the international bestseller The Rebel Sell with Joseph Heath and has just published The Authenticity Hoax. He blogs regularly for Macleans.ca and at authenticityhoax.squarespace.com.
Date: Friday, October 22
Time: 2:00pm
Location: Room 6-7, Stanley Milner Library, 7 Sir Winston Churchill Square, Edmonton
Price: $10 for students and AMPA members; $15 for non-members; add $5 for tickets at the door
To register, email ampa@albertamagazines.com or call 403-262-0081.
Lawrence Scanlan
Everybody loves a great magazine feature—the kind of story that is fresh and compelling, has voice and quality writing, is well-researched and effortlessly connects with your audience. But how do you get from the nugget of an idea to flawless final product?
Lawrence Scanlan discusses what it takes to go from pitch to publication. As both former editor and award-winning writer, Scanlan examines the process from both sides of the divide: exploring the tensions, diplomacies and battles that often mark the writer-editor relationship. He offers practical tips on how to go from first draft to final, while sharing experiences on how to make the process move along swimmingly, and common pitfalls that can force it off the rails.
Lawrence Scanlan is a former magazine and newspaper editor for publications including The Whig-Standard and Harrowsmith, a former CBC Radio producer, and the author of six best-selling books, including Wild About Horses and Little Horse of Iron. He has won three National Magazine Awards for his journalism. Scanlan discusses how to create a winning magazine feature from pitch to publication.
Date: Saturday, October 23
Time: 9:00am to 11:00am
Location: Room 6-7, Stanley Milner Library, 7 Sir Winston Churchill Square, Edmonton
Price: $10 for students and AMPA members; $15 for non-members; add $5 for tickets at the door.
To register, email ampa@albertamagazines.com or call 403-262-0081.
Grant MacEwan Writing Works
The MacEwan Writing Works is offering several courses this fall as part of their Writing Works series. For full details on the following courses, please visit www.MacEwan.ca/writingworks
WRIT 0141 (570)
Instructor: Cheryl Lund
The Basics of Editing:
Acquire the essential knowledge and develop the critical skills necessary to become a competent editor…
WRIT 0136 (570)
Instructor: Barbara North
Writing Humour: The Business of Funny
Learn the basics of using humour to write comedic non-fiction and short
stories…
WRIT 0155 (570)
Instructor: Jennifer Cockrall-King
Eat Your Words:
Food is a hot topic, and editors are always looking for insightful, original, and well-written food and drink articles and recipes. Learn how to take your passion and put it down in words…
WRIT 0197 (570)
Instructor: Catherine Kuehne
Boot Camp for Writers: NEW!
Wherever you are in your writing career join this
intensive one day workshop and walk away primed for success…
WRIT 0248 (570)
Blog Your Book:
Use the internet to develop your author platform, promote your
expertise, and sell your books on-line…
JOBS
Account Executive
RedPoint Media Group Inc.
Deadline to apply: August 27, 2010
RedPoint Media Group Inc. invites applications from motivated, energetic individuals for an Account Executive position. Based in Calgary, this position is responsible for meeting sales goals targets, and ensuring client satisfaction.
Reporting to the Sales Manager, responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Selling advertising space in multiple publications;
- Selling online advertising on applicable websites;
- Meeting or exceeding sales targets on a monthly, quarterly and yearly basis
The successful candidate must be a self-starter with a positive attitude. Previous magazine or media sales experience is an asset. Qualifications include:
- Strong prospecting and sales skills, with proven experience in advertising sales;
- Experience in sales to the health-related businesses an asset
- Excellent understanding of competitive advertising media
Read full posting details at www.albertamagazines.com/job_board/#AcctExecRedpoint
Editor
Avenue Edmonton
Deadline to apply: August 20, 2010
Avenue Edmonton—Edmonton’s city magazine—is seeking an editor who is ready to take a growing city magazine to the next level. This position requires at least six years of senior editorial magazine experience (preferably with a newsstand publication; better still with a city magazine) and a skill set that includes engaging and sophisticated writing, deft editing, and managerial and organizational proficiency.
You also understand the DNA of an effective city magazine—how to find the perfect writer for an investigative feature, a fascination with a city’s minute details, the art of packaging content for maximum impact and, of course, stepping up as the face of the magazine.
This is a rare, high-profile opportunity to manage a small, energetic staff and plan the direction of a magazine that represents one of North America’s most dynamic and fastest-growing cities. As such, you will need to juggle multiple responsibilities, adhere to strict deadlines and communicate effectively. You don’t need to be from Edmonton, but your love of cataloguing a city’s urban landscape will make you a proud, plugged-in resident in no time.
Read full posting details at: www.albertamagazines.com/job_board/#EditorAveEdm
Art Director
Avenue Edmonton
Deadline: August 20, 2010
Avenue Edmonton, an award winning city lifestyle magazine, requires an Art Director with a proven track record in producing innovative magazine pages.
If you are:
- Creative and exceptionally detailed
- Excellent with typography
- Experienced in team management
- Able to provide leadership in executing ideas
- Driven by challenges and deadlines
And if you have:
- Ability to create exceptional design solutions under tight deadlines
- Excellent knowledge of the Adobe creative suite
- Post-secondary education in visual communications or equivalent
- Five years or more experience in magazine art direction or equivalent print design experience
Then you could be the next Art Director of Avenue Edmonton.
Read full posting details at: http://www.albertamagazines.com/job_board/#ArtDirectorAveEdm
Assistant Publisher
Venture Publishing
This is an outstanding opportunity to learn the business of publishing from the ground up. Working closely with the Publisher and Associate Publisher, the Assistant Publisher will provide support to senior management. The role interacts with design, editorial, circulation, administration, finance, digital, events and sales departments for Alberta Venture, Alberta Oil and a stable of custom magazines.
This role requires excellent writing and communications skills, interest in sales and marketing, administrative skills and business education. The right candidate will be passionate about magazines as well as savvy about digital and new media development. You must be a team player who is able to show initiative and demonstrate practical creativity. A sense of humour is mandatory.
Read full posting details at: http://www.albertamagazines.com/job_board/#AsstPublisherVenture
Sales & Circulation/Traffic Coordinator
WHERE Calgary
The Sales & Circulation/Traffic Coordinator will coordinate distribution/circulation of all printed materials produced by St. Joseph Media (Calgary) as directed by the Publisher. The candidate will coordinate entry of all sales contracts into billing system and local sales reporting system while working closely with Sales, Accounting, and Publisher to ensure accuracy. Also, the candidate will carry out general office management and reception duties including coordinating the maintenance all equipment, office supplies, couriers and mail, and general telephone administrative functions.
Read full posting details at: http://www.albertamagazines.com/job_board/#salescircwherecalgary |
