July 1950 — Vol. 31, No. 7 — Our Periodical Press
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Canada needs magazines which will
interpret world events, give information and entertainment,
and help to bind together the people of this far—flung
nation.
Our civilization, and our Canadian culture, are the result
of ideas and the communication of ideas from person to person.
The magazine is a splendid medium for conveying ideas. Its
pages are not filled with "quickies" to be read on the run,
but with considered and thoughtful discussions.
One could divide the contents of most magazines into three
broad classes: fiction, fact and discussion. The periodical
which is published weekly, hi—weekly, monthly, or quarterly
is not a purveyor of spot news. It has articles, stories,
essays, sketches and editorials. Its function is to elaborate,
explain and interpret. Its editorials try to fashion opinion
with respect to the contemporary world. Its serious articles
provide supplementary or enriching information which enable
us to understand news and events. Its fiction entertains us
and its advertising informs us. The bound copies of magazines
kept by libraries have become an important part of the written
record of Canada's growth, culture, and prospects.
We are a critical audience, not easily deluded, and we are
not satisfied with colourless writing about vital subjects.
Our standards are rising with our education. Magazines have
to be alert and enterprising to keep a step ahead of us.
What Magazines Do
Magazines deal with national affairs, thus helping to build
up a Canadian point of view; they inspire community enterprises,
and they build a social mind. Their pictures showing beautification
of parks, streets and houses; their articles on playgrounds,
hobbies and clubs; their campaigns for tolerance: all these
contribute to the improvement of living everywhere in Canada.
Their autobiographical and biographical articles, usually
of the inspirational kind, set standards of achievement and
of culture.
Politically, too, their influence is strong, though they
may be neutral in politics. They have attained their present
position in an atmosphere of democracy, free speech and a
free press. It is natural that they should be the upholders
of the freedom of the individual within the framework of a
parliamentary system as free as that of any government on
earth.
There are some black sheep in the flock. Damage is done
the generally good reputation of magazines by a few which
publish irresponsible material or pictures and articles that
are immoral.
Communities everywhere in Canada have found it necessary
to invoke laws against smutty magazines. These flimsy publications
possess no literary or artistic merit. They tend to lower
the cultural values of those who read them, and they create
inferior standards of morals.
There is a wealth of wholesome periodical literature available,
appealing to everyone from small tykes to millionaire tycoons.
More than 600 periodicals are distributed regularly by Canadian
publishers, including general magazines, women's magazines,
trade journals, and weekly, monthly or quarterly publications
dealing with the interests of farmers, churches, schools,
labour organizations, artists, writers, professional people,
and a score of other special classes.
In addition there are some weekly publications in newspaper
style which have practically the same kind of reading matter
and illustrations as the general magazines. These are not
to be despised, because at their low price and with their
universality of appeal they make themselves the art, letters
and science of the common people.
Women's Magazines
Among the magazines with broad appeal come those generally
referred to as "women's". All topics that could conceivably
appeal to women are covered, and they carry in addition much
material that interests men and children. People's appetite
for these magazines is insatiable.
Women's magazines; addressing themselves particularly to
Mrs. Housewife, are built on the idea of service to women
and to the home.
There is no gainsaying the fact that the general content
of women's magazines, articles and pictures, has had a great
influence on the culture and living standard of the nation,
and on its health and good taste, and in addition there have
been campaigns and crusades in women's magazines that have
influenced Canada's homes and communities for good.
As a market—place, women's magazines are pre—eminent.
They are studied and considered intensively, not merely read.
Even those readers who cannot afford gowns, styles and beauty
preparations designed for the well—to—do are helped
in their choice of less expensive substitutes.
Farm Periodicals
Farm periodicals have a long and honourable record. In pioneer
days farming called for industry and perseverance, and the
lore of agriculture was passed down from father to son. Nowadays,
science and the need for skilled management combine to make
farming an industry that requires constant study by its people.
Particular problems beset the farmer today. The Saskatchewan
grain grower cannot sow an extra acre without taking into
consideration what his opposite numbers are doing in Argentina
and the United States. The depression, the war, and the disinclination
of young people to stay on farms have all conspired to add
to the difficulty of farming. These problems have been taken
up by the farm journals.
Besides providing practical farm knowledge and explaining
new methods, these magazines lead in the effort to bring about
improvements in the rural way of life. They give world—wide
information of interest to farmers, and their interpretation
of world happenings in terms of farm interest makes them an
important force in moulding public opinion.
Business and Trade Papers
Business, merchandising, industrial and technical papers
are regarded by executives as essential tools. They are worth
many times their cost to men who study them and take advantage
of the information they provide. No "true experience" story
in a trade paper is printed with the thought that you can
go and do exactly likewise with precisely the same success.
But many a man has increased his business and boosted his
assets by taking someone else's bright idea and giving it
an original twist before applying it to his own needs.
These merchandising and technical periodicals are current
text—books for the segments of business they serve. They
present up—to—date "how to do it" material authoritatively.
They crusade constantly for higher standards of business ethics
and production performance. They provide a meeting place in
print for discussion of methods and processes. They supply
an advertising medium directed precisely at the specialized
market they serve.
Of more than 200 business, trade and technical papers, at
least twelve have flourished in Canada for over 60 years,
and newly found wants are met from time to time by new ones.
Other Special Magazines
Specialized in a different way are the scholarly, or "highbrow",
magazines. With comparatively little circulation, they give
expression to the wisdom of scholars and philosophers, and
remain periodicals for the elect and the select. But they
do add in one important way to the culture of Canada. It is
not enough for the scholarly magazine to report that a condition
exists, and it does not content itself with praising or condemning:
the scholarly magazine must inquire into the why, the how,
and the effect of the new condition. It must ascertain the
function of the event in the scheme of life, and it seeks
to appraise the effects in terms of Canada's future.
In the same class, so far as circulation and accomplishment
are concerned, are the "little magazines". They perform a
service not given by any other kind of publication: the opportunity
for new writers with innovations of style or material, to
get into print.
Some of these little magazines are snobbish. Some delight
in parading their eccentricities. Often they are annoying
to the lay reader. But they have a record of reputable accomplishment.
Three investigators looked into these little magazines in
1946, and reported, according to James Playsted Wood in his
Magazines in the United States, that these unsung periodicals
had discovered and sponsored about 80 per cent of the important
novelists, poets and critics who began to write after 1912.
What do People Want?
It is most difficult to ascertain what people want in a
magazine. Most surveys have been made by commercial interests,
and do not contribute to social inferences.
Probably the reasons for having magazines in the house would
surprise us. Some are there because they were given us for
Christmas; others because we just wouldn't be without the
inspiration their contents give us. Some may be tastefully
disposed on end tables to impress visitors; others are on
bedside tables for the restful pre—sleep hour. And now
they have started to appeal through perfume: the American
Museum of Natural History recently printed a magazine with
specially prepared ink which gave off a piney odour.
Editors' opinions about readers' wants differ widely. All
are trying to provide a general menu that will satisfy the
desires and tastes of a multitude of subscribers. If circulation
increases, the editor may take it as a sign that the magazine
is on the right track; if it falls, the readers are not satisfied,
and it is time for a shakeup.
That is, for the general magazine, stating a problem in
too easy terms. The general magazine is noted for the variety
of its contents, as well as the quality and quantity, so the
editor must ask: what class of item is not pleasing readers?
Is the factual reporting not competent? Is the fiction section
in a rut? Are the departments living up to their service objective?
Does the editorial section lag behind public opinion, or is
it too far ahead? Is the magazine generally too soothing,
or too startling?
These are just some of the headaches of the magazine editor.
In addition he has the inescapable danger of being caught
out on a limb by swiftly changing conditions. The magazine
goes to press weeks or even months ahead of its date. Its
articles must anticipate what is likely to happen, and they
must be written so that they appear as if written on the day
of publication.
About Fiction and Science
Fiction is a magazine standby. It takes the reader out of
the familiar and sometimes drab actualities of life into more
romantic and alluring scenes. In this fiction world the good
end happily and the bad have a rough time; all women are beautiful
and all men handsome.
Fiction is important socially. It would be difficult for
any of us to say how many of our beliefs, opinions and sentiments
and how much of our general knowledge we have imbibed from
fiction. Our whole approach to human relationships and our
appraisals of our fellow men may be based on impressions formed
in reading novels.
A great deal of the fiction that has appeared in general
and women's magazines in Canada has been noteworthy for its
excellence.
Many articles in general magazines have to do with science.
We are a science—minded people, conscious of the significant
and sometimes startling changes that are being wrought in
our lives by scientific advance. But just what is science?
Is it the record of achievement, or does it include prediction?
It is said of Jules Verne that he was incensed at the American
public because it insisted on classing his stories as tales
of adventure. He desired them to be recognized as prophetic
stories based on scientific facts, as, indeed, they were.
This may justify much that is printed in current magazines,
fantastic though it may appear. After all, the absurdities
of the comic strips in past years are today's commonplace
gadgets.
The magazine can give a discovery, background, colour and
significance. Trained writers who are specialists in the handling
of science news explain the event, and industrialists, medical
men, engineers and academic people tell what it will mean
in everyday life.
It has become the fashion to classify the pages of magazines
under headings that refer to the reader's professional or
leisure—tame interests. Usually each department has its
own specially qualified editor, a person who realizes that
the power of his page lies more securely behind the print
than in it. The most scrupulous attention is paid to correspondence.
It is this personal service that gives many magazines and
farm journals their outstanding hold on their readers. Hundreds
of persons who have tried to diagnose the appeal of a magazine
from its printed pages have remained baffled by the remarkable
confidence displayed by readers. The secret of these magazines
is that they help personally thousands of readers; they are
not inanimate printed sheets, but vital forces in the lives
of people.
Writing for Magazines
It is easier to write in some ages than in others. In a
dark and ignorant period, moderate knowledge will entitle
its possessor to a considerable share of fame, but to be distinguished
in an age like the present requires striking qualities of
mind and exceptional knowledge.
Nearly everyone has a finger that just itches to write something
that will appear in print. Some have a rage for saying something
when they have nothing significant to say, but it must be
recognized, on the other hand, that many persons who could
contribute acceptably to our knowledge and thinking refrain
from doing so.
If you are a moderately—well educated person with something
significant seeking expression your first task is research
for facts. You can find the needed detail in thousands of
magazines and books available in school, church, public and
private libraries.
Having gathered the information, relate it and your philosophy
about it to the needs and interests of those you hope will
form your audience. Don't try to copy anybody's style; read
widely and let your own style develop. Say what you have to
say just as simply as you can, without being long—winded.
Then send your manuscript to the magazine you choose. There
is no more powerful lever to open the magazine door than a
manuscript that says something of interest to readers of that
magazine. No influence is needed to bring it to attention
of the editor: he is looking for it.
Payment for magazine articles has been steadily rising in
Canada. In twelve months recently the editorial departments
of eight leading Canadian magazines spent $581,600 in purchasing
material from Canadian authors, writers, artists and photographers.
One Toronto publishing house spent a million dollars in 1949
to edit its group of magazines and business papers.
Press Associations
There are 121 magazines, farm papers and business newspapers
in the Periodical Press Association, with circulations totalling
more than 12½ million. This Association grew out of the old
Canadian Press Association Inc., founded in 1858. It is divided
into the Agricultural Press Association of Canada, the Business
Newspaper Association of Canada and the Magazine Publishers
Association of Canada. All of these report an increased demand
by Canadians for their own wholly—owned Canadian periodical
literature, and recognition by advertisers of the high quality
of readership of Canadian periodicals.
The object of the press associations is to strengthen the
service to the nation of the periodicals of Canada. They subscribe
to standards of practice designed to improve the quality,
service and ethics of all the publications.
Both the number of magazines and the amount of circulation
have made phenomenal strides in the past 30 years. There are
85 consumer magazines read by all classes, with a combined
circulation of 4,672,660. Forty—seven farm papers exceed
2,330,000 copies per issue. The business press, numbering
260, has a circulation of 1,280,000 copies. Religious periodicals,
35 in number, with circulation totalling 765,000, and labour
and political publications numbering 20, with circulation
of 269,000, bring the grand total circulation to nearly 9½
million.
One virtue claimed by magazine publishers is that their
periodicals are kept for reasonable lengths of time, and are
read by all members of a family. A survey showed that 66 per
cent of subscribers keep their copies for a month or more.
They are picked up and read again and again before being passed
on or destroyed.
This has an effect on advertising. Most leading magazines
depend on advertising for the greater part of their revenue.
National advertising in magazines is an important social and
economic force.
Total advertising revenue accruing to Canadian consumer
magazines, business papers and farm papers in a year is estimated
at $20¼ million. Some representative costs may be interesting.
A black—and—white page advertisement in a popular
magazine with a circulation of 400,000, selling at 10 cents
a copy, costs $2,380 per issue. A specialized—content
home magazine selling at 25 cents a copy, with a circulation
of 50,000, offers a page advertisement for $500 on a "six
times" basis.
Foreign Competition
Canada is a young country whose domestic magazine press
provides a strong nationalizing influence, the mucilage to
help our ten provinces to stick together, but we have been
deluged with United States periodicals.
We are not an insular people, we are catholic in our taste
and broad in our wants. We demand the right to choose the
best we can find. These traits make it exceedingly difficult
for our magazine press. With a population of only 13 million
persons from which to draw subscribers, it must compete in
quantity and quality with a press that has a potential audience
twelve times as big.
The Brief of the Periodical Press Association presented
to the Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts,
Letters and Sciences, said this: "So far as Periodical Press
Association is concerned, Canadian publishers have no desire
to impede the exchange of ideas, the flow of international
information and entertainment. They feel they are capable
of standing on their own feet, of playing their part in the
development of Canadianism. All they have asked at any time
is that they should have an even break in their own land with
competing publications; that they should, in such matters
as excise and other taxes, enjoy precisely the same freedom
as that enjoyed by competing imported publications."
Against foreign competition, Canadian magazines are making
splendid progress, and their proportion of total magazine
sales in their home market has doubled in 20 years.
Magazine Influence
Magazines are looked upon as reflectors of every human interest;
it would be well if they were also to a still greater extent
dispellers of ignorance and prejudice. They do not need to
be crusaders after the style of certain magazines in the United
States which earned the term "muckrakers" - although those
magazines started movements which society now approves. But
Canadian magazines can influence public opinion by the direct
discussion of significant public affairs.
They are important, not only as sources of information and
entertainment and advertising, but, in a phrase used by Mr.
Floyd S. Chalmers in his address as President of the Periodical
Press Association last year: "As moulders of the national
destiny." He went on to say: "The primary purpose of our Canadian
magazines, business papers and farm papers is to increase
the efficiency of our people as producers and traders; and
to add to the richness and colour of their lives; and above
all to promote among our people a spirit of Canadianism."
An institution is only the lengthened shadow of a man, and
a magazine is the lengthened shadow of its editor. Great editors
have not been obsessed with giving the public "what it wants".
They have taken strong, and sometimes daring, ventures; they
see in their high post an opportunity to illuminate affairs;
they make no bones about being the staunch supporters of every
righteous cause and the implacable enemies of things that
degrade and corrupt.
Not all that these editors select for publication is of
equal worth by any standard of judgment; not all of it has
significance in our time or for the future; not always is
the social force of the magazine usefully applied. But Canadian
magazines do, on the whole, discharge their responsibilities
within their means. It is in the national interest to encourage
and support them.
We live in two worlds. One is the world of reality, the
world of hard economic and political fact. The other is our
mental world, in which we paint idealized pictures of the
real world, and make decisions on the basis of these pictures.
Our magazines, by bringing together the two worlds for us,
can help us achieve more logical thought, arrive at sensible
conclusions, and live happier lives.
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