Say you've decided to take out a small classified or display ad in an art magazine to promote an event. Or perhaps you or your gallery are thinking about purchasing a full-page for your solo show. If you've priced them, you know that ads are not cheap. A classified in an art magazine can run a couple hundred dollars; full page, front-of-book placement can run $7000 or $8000 (or more, sometimes much more, for the inside front or back cover, the outside back cover or other prime placement in the front of the book).
Ever wonder how many people you’re reaching for the price you're paying? As a potential advertiser, you have the right to request and receive that information from the publisher.
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Image from Matthew Keegan, who writes about the state of publishing here
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The rest of us need only to look at the back of the book.
Every fall, usually in the November issue, all magazines that are sent through the mail are required by the postal service to publish the names of the editor and managing editor, the name of the corporation that owns the publication—and the number of issues printed at the last monthly print run, as well as the number of subscribers. It’s a federal code called the 39 USC 3685. (Bimonthly or quarterly publications publish these figures in the issue closest to November.)
Publishers don’t like to publish this information because it takes up valuable ad space in their magazine. Small publishers really don’t like it because it reveals just how few copies of their magazine are actually printed and distributed. The information is usually on one of the last few pages, printed in the smallest legible point size. I know this because I supported myself for 20 years with jobs in publishing.
So how many people read art magazines? The number is well under 100,000 for a national publication—closer to 60,000 or 40,000 a month, or even 25,000. The figure is even smaller for regional or really specfic niche titles. Ad rates are tied to readership figures so higher readership brings in higher ad rates, but it's publishing's little secret that everyone fudges the figures.
Granted, the art world is different from the world at large. We don’t need to reach a People, Vogue, or Reader's Digest audience; those print figures are in the millions. (And ads are in the high six figures; though it's been a while since I was privy to those figures so I could be way off now.) We need only reach our much smaller cohort of dealers, critics, curators, collectors and artists. .
Given the economic climate, some might argue that ads are more important than ever. Others might take a different route--a catalog, for instance, which remains a viable document long after the print run is over; or a good website with regular postcard mailings. All of these are good options, and in this post I'm not arguing for one over the other.
My point is simply this: It's November. Now that you know what to look for, check out the numbers in the back of the book.
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