Editor of the Year; Who's Gonna Win?

Photo from susanlucci.com

Forget the Oscars; the real contest to watch is the Alberta Editor of the Year Award (EYA), presented by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.

This year’s nominees are:

Nora Abercrombie (Westword), Anne Beaty (Airdrie Life), Karen Crowdis (Birthing), Käthe Lemon (Avenue Calgary), Ellen Percival (Calgary’s Child), Jenn Schmidt-Rempel (Lethbridge living), Sandra Wiebe (Routes) and Jim Zang (Okotoks Living).

Can we say “all over the board” in regards to this year’s field of nominees? The EYA has always been immensely tough to judge largely because the variety of magazines in Alberta is so expansive. I mean seriously, comparing and critiquing the work of city magazines vs. niche mags vs. editorial about pushing a babe out of your body (yes, I still have labour on the brain) is not exactly easy. The only thing we’re missing in this year’s mix is poetry and fiction (where are you cultural mags?). I don’t envy this year’s judges, Anicka Quin, Melanie Jones and last year’s winner, Tom Gierasimczuk, their task at hand.

I also wonder whether this year’s award will generate as much buzz and consternation as in past years. Is Käthe Lemon destined to become the Susan Lucci of the EYA, in the close but no cigar category, or will she lead the way for the ladies and be the first female to win this year? Or will this year’s winner announce their plans to move out of the province as their acceptance speech since all of our past winners have taken up residence beyond Alberta’s borders? March 24 will surely be a great night at the Alberta Magazines Conference where such riveting questions will be answered, including: what will Ruth Kelly be wearing?

Get your gala tix now and stay tuned for more news and views on the EYA.

--- Colleen Seto
AMPA Blogger-in-Residence

Feature Speaker - Martin White

Meet today's feature speaker - Martin White.

 
Martin is the principal of Online Magazine Marketing, where he shares his expertise with senior management through strategic and tactical consultation. As the former publisher of TIME Canada and associate publisher of Toronto Life, Martin’s experience in the print and online magazine business is extensive. He has monetized web programs for large and small businesses from Bombardier, Pioneer and Reader’s Digest to Wedding Bells, Vantage and Downhome magazines.

Intrigued? You won't want to miss his sessions at the 2011 Alberta Magazines Conference:

1B - Selling Strong Online

3B - Making Money with Social Media

Feature Speaker - Beverley Sinclair

Meet today's feature speaker - Beverley Sinclair.

Writer, editor and chair of the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Bachelor of Journalism program, Beverley is a self-professed word nerd. She has written many magazine articles, several of them award-winning, co-written a book (Western Journeys: Discovering the Secrets of the Land), was editor of the Georgia Straight for seven years, and is kind of fanatical about clear, sharp writing.

Intrigued? You won't want to miss her sessions at the 2011 Alberta Magazines Conference:

2A - Care and Feeding of Freelancers

3A - Online Content Dos and Don'ts

To download the conference brochure, with a full itinerary, session descriptions and speaker bios, visit www.albertamagazines.com/conference

Next Friday, Stephen Osborne of Geist fame, will be in Calgary to run a seminar about publishing models for cultural magazines.  

Geist has long established itself as one of the most successful independent cultural mags in Canada with Stephen at its helm. No doubt he’ll impart sage advice for managing and circulating cultural mags, not to mention paying the bills and negotiating those ever-challenging grant applications. He always doles out good info (think Alberta Magazines Conference 2009; remember his lovely blog post about the event?), but how can Alberta cultural mags best apply this knowledge? 

Methinks the session is already full so for those lucky folks already registered, please share Stephen’s jewels of wisdom with the rest of us and tell us how you plan to employ Stephen’s tactics at your mag.

---Colleen Seto
AMPA Blogger-in-Residence

AMPA's New (sort of) Blogger-in-Residence

Hello Alberta magazine enthusiasts!

(Photo by Sarah Millan)

Some of you may know me from my work at AMPA. I’m currently on mat leave, but that hasn’t diminished my interest in reading the pages of Alberta magazines as well as following what’s happening behind the scenes. 

So, thanks to the thoughtfulness of my stalwart pinch hitter, Andrew Mah, I’m going to take up residence on the Alberta Magazines blog to bring to light noteworthy goings-on in the industry as well as to voice my opinion on said events. I invite you to do the same. 

Let me know what you’d like to hear about. Interested in upcoming trends? Wanna know what magazine is doing what? Are you doing something innovative you want to share? Have concerns about particular aspects of publishing? Got a question and want some third-party feedback? Or just itching for a juicy piece of gossip? Yes, I know that last one is what you’re all really after. Ha! 

Well, whatever your fancy, email me at setocolleen(at)gmail.com and I’ll do my best to find the information you seek and share it with you and your fellow magazine buffs.

Can't wait to hear from you!

Colleen

Symposium - Secure Footing in a Changing Literary Landscape

This full-day event, sponsored by the Writers’ Union of Canada and Canadian Heritage, is designed to address the creative and financial questions that arise as writers navigate print-based and digital literary landscapes. Writers – unpublished, emerging, or established – will gain an insight into their role in the digitalization of the literary industry. The symposium also explores the importance of community and the need for writers to develop their own writing community.

Authors Betsy Warland and Ross Laird will illuminate the new landscape of digital literature and publishing and will discuss its impact on traditional modes of creation and publishing. A particular emphasis will be placed on emerging modes of creativity, innovation, economics, and community. Kelly Duffin, the Union’s executive director, will discuss authors’ contracts in the digital age.

The Calgary symposium (events will be held across the country) is March 9, 2011 at the University of Calgary, Olympic Volunteer Center, 1833 Crowchild Trail NW.

For full details, and to register, visit www.writersunion.ca/ww_prodevelopment.asp

Feature Conference Speaker - Sharon McAuley

Meet today's feature conference speaker - Sharon McAuley.

Sharon has more than 23 years of experience as a marketer and publisher, specializing in strategic brand and new business development of both trade and consumer magazines. As vice president and group publisher for the Urban Group at St. Joseph Media, Sharon’s portfolio includes Toronto Life, Ottawa Magazine, Quill and Quire and WHERE Canada.

Intrigued? You won't want to miss her session at the 2011 Alberta Magazines Conference, sponsored by Magazines Canada: 

2B - Ad Sales Toolkit: Show and Tell

To download the conference brochure, with a full itinerary, session descriptions and speaker bios, visit www.albertamagazines.com/conference

MagaScene 80: Conference Lineup & Reg, Tips for Tweets, Rewarding Awards Season + more Events, News & Jobs

FEATURE

2011 Alberta Magazines Conference Great Speaker Lineup–Register Now! 

NEWS

Tips for Magazine Tweets “Social Media Fundamentals” Seminar Summary
Mags Canada Initiates Review Process to Address Core Goals 

EVENTS

So You Want To Be A Freelance Writer? February 15 - March 22
Copyright Matters! February 23
Integrated Programs that Work March 10

Get Publishing 2011: At the Edge of Print May 6 and 7 

AWARDS/CONTESTS

Alberta Magazine Awards deadline February 22
NMAF Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement deadline March 4

2011 Western Magazine Awards deadline March 4

WMA Student Writing Award deadline March 4 

JOBS

Senior Account Executive, IMPACT Magazine

Corporate Marketing Writer, RedPoint Media Group

Program Coordinator, Writers Guild of Alberta

WMA Student Writing Award

Nominations for the Student Writing category of the Western Magazine Awards, sponsored by the Amber Webb-Bowerman Memorial Foundation, are now open. Entry rules and regulations can be found at www.westernmagazineawards.ca. Nominations close March 4, 2011.

Nominations for the student writing category must have appeared in a magazine published in Western Canada in 2010. Student Writing refers to the non-fiction or journalistic work (published in 2010 in a Canadian consumer or university/college magazine) of a full-time student. Students must be Canadian citizens or landed immigrants attending post-secondary school full-time during 2010.

The winner of the student writing award will receive $750, all finalists will receive recognition at the awards gala attended by western Canadian magazine editors and publishers as well as being mentioned with the finalists of all awards on the Western Magazine Awards Foundation website.

This award is sponsored by the Amber Webb-Bowerman Memorial Foundation, established in the summer of 2008 to honour and preserve the memory of journalist Amber Michelle Bowerman (nee Webb), and to help fulfill her dreams by supporting emerging artists and journalists.

For further information on the WMA Student Writing Award or the Amber Webb-Bowerman Memorial Foundation, please contact info@amberbowerman.ca

Feature Conference Speaker - Luke Hayman

Meet today's feature conference speaker, Luke Hayman:

A partner at Pentagram, the world’s largest independent design company, Luke’s wide-ranging design expertise encompasses magazines, books, identities and exhibitions. His work has received many honours, including a 2006 National Magazine Award (US) for excellence in magazine design. As former design director at New York magazine, Luke was instrumental in restoring the title to prominence. Since joining Pentagram, Hayman has redesigned numerous publications including TIME, Consumer Reports and The Atlantic.

Intrigued? You won't want to miss his two sessions at the 2011 Alberta Magazines Conference:

1C - A Print Designer in a Digital World

3C - Big Design on a 0.25 Pt Budget

To download the conference brochure, with a full itinerary, session descriptions and speaker bios, visit www.albertamagazines.com/conference

Registration is now open!

Register today for the Alberta Magazines Conference at the Carriage House Inn in Calgary, an invaluable opportunity for professional development and networking. The conference brings together industry experts from across the continent to speak on timely topics in all areas of magazine publishing. We'll also celebrate our industry with the Alberta Magazine Excellence Gala, featuring the expanded Alberta Magazine Awards.

You won't want to miss our keynote speaker, Field and Stream editor Anthony Licata, with the story behind his award-winning magazine. We'll address all things digital, from online sales with Martin White to digital design with Luke Hayman. Print is here to stay and we have that covered too, from circulation with Eithne McCredie to newsstand insight with Scott Bullock. All that, and a whole lot more! 

Register by March 2 and save big; select a conference pass and save even more! Visit www.albertamagazines.com/conference for all of the details...

What Every [Magazine] Intern Needs to Know

An excerpt from an interesting post by Corrina vanGerwen on the Masthead blog

"Interns, pay close attention, as this one is for you:

I recently had a lively conversation with several senior-level magaziners about interns.

Yes, interns, you are noticed, and your editor is going to talk about you with his friends (aka other editors).

 What you want him to say about you is how amazing you are, that you are a godsend, that you do your job exceptionally well. If you are a good intern, your editor will do everything he can to help you along in your career.

What you don't want, is to have your editor speaking badly about you, because we do name names.

 To help all you interns out there start off on the right foot in the biz, here are some Dos and Don'ts:

DO say yes to every job, unless illegal or dangerous. This is not a pick-and-choose situation. Do what you are asked of, and with a smile. A good attitude will get you very far."

Read the full Do's and Don'ts, and share your insight, at

www.mastheadonline.com/blogs/?blogId=571&year=2011&month=January