Geographic coverage area: National
Year founded: 2006
Staff size and breakdown: 2 publishers, editor in chief, and sales rep.; everyone else is freelance
Size of office space: The staff works from home, the publishers are in Sacramento, and the editor and salesperson in San Francisco
Physical dimensions of publication: 8.375” x 10.875”
Key demographics: Lesbians and bisexual women in their 30s and 40s
Print run: 20,700 audited
******
Press Pass Q: What part of Jane and Jane is the most popular?
Editor in chief Maria de la O: Relationships, because everybody wants to know if their relationship is “normal.” I think that’s one reason why Cosmo has done so well over the years. And travel, because apparently gay people like to travel. A lot.
PPQ: What challenge has Jane and Jane overcome over the past few years?
de la O: Reaching the demographic. Get to the women who do not frequent clubs and parties. We don’t have anything against parties; it’s just that we’re more interested in women who are a little older, are a little more established in their careers, and who don’t necessarily go out to clubs every weekend. We essentially target women who are in their 30s and 40s, rather than in their 20s.
PPQ: How does a lesbian magazine best reach out to women in their 30s and 40s?
de la O: We’re trying a range of things, from posting a page on Facebook to getting on the road and visiting Pride events all over the country. I think our publishers went to about seven Pride events this summer. Then this winter, there will be gay ski weeks and so on. We’re just really trying to meet people face to face, or at least meet them online through their friends and friends of friends.
PPQ: What current issues would you say interest that demographic of lesbians?
de la O: Daily life, finances, relationships, and health. It’s more about cocooning than about the bar scene. It’s not that our readers aren’t political – we actually have an ongoing legal section written by Kate Kendell from the National Center for Lesbian Rights and political articles written by our Washington, D.C., correspondent – but our readers definitely have the long view about politics.
PPQ: How has Jane and Jane changed since it was first launched?
de la O: I suppose the biggest change was with the September/October issue, which is our first paid, nationally distributed newsstand issue. Up until now we’ve been free and on the West Coast. It was also my first issue as editor in chief. The magazine was redesigned. It was a larger issue than ever before at 100 pages, and it had some new sections including fitness and more celebrity coverage.
PPQ: How did the magazine's appearance change with its recent redesign?
de la O: The magazine is larger in page count. It’s perfect-bound now rather than saddle-stiched. The body font is different – it’s a little more delicate looking. There are new sidebar styles. There’s more white space. More photography. It feels like something you’d keep on your coffee table rather than something you would read and throw away quickly.
PPQ: Based on your experience, what would you say are some of the hurdles every new editor in chief faces?
de la O: Gaining the trust of those you work with. I’ve worked at a lot of magazines, and I’ve seen people sometimes working at cross purposes. Somehow I’ve managed to convince everyone here that I know what I’m doing and to follow my lead.
PPQ: On the Kinsey Scale of 0-6, how gay is Jane and Jane?
de la O: How about “post-gay”? What I mean is, we basically assume that you’re a lesbian or bisexual if you’re reading Jane and Jane, and that perspective informs every story that we do. But a lot of our stories could almost be in O magazine or another high-quality women’s magazine. Not every story has an obvious lesbian angle, but a gay perspective is inherent in everything we do.
PPQ: What is the most surprising thing a reader has ever said?
de la O: The publishers have told me that people sometimes come up to them at events and misstate the magazine’s title as “Jane on Jane,” which would be quite a different magazine, I think.
[Editor’s note: Each installment of the feature Pressing Questions puts the spotlight on a different GLBT media outlet. If you are interested in being featured, send an email to editor@PressPassQ.com with the subject line “Pressing Questions.”]
Courtesy: PressPassQ (http://www.presspassq.com/ppq.cfm)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment