From print to pixels: How magazines are evolving in the digital age
By Francesca Bonifacio x’13 & Nadia Le Flore x’15
This winter, Carrie Anton will be leading a new Mini Course called “Getting Published in Magazines,” and it’s designed to teach aspiring magazine writers how to tell stories for both online and print publications.
A UW-Madison alumna, Carrie has spent many years writing for magazines such as Women’s Health, Self, Maximum Fitness, and Inside Wisconsin Sports. After covering topics ranging from the pros and cons of caffeine to high school sports highlights, Carrie decided to take her experience to the classroom.
Members who enroll in the course will not only learn how to tailor their voice to suit different writing styles, but will also gain an understanding of the importance of magazine writing as publications become more and more digitized.
Carrie has witnessed many magazines shutting down operations because they aren’t able to incorporate technology into their content. She uses People Magazine as an example of how magazines can adapt to content as it moves online.
Online magazines now enable readers to subscribe, preview, and flip through issues online. Publishers also offer deals on subscriptions to keep readers engaged.
“The publishers of People are really starting to understand how to use digital content in a productive way in that it’s not just changing how you are reading – it’s changing how you’re using the information,” said Carrie. “Being able to click on links and watching embedded videos add to the overall reader experience. These features become more engaging and are a positive contribution to the world of magazine writing. If magazines are able to adapt in a growing technological environment, they will continue to be successful.”
According to Carrie, content is still key. “I think that whether it is presented online or in print, it’s still going to be around in some format,” said Carrie. “My all-time favorite magazine is Outside, partially because I love the outdoors. But what I really like about Outside is that their content isn’t just the typical ‘outdoor conversation for the outdoor enthusiast.’ They take a very interesting perspective on social issues that I don’t think a lot of other magazines always catch on to, and they’re able to write stories from there.”
In a fast-paced media environment that only seems to move faster, Carrie stresses the importance of producing quality pieces that readers can continue to relate to, regardless of the format in which the content is presented.
Carrie hopes that people who attend her Mini Course not only have the instruction they need to get their articles published in magazines, but also feel inspired to create something great.
Interested in learning how to get published? Visit the Mini Course website for more details, or contact Jay Ekleberry at jpeklebe@wisc.edu. “Getting Published in Magazines” will run in February 2014.
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Francesca Bonifacio is a UW-Madison senior double majoring in Journalism and Communication Arts. She gets her magazine fix online and religiously reads Refinery29 and Man Repeller. She’s recently incorporated menswear into her daily digest, compulsively clicking around on sites like GQ and Four Pins.
Nadia Le Flore is a UW-Madison junior majoring in Life Sciences & Communication with a certificate in Global Health. Her favorite magazine is Seventeen because of all the beauty advice and quick style tips it offers.
