Have you ever experienced serious turbulence when flying in an airplane? When it happens to me, I just try to relax and enjoy the ride. But sometimes it can really shake you up.
The publishing industry is experiencing some serious turbulence right now. In a New York Times article entitled “Wondering how far magazines must fall” author David Carr noted that Time magazine was down 31%, and People was down 18.6%. Newsweek did well—it is only down 9.7%. (August 13, 2012).
What’s happening? Are people no longer reading? That’s part of the culture shift. But there is also a drastic shift in delivery systems. Look around the next time you are riding on the metro or waiting in a doctor’s office. If people are reading, most of them are staring at their smartphones.
What are the implications for professional journals like MINISTRY? That is a question we have been asking in recent months. You can currently access our web site on your smart phone or handheld tablet. Our web traffic has increased exponentially in the past 2 years, from 4000 unique visitors per month to more than 50,000. But we can do more. How many of you would be interested in receiving a digital copy of MINISTRY, sent directly to your smartphone or handheld tablet in addition to your regular hard copy of the journal?
We’d like to hear from you. Send us a note to [email protected].