In October, New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. analogized print journalism in the digital age to what he called the Titanic Fallacy: “Even if the Titanic came in safely to New York Harbor, it was still doomed,” he said. “Twelve years earlier, two brothers invented the airplane.”
The internet has changed the way people consume information and that has a lot of folks in the publishing business worried. Newspapers all over the country are folding because they can’t deliver breaking news in real-time like their online competitors. In a misguided bid to stay afloat many magazines are trying to emulate the short-form style of blogs, eliminating long-form editorial content in favor of chaotic image mash-ups with short, 150-word descriptive blurbs. Many believe the mainstream print publishing industry has taken a sword to the belly, and is now struggling for its last breaths.
But in the midst of what naysayers call a dying industry, Wend, an independent publication on a shoestring budget, is growing. And here’s why: Instead of compromising our product to be a print rendition of an internet page we are going the other direction and embracing our medium for all it’s worth. As other magazines shrink, Wend is getting longer. We prioritize compelling, full-page photos and long-form nonfiction stories over mash-ups and fluffy product reviews. Printed on exceptionally high-quality FSC-certified recycled paper, our print edition is the jewel of coffee tables across the world; a journal of the best outdoor-adventure writing getting published today.
We are proud of our print magazine, but we aren’t shackled by it. Wend is an interactive media brand and as such we are constantly seeking new, innovative ways to provide quality online content to our readers. We will always have our print magazine. It is the soul of what we do. But we want to be on the forefront of new, digital mediums as well. One day, when the quality is good enough, you may be able to peruse Wend on e-readers like Amazon’s Kindle or Apple’s iPad. A group of publishers including Conde Nast, Hearst, and Time Inc. are currently working to develop a software standard that will allow print publications to deliver interactive versions of their products to digital devices ranging from e-readers to smartphones and laptops. If that software allows our readers to better access Wend then we will explore similar options.
There’s nothing quite like holding a hard copy of Wend in your hands. But many people (especially those of you overseas) have trouble finding it. Others would prefer to read a few of the articles before jumping into a subscription. Well, we don’t want you to miss out. That’s why we are now offering full access to our archive of digital issues (including the newest), online, for free.
Click here to access the Wend archive of digital issues, free of charge. If you like what we’re doing then we hope you will help support us by subscribing to our print edition.
Although the content is the same, there is still no digital equivalent to the experience of holding a high-quality magazine.
