Folio: in Chicago

Folio:, another former Primedia Business property that was bought by former Primedia Business executives, is hosting an Entrepreneurial Publishing Summit in Chicago for folks who want to "grow their magazines and their careers."
Although I was lucky enough to speak at the giant Folio Show in New York in November, I won't be able to attend the Chicago event. But even without me, this promises to be interesting for anyone in the B2B world.
And some of the bigger names in trade journalism will be there. Check out the brochure.

International B2B

I expect we'll see a lot more of this sort of thing. Reed Business plans to launch what it calls "a Chinese edition" of "TWICE, This Week In Consumer Electronics," a B2B newspaper for retail operators.
It's unclear what Reed means by a "Chinese edition." Will it be written in English for a U.S. audience? Or in Chinese for readers overseas? Will it be distributed in the U.S.? China? Elsewhere?
Regardless, trade journalists can expect growing demand for news of interest to both China-based exporters and U.S. -based importers.
And those of us who like to think ahead -- and think positively -- will be planning trade publications that cover business in Cuba, Iraq and Palestine.

Launching

There are few things as exciting in our business as the launch of a new publication. If you've been lucky enough to be around for those first few days when a product debuts, you know what I mean. For journalists, it's a chance to recapture some of the joy of those early days in our career when things were new and our potential seemed limitless.
Folio magazine's cover piece this month is Startup Stories, a look at the "opportunities and challeges" faced by six new magazines. Among the featured publications are B2B magazines covering the restauarant, security and energy industries.

B2B junk mail

According to the junk mail I received today, I've been "chosen for a marketing test" by Successful Farming magazine. Under the terms of this test, I get a free two-year subscription to the agrarian monthly if I pay for a one-year subscription.
What is Meredith thinking?
Wouldn't most folks in the direct-mail game know it's a waste of time to send a pitch for a farming magazine to a fourth-floor apartment in Brooklyn?
Maybe these guys should read this interview with Rhonda Hughes of Advanstar.

New trade pub

Helmers Publishing, which owns Supply Chain Systems, has launched a new magazine called Chief Supply Chain Officer. I wish Helmers luck. But I worry that logistics may be the most overcovered area in trade journalism. First and foremost there's the Journal of Commerce, founded by Samuel Morse, inventor of Morse Code. When I was Midwest Bureau Chief for the JoC, it was daily newspaper with offices around the globe. Now it's a tiny weekly magazine -- hurt by competition online and in print. Reed publishes Logistics Management and Supply Chain Management Review. Cyngus has Food Logistics. Primedia Business has related magazines such as Fleet Owner and Modern Bulk Transporter.
These are just a handful of publications that pop to mind. There's dozens more in this space, so you have to worry that the market is more than a wee bit crowded.

Editorial directors

One of my favorite developments in our industry is the emergence of the editorial director. Back when I started this game, there was little room for a trade journalist to advance once he'd become editor-in-chief of his publication. And since many talented people reach that level quickly in the trade press, challenges can be hard to find in the later years.
But now publishers have embraced the idea of an editorial director -- a more seasoned, editorial executive to oversee content at a number of publications. It's a great idea that benefits readers and staff.
For example, check out the background of Thomas Andel. The 25-year publishing veteran has been named editorial director of Advanstar's Paperboard Packaging magazine, Official Board Markets magazine and boxbiz, an electronic newsletter.