Comments on: Gourmet closure: does this sound the death knell for special interest magazines?

By: The end of Gourmet – a photographic view | Journalism.co.uk Editors' Blog

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:51:54 +0000

[...] month Conde Nast announced the closure of luxury food magazine Gourmet in a move by the publisher to cut costs, which saw several other titles [...]

By: Mark Taylor

Mark Taylor — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:04:18 +0000

I wish Tim all the best with Fire and Knives. I launched a specialist printed food magazine called Fork – http://www.forkmagazine.com – in 2007 and it is still going strong, with the new issue out next month. It can be done and the fact that we ‘break’ new talent and tend not to feature overexposed celebrity chefs has been the point of difference as far as our readers and subscribers are concerned.

By: New York Observer: Ruth Reichl on Gourmet’s closure – ‘Our circulation had never been better’ | Journalism.co.uk Editors' Blog

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:07:46 +0000

[...] will out in the current industry downturn from (now former) Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl, after publisher Conde Nast announced the magazine’s closure. “It was a magazine that depended on luxury advertising, unlike many of the epicureans. Most [...]

By: Ricette dal giornalismo del futuro « Il Giornalaio

Ricette dal giornalismo del futuro « Il Giornalaio — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:02:07 +0000

[...] tentativo di colmare il vuoto lasciato dalla recente cessazione delle pubblicazioni di “Gourmet”, nasce Zester Daily, pubblicazione esclusivamente on line dedicata [...]

By: Nationwide Network of Journalists Launch Zester Daily | Journalism.co.uk Editors' Blog

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:23:03 +0000

[...] a pre-emptive attempt to fill the gap that will be left when Conde Nast closes luxury food publication Gourmet, a collection of (predominantly North American) food and drink journalists have launched a new [...]

By: Martin Cloake: Conde Nast mag closures and ‘unreasonable optimism’ | Journalism.co.uk Editors' Blog

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 07:59:11 +0000

[...] on news earlier this week that publisher Conde Nast will close several magazine titles, including that of luxury food mag Gourmet, Martin Cloake asks whether those commentators now [...]

By: Douglas

Douglas — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:18:40 +0000

Eloquent, as ever, Rosie.

Ditto, ditto, ditto.

Everyone needs an aim, whether it be a *** Michelin temple of gastronomy or a lucid, stylish, expansive publication like Gourmet.

You mention Fire & Knives. It’s a great title – aggressive sounding and active. I hope Hayward really will showcase new talent like he says he will (http://www.intoxicatingprose.com/2009/09/printing-palates-with-fire-knives.html).

But, whilst laudable, new talent needs to be paid.

By: Joanne Mallon

Joanne Mallon — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:41:17 +0000

Thanks for your reply Rosie. I feel that since this is a site for journalists, it would have been relevant to point that out in the original piece. I like the sound of this “tronc” thing though – think I will offer to pay my electricity bill with one of those.

I guess if the “new models” for publishing involve writers working for free, that’s a whole other issue in itself. There’s an interesting article here which explores this, and the viability (or not) of writing as a career:
http://mattbeynonrees.blogspot.com/2009/09/i-have-publishing-surrounded-john.html

By: Rosie Birkett

Rosie Birkett — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:00:01 +0000

@Joanne Mallon: Thanks for your comment. Tim Hayward is transparent about his paying policy on the website, which is linked to. He does plan to eventually pay writers from a tronc, if the magazine is able to make any profit, which looks unlikely at first, as it does not have advertising space for sale.

By: Condé Nast shuts four titles in cost-cutting move | Journalism.co.uk Editors' Blog

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:31:46 +0000

[...] noted on our blog yesterday, Condé Nast, which publishes magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, is to shut [...]

By: Martin Cloake

Martin Cloake — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 06:45:56 +0000

Beware of drawing the general from the specific. It’s very sad about the closure, and I agree with much of what’s said here, but there are still plenty of special interest mags that are doing well enough to keep going. Two I read are Runner’s World and World Soccer. There are also a wealth of trade magazines that serve specific sectors very well, and which in some cases are combining healthily with online offerings to offer something new and and better. Take a look at RBI’s stable for example.

Gourmet’s closure is sad, but what it means is that Conde Nast has closed it. There are other specialist food mags, other mags, and print is still going to be around for a while yet. I’m not advocating complacency or saying times are not hard, but we really can be very pessimistic as a trade sometimes.

By: Joanne Mallon

Joanne Mallon — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:05:15 +0000

I like a bit of food porn, and hope that these mags can survive. However, you don’t mention that this new publication Fire and Knives, doesn’t pay contributors: http://www.fireandknives.com/guidelines which I don’t think serves writers (or indeed readers) particularly well. Even a foodie can’t live on fresh air.