Category Archives: Uncategorized

Yes, you’re publishing in the midst of crisis

Posted on by

0

crisis-logo-CPIWhy should I attend the Crisis Publishing Initiative? I’m not publishing in the midst of crisis.

Really? Are your readers impacted by fears of terrorism? Or are they concerned about the influx of refugees into the country? Do they worry about the increase in violent crimes in their cities or the political turmoil in the country next door? Were they affected by the last flood, earthquake, or typhoon?

Face it. You are publishing in the midst of crisis, whether or not your publication reflects that fact.

Are you helping your readers understand what is really going on? Are you giving them the information they need to respond to the crises around them as Christians? Or are they dependent on solely secular sources for often biased information and angry, strident voices for opinion?

You have a special responsibility as a Christian writer, photographer, blogger, or publisher. You have been given a platform from which you can proclaim the truth and offer the resources Christians need in order to be light and salt in a chaotic and unhappy world.

Your writing and your publication can reflect an awareness of the realities of a broken world and offer hope and a way forward to your readers. If you are doing this already, you are to be congratulated. You are in a worthy minority.

But if you are concerned that your publication has been ignoring the suffering, fear, and ignorance of a large part of your audience or your potential audience, you might want to consider attending the Crisis Publishing Initiative in Sopron, Hungary, Oct. 15-18, 2017. Veteran journalists will share their secrets for getting to the truth in dangerous and chaotic circumstances. You’ll get access to resources to help the church respond to the crises around them. And, you’ll meet and share with other Christians in publishing from around the world.

What is a mavin?

Posted on by

3

You know what a magazine is, though that once clearly definable entity is now growing foggy around the edges.  But what is a mavin? Webster’s New World College Dictionary defines it this way: “An expert or connoisseur, often specifically a self-proclaimed one.” Yes! Self proclaimed! Okay, I may not be an expert, but I’m definitely a connoisseur, a lover of magazines and periodicals of all types.

Although I’ve worked in book and newspaper publishing,  magazines have been my true love, from my years of study at University of Missouri where I majored in journalism with an emphasis in magazines to my many (but who’s counting?) years in secular and Christian magazine publishing to more than two decades as CEO of Magazine Publishing International, an organization dedicated to training and providing resources to Christian periodical publishers in the Developing World.

In this blog, I’ll talk about everything related to magazine publishing, especially Christian magazine publishing. Please feel free to add your own comments, observations, and news. I’d like to get a conversation going about the issues and trends that affect Christians in magazine publishing. Why this blog? To provoke, encourage, and inform those who will go on to strengthen Christian magazine publishing in their own countries. If you are reading this blog, you are probably one of those. If you are adding your own comments, you are undoubtedly one of those who can make sure Christian publishing has a future in your country.