Next Issue and old school subscriptions for those who love the art of publishing.

I

remember when I was a kid how excited I was when I got to look at my mom’s magazines. They transported me to exciting places and allowed me to escape from the drudgery of my daily life. When I would whine to my mom “I’m bored” and felt that I would die from the crushing weight of having “nothing to do” magazines were a godsend. I loved looking at the striking photography, wonderful fashions and beautiful models. I imagined myself growing up and living in the city and being an “independent” women. I did not dream about marriage and having babies like so many of my friends. My seven year old self would stomp around and proclaim to anyone who cared to listen “I’m never getting married!” I wanted to be like the lady on “That Girl”. My grandmother like to watch this show and she would often watch reruns while babysitting me and my sister. The show itself was too old for me and didn’t hold my attention, but I loved the opening sequence with Margo Thomas running through the streets of New York—independent, free, and on her own. As I got older my love for fashion grew but took a turn when I discovered the alternative fashions of the underground music scene. One of the first classes I took after high school was a stand alone class at F.I.T. and I flirted with the idea of applying to F.I.T but ended up going to school for film production and moving to the west coast. Well a decade and another degree later, I moved back to New York, and guess what? I am working at magazine and living in New York.

But we all know that magazines and the publishing industry are going through a transition. Who knows what the future of publishing will be once the dust settles. But I think it would be a sad state of affairs if there were no magazines. And to be honest I don’t think that will be case, I think there will always be magazines in one form or another. It is nice to have things on the go, and we all love to interact with our electronic devices, but there is nothing like the 3-D tangible experience of flipping the pages of an actual magazine or book. But being a blogger I also know the allure of being able to fire up your computer, laptop or tablet and getting all the information you need at your fingertips in an instant.

think of it like Netflix for publishing—Allie of ALLIE NYC

So when I heard about Next Issue I was certainly intrigued. For $9.99 a month you have access to 140 titles. You can browse, read and download as many titles and issues that you want, and you even have access to back issues. I love that you can download the issues to your tablet as I do not have cellular on my iPad. So I can download what I want when I am online at home and then I will have something to read when I am on the go. For another $5.00 a month you can also access daily and weekly publications. I am thinking of looking in to this service when I get the new lighter and thinner iPad. Of course not all publications are available, but that is fine with me as I still like to get those tangible issues in the mail. So I will probably subscribe to two or three publications and then sign up with Next Issue. This way I am not limited. If the three magazines I subscribe to are fashion based but I feel like reading about interior design, technology, politics or food I can do so anytime the mood strikes me via Next Issue—think of it like Netflix for publishing. How do you read about fashion? Is it strictly via blogs and online outlets? Is it strictly via magazines? Is it a combination of both? Do you subscribe to any magazines and would you do Next Issue? Do you read magazines on a tablet? What do you think the future holds?

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