What waterways publications do you read.

[Gary Peacock]

I am planning the next move to conquer the world of boat building!

 

Well actually I'm trying to work out where to advertise in 2006 now all the available publications have some very good marketing staff who will always tell you they are the best bet. In reality last year the internet was a far more cost effective tool but the ratio of enquires from other sources was quite surprising biggest circulation and most expensive space didn't equate to most enquires.

 

Hopefully I have manage to set up a little poll.

 

I would be interested in which are your favourite publications and why?

 

If you would like to offer advice or comment on your favourite publications or publication content please take time to make a post in this thread.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the help.

Edited October 20, 2005 by Gary Peacock

[Maffi]

I am planning the next move to conquer the world of boat building!

 

Well actually I'm trying to work out where to advertise in 2006 now all the available publications have some very good marketing staff who will always tell you they are the best bet. In reality last year the internet was a far more cost effective tool but the ratio of enquires from other sources was quite surprising biggest circulation and most expensive space didn't equate to most enquires.

 

Hopefully I have manage to set up a little poll.

 

I would be interested in which are your favourite publications and why?

 

If you would like to offer advice or comment on your favourite publications or publication content please take time to make a post in this thread.

Thanks for the help.

 

 

I have been reading 4 publications a month for some time now. Sad thing is its the same issues every month, there being a lack of interest in British Canals here in Saudi.

[DaveR]

Gary,

 

I tend to buy a waterways magazine when I am on the lookout for equipment etc. I tend to do most of my reading on line.

[adam1uk]

I know advertising is how the magazines make their money, but it strikes me that it can't be good for anyone to have a solid 40-50 pages of ads at the front of the book.

 

As far as advertisers go, I feel they need to change their copy more often. Looking through each new issue, the most obvious thing about the ads is that they haven't changed for months. It's fine for readers who are looking for something specific, but the casual reader is likely to flick straight past.

[Gary Peacock]

I know advertising is how the magazines make their money, but it strikes me that it can't be good for anyone to have a solid 40-50 pages of ads at the front of the book.

 

As far as advertisers go, I feel they need to change their copy more often. Looking through each new issue, the most obvious thing about the ads is that they haven't changed for months. It's fine for readers who are looking for something specific, but the casual reader is likely to flick straight past.

 

Magazines charge a lot for artwork and try very hard to convince you that it is the best way to do it, for that reason many companies will use the same art work for a long time.

 

The alternative is to do your own it isn't hard these days.

I had a lot of fun doing the art work for ours I particularly liked this ONE but I got over ruled.

[Amicus]

Magazines charge a lot for artwork and try very hard to convince you that it is the best way to do it, for that reason many companies will use the same art work for a long time.

 

The alternative is to do your own it isn't hard these days.

I had a lot of fun doing the art work for ours I particularly liked this ONE but I got over ruled.

In the Oct 2005 Waterways World, Heron, Boat Builders, are advertising boat being "Available for spring 2004"

 

Sometimes I think I have my head round this "space/time continuum" thing, other times I aint so sure.

[Keeping Up]

Magazines charge a lot for artwork and try very hard to convince you that it is the best way to do it, for that reason many companies will use the same art work for a long time.

 

The alternative is to do your own it isn't hard these days.

I had a lot of fun doing the art work for ours I particularly liked this but I got over ruled.

I think that's brilliant, you should never have been over-ruled.

 

When I read WW I always skip all the adverts before the first (News) section because I'm in a hurry to read it, but by the time I get to the end I've slowed down a bit so I tend to at least skim through the adverts at that end of the mag - so if I'm typical (unlikely) then the second section is the area to advertise in.

[Moley]

Quote Gary:

Magazines charge a lot for artwork and try very hard to convince you that it is the best way to do it, for that reason many companies will use the same art work for a long time.

 

The alternative is to do your own it isn't hard these days.

 

 

As a graphic designer in-house with a print company I have to comment on this one.

 

Yes, with just about everyone these days having access to computers and design software, it can be quite easy to do your own. And we, on the receiving end, will appreciate your ideas. And yes, I agree that copy should be changed every few months.

 

However, this can cause us problems, which therefore increases our time and your cost.

 

As you will no doubt be producing your masterpieces on a PC (Pile of C**p) and the print / publishing world is totally Mac dominated, unless you're using compatible professional programs like Quark, Photoshop and Illustrator, please please please supply your computer files, plus a hard-copy print-out, plus a pdf conversion, and most importantly any original photos as jpeg, and any logos used at the best resolution possible (embedded graphics are a pain), as we might not be able to convert your work and may have to regenerate it, but your efforts and ground-work should save you plenty.

 

Unfortunately, much advert and general design-for-print is produced by agencies. These have an overblown idea of their own self-importance, charge far too much, and frequently have no idea of the actual print processes, and these b******s with their fancy ideas (but how the hell do we get this to work in print?!) cause us more problems than amateurs, but that's a totally different rant!

 

Good luck,

and Gary - run with the bathtub - it will be noticed.

 

Ade.

[Gary Peacock]

Well thanks for the feedback and keep it coming.

 

So far it's looking like Waterways World is good to it's claims on readership figures.

 

It's nice to see people are reading the freebie Tow Path Talk I just hope it doesn't change too much now it's under new ownership. (A specialist magazine publisher)

 

Both Canal Boat and Inland Waterways and Canal and Riverboat seem to have their fans. (There's going to be a name change on one of those soon to reduce confusion)

 

The IWA and BW publication have at least one fan a piece!

 

I must be the only member of the DBA-The Barge Association on the forum so far they score NIL POI! (The D stands for Dutch but I think they seem to have dropped it due to a preconception it was the select club of Dutch barge owners)

 

We will have to see how things progress.

[tony collins]

 

 

If you would like to offer advice or comment on your favourite publications or publication content please take time to make a post in this thread.

Thanks for the help.

 

 

I have read Waterways World for several decades. In fact I still have most of them (except issue No. 1 if any one has one) I tried Canal & Riverboat but I found the editorial mistakes both hilarious and at the same time irritating. For the past 12 months or so, I have also been reading Canal Boat. There is no doubt that the magazine has excellent production values, the quality of the print, paper and photographs are superb, although WW seems to be catching up now. For no other reason than personal preference, I tend to think of CB as the more lightweight of the two. although some of their recent cruise reports have been of interest.If I could only see one of them it would be WW. Towpath Talk is a useful little newspaper style, but I don't think it is distributed nationally and it still seems to favour content from the Lincolnshire area, nothing wrong with that as it is where it is based. Waterfront is just a puff for BW and contains very little that is new.

 

It would be interesting to hear other's views.

 

Tony.

 

[Big John]

It's nice to see people are reading the freebie Tow Path Talk I just hope it doesn't change too much now it's under new ownership. (A specialist magazine publisher)

So do I. I've just found the online version Towpath Talk which is a great way to read it from Cornwall - not many distributors down here.

Edited October 21, 2005 by Big John

[Carrie]

I always buy Waterways World. I used to get Canal Boat too, till September's issue, where I found the Editor's (Kevin Blick) introduction very offensive. I stopped buying it after that.

[Gary Peacock]

I always buy Waterways World. I used to get Canal Boat too, till September's issue, where I found the Editor's (Kevin Blick) introduction very offensive. I stopped buying it after that.

 

There had been some very big changes at Canal Boat prior to that and a good bit of ill feeling from reading the letter the ex editor sent out to members of the industry.