“Lotsof independentmagazinesemerge
asaresponse to themainstream,”says
SteveWatsonof independentmagazine
subscriptioncompanyStack,whichsends
outdifferent independentmagazines to
subscriberseverymonth. “Peoplesee the
magazineson theshelf in their local shops
don’t reflect theirviewof theworldand feel
inspired tomakesomething that represents
them.Mostmainstream travelmagazines
tradeonpicturesof luxuryhotelsand
pristinebeaches,which feelverydistant
tomostpeople.Youseecertaincommon
themesrunning through independent travel
magazines–adesire togetoff thebeaten
track, toshow the ‘real’versionofaplace,
and todo thatbybuildingstoriesaround
thepeople they find there, rather than the
iconicsightsand touristattractions.”
ConorPurcell, theone-man team
behind
WeAreHere
, goes further. “With
a lotof travelmagazines, it feels likePR–
likeyou’rebeingsoldsomething,”hesays.
“I thinkpeopleareseeing through that
glossydepictionof aplace, andwanting
something truer.”
Partof thereason for therecentglutmay
be it’scheaperandeasier thanever tomakea
magazine.Purcell,whoused toedit the
Open
Skies
inflightmagazine forEmirates, spent
around£3,000 (NOK30,000)creatingand
printinghis firstquarterly issueonDubai
inNovember2012, takingall thephotoson
his iPhone5. “It’scheaper thanever tomake
amagazine,”hesaysofhisproject,which
isnow tentativelyprofitable. “Tenyears
ago,you’dneedUS$50,000 (NOK300,000)
tomakeandmarketamagazine,but I
launched thisonashoestring.”
For
Boat
magazineeditorErinSpens,
partof ithasbeena reaction to theworld
goingdigital. “Suddenly it’s likepeople
thought:Ohcrap, thatphysical sensation
of readingamagazinewas reallynice.
There’sno real replacement for that.”
Boat
wasoneof the firstof thenew
breedof indie travelmagswhen itcame
out in2011, initiallyasasideproject for the
creativeagencyof thesamename–but
it’sgainedacult followingandnowhasa
print runof7,000.Thedraw isnot justgreat
photographyandwriting,often fromworld-
renownedauthors,but little
touches likepresenting the
Athens issue inpaperused
by local fishmarkets.
Butmuchof thereason
for launchingamagazine
ispersonal.Ricarda
Messner, the24-year-old
communicationsgraduate
whopublishes
Flaneur
magazine,was inspired
byherdisorientationat
movingback toBerlinafterastint inNew
York. “Iwasstruckbya line in the film
Hiroshima,MonAmour
: ‘Lookingcloselyat
things issomething thathas tobe learned,’”
shesays.Sheadmits, “for the first issue
Ididn’tknowwhat thehell Iwasdoing”.
Despiteorbecauseof that, themagazine is
aslightlyconfusingriotofpaperstocksand
crypticstandfirsts, almostmore likeagiant
prosepoem thanaseriesof stories. It’snot
foreveryone,but the first issuesoldout its
2,000print run, leading tocopiesselling
oneBay for€45/NOK370 (thecoverprice is
€11.50).Whenwespoke,Messnerwasabout
“Peopleare
seeingthrough
thatglossy
depictionof
aplace”
Boat
Flaneur
Cereal
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