The first trimester of 2014 saw 84 magazine launches and 187 special issues, according to Samir Husni of the University of Mississippi’s Magazine Innovation Center. Launches are slightly up, and special issues are slightly down.
Trending magazine topics include health, fitness, and eating, with publications like Naked Food and Dr. Oz: The Good Life setting the pace. Husni also gives shout-outs to Dinosaur, a new title aimed at people over 50, and Wolf, an oversized photography showcase.
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“The term mirror image comes to mind when I think of magazines and our society – past and present,” Husni writes. “Magazines have been reflectors of pop culture in a very tangible way for generations. They have accurately taken the pulse of both the population and the culture like no other media could have done. And there is no better way to gauge such culture than by tracking the slew of new magazines arriving at the marketplace. New titles record, reflect and note every trend or innovation people become fascinated with.”
Husni’s column includes two charts covering the breakdown of new magazines and special issues.
To read more about 2014’s first trimester for magazines, visit Mr. Magazine.