Coming Soon: Everywhere

Soon to hit the newsstands, Everywhere is the latest magazine in an already-crowded travel market. The twist? You create it.

Everywhere is the brainchild of 8020 Publishing, a self-styled ‘hybrid media company’ who was this year a winner of two industry awards for its community-powered photography magazine JPG.

8020 Publishing took over sole control of JPG magazine in May this year, amid some controversy. Nevertheless, since 2006, paid circulation has climbed to 15,000 for the magazine, whilst the website has 4 million page-views per month and 60,000 registered members.

JPG is a participant publication, meaning that the magazine is created by its readers. Members submit photography content online, based on a chosen theme. They are also encouraged to leave comments, and vote on the submissions. JPG editors get to make final theme selections and the best pictures make it into the bi-monthly magazine.

According to 8020 Publishing, Everywhere magazine will expand upon this concept. As with JPG, the cornerstone of Everywhere will be everywheremag.com, where people can upload travel photos. However, people will also be able to tell their stories, talk about their favorite places and travel products, as well as give insider tips.

While 8020 Publishing still takes on the normal publishing roles, the overall aim will be to let online members take on the not-so-insignificant task of content creation. The result of this collaboration will be a bi-monthly travel publication.

The notion of interactive communication is nothing new in the magazine industry. Many large magazine publishers have developed interactive media departments that create and replicate online content as an extension of the print version of the magazine. However, both JPG and Everywhere stand out in that the print magazine could be considered a supplement and creation of the website, rather than the other way around.

Speaking to Mr Magazine.com co-founder of 8020 Publishing and publisher of Everywhere, Paul Cloutier, spoke of the creative freedom permitted by the internet, and its effect on the final product.

“It is indeed amazing when you have 75,000 contributors submitting stories, pictures, ideas, etc. and at the same time they are engaging in the conversation and feedback…your role ends up being either the “camp counselor or the cheerleader,” he said.

There are also financial benefits - a significant consideration when taking into account the notoriously expensive start-up costs associated with the magazine industry. As Cloutier said in an interview with Folio: “Printing a magazine costs money. You have editors, publishers, photographers, ad sales managers, designers, the list goes on.

“One of the reasons it is cheaper to start a Web-only magazine is that Web-only startups generally eschew all of the traditional staff and structure. The entire editorial process is changing from a centralized staff-intensive process to a much more agile software-based method. Most publishers have not yet grasped this and are still employing the cost structure that they have used for the last 50 years.”

As a community powered magazine, Everywhere is being pushed as a more accessible alternative to travel titles like Travel + Leisure and Conde Nast Traveller. Its target audience is described as “younger, tech-savvy, well educated, and adventurous … [those] looking for the personal stories and insiders’ views on places around the world.”

The first print edition of Everywhere magazine is slated for November, whilst everywheremag.com is to be launched in the upcoming weeks.