My oafish tendency to walk into people in the bookstore aside, even I, the consumer, can see that the "trend" in publishing is to appeal to the female market. We've touched on that subject before though, both here at Workerette and over at SmallBizMentor as well. What, exactly, is the "female market"?
You know as well as I do that it's a varied marketplace with a hugely diverse crowd of consumers. Yeah, I read the fashion and beauty mags (Glamour, anyone?) but I'm also an avid reader of publications like Backwoods Home Magazine and Women & Guns. A "dose of estrogen" doesn't necessarily spell immediate success in any field, including periodicals, but recognition of one's female readership is always a good thought process to follow. Dave Duffy, publisher of Backwoods Home, can probably attest to this. One columnist for his magazine, Jackie Clay, appears to be one of the most popular on their team of writers. Introduction of features specifically for or by women interested in self-reliance got a big "hoorah" from many readers, far as I can tell.
Recognizing that women are in your readership, finding out what they need and why they bother to flip through your pages, and giving them more specialized information without making them feel looked down upon or coddled. Now there is a trend that will help publications succeed.
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