If you thought everything was going digital, think again. We just saw this article in the NYTimes, The Forces of Neatness Hope to Fill a Niche. It's about Organize, a new mag that's coming out today (looks like Real Simple, doesn't it?):
"Developed by Joyce Dorny, a former homemaker in Northborough, Mass., with an investment of a little over $100,000, the magazine is designed to help readers organize their home, work, time and leisure."
We love the story of how Joyce put this mag together, and we wish her luck. The magazine world is BRUTAL. If you check it out, send us your review.
Comments (15)
There's our washer and dryer! I love our washer and dryer (Kenmore scratch and dents)! That is the extent of the similarities between our laundry area and the cover photo.
Interesting.
I couldn't see having a subscription to such a thing, however. Having it at the newstand when the whim strikes wouldn't be a bad thing. But there are only so many "tips and tricks" and I feel like I've pretty much read them all by now!.
Still, I wish her luck.
I adore good magazines, and have even studied magazine publishing & considered starting my own (not for this niche). But, how much else could there be to say on this subject? Plus, I think it's kind-of funny to buy something, which adds clutter to your home, to tell you how to organize.
I've been on an EPIC organization effort in my apartment. It's been going on for a couple of months. I tend to acumulate magazines & getting rid of them has been tough, but I've had to toss stacks & stacks of them (probably 20 feet tall) to try to make more room for myself.
I'm almost there now & I feel so much less stress when I look across my apartment and see calmness (and even some open space) instead of clutter.
While I have gotten some good inspiration from Mission Organization, I don't think a magazine would do it. Sorry. But I wish any magazine entrepreneur well.
My gut reaction was "doomed!" -- and then GothamTomato got me thinking about bridal magazines. That's an entire niche of magazines that pretty much recycles the same material on maybe a three-month rotation because there's always a fresh crop of readers.
If the publisher is aggressive in wooing advertisers who sell organizing-related products and can get a lot of positive press that'll make it possible to deliver news stand sales from the cluttered-and-desperate... that'd be a business plan.
I'm having trouble imagining long-term subscribers unless organizing is one of those issues where people backslide repeatedly.
I'm all for organization but I agree that there's already so many organizing tips and hints out there, so the magazine may be short-lived. Plus, I find a lot of the items designed specifically for organizing tend to be pricey. All the little dividers and inserts, etc., can add up. I would like to see some creative organizing ideas using items that I already have in a new way or that I can buy inexpensively.
This reminds me of a New Yorker cartoon where a woman reads a magazine entitled "Errands". Does not seem like good leisure reading material....
Actually, I think this could work. Just think of the thousands and thousands of people who read organization/getting things done/cleaning blogs. People seem to love checking in for new re-used 'tips'. And think of how many people are interested in hearing about the organizational gadgets that appear on AT itself.
(I wouldn't subscribe, but that's because I don't subscribe to any magazine at all, except ScienceNews.)
Oh, and I know people who do subscribe to bridal magazines, AND some who subscribe to pregnancy magazines. (For the latter especially, it would seem more useful to get a book with everything you need to know in one place.... but that's not how people think. They get the books AND want the magazine arriving every month, constantly reminding them about what they're about. Why not also with organizing? If it's done well, it should supplant Real Simple - which always looked a bit flimsy to me from the couple times I've skimmed through it.)
I saw a link to this via the Dwell site and while I didn't realize it was a magazine, I did see it.
I have been on an organizing kick in my apartment too. Why last weekend was putting up 2 LACK shelves in my dining area that I got from a friend who bought them, never took them out of the box and now can't use them due to his health and I've done some re-arranging of space in the bedroom closet to make room for my exercise ball and such. It's a work in progress but I tend to be more organized than many to start with.
This magazine may have wonderful ideas and could be great for the over run cluttered, it would not serve me well, outside of additional ideas on ways to improve on what I have already done as far as clutter goes, but may well add ideas on how to not only make it organized, but beautiful.
I wish it wasn't designed by the same person that designs Martha Stewart Living and Real Simple. It will make it that much more difficult to distinguish itself from the larger titles in an already saturated market.
Yet, I am all for this independent effort and hope it will find success.
"My gut reaction was "doomed!" -- and then GothamTomato got me thinking about bridal magazines. That's an entire niche of magazines that pretty much recycles the same material on maybe a three-month rotation because there's always a fresh crop of readers."
But those brides are certifiably insane.
one way that i keep my place free of clutter is by not purchasing magazines like this...
I realized a few years ago that I had sooooo many organizational tools/systems...that it was becoming even more cluttered. I went full circle! LOL
I wish her luck but I can't understand why anyone would really want to read an entire magazine about organizing. Then again, I can't imagine sitting through even 30 minutes of watching people's homes get organized on any one of the myriad of shows on tv about organizing.
Sorry, didn't see this was already posted! ;)
Love the idea of the book. Check out the naked apartments blog on some great tips on organizing your apartment. The 'Organize with Laura' section is written by a city dweller who lives in a 250 sq. ft. studio (Yes, 250!). Some great tips there.