I'm happy to announce the launch of Issue 13! As usual, you can purchase your copy or subscription right here. If you are a subscriber, please check your status to make sure your orders don’t overlap before renewing your subscription (or just check your inbox, I sent all Offscreen readers a link to their status page).
I'm writing this post from the airport in Berlin, waiting for my flight back to Melbourne. This trip to Germany wasn't actually planned. I came over on relatively short notice to meet my new printer and to oversee the first Offscreen production at a new facility. It's not that I was unhappy with my old printer (I’ve been with them since issue 1!) but unfortunately it is no more.
In late November my printer went unusually quiet. At the time, my two main contacts there were on holidays/parental leave, so I didn't think much of it considering that my next issue wasn't due until January. When they returned in December and were able to get in touch with me, I was informed that the company had filed for bankruptcy protection! This really took me (and I guess many of its employees) by surprise – as far as I and many other indie publishers could tell, they were extremely busy most of the time. If you've ever experienced a bankruptcy procedure (as an employee or a client) you know that it's always a lot more complicated than it seems on the outside and that there is never just one single reason. So I’m not sure exactly what led to the collapse, but a few big clients not paying their bills was probably one reason.
You'll be glad to hear that my contacts at that company (who have become friends over the years) have already managed to find positions at other printers in Berlin. One of them actually left a few days before all of this went down and is now heading up a printer called Medialis. That's where I decided to move with Offscreen, since I really enjoyed working with him.
And so after the Christmas holidays I made my way to Berlin to I spend some time at Medialis, meeting folks and checking in on the printing. Everything is looking great so far. As I’m writing this, the magazine is being bound and individually wrapped. I can’t wait to see the final result. Provided the last few steps go smoothly, none of you should see a difference to previous issues in terms of quality.
Change in page count and price
However, one thing you will notice when you receive your copy is that it feels a little lighter in your hands. That’s because I reduced the page count from 160 to 128 content pages – cutting two of the six lengthy interviews. The main reason behind this decision was to give me a more manageable workload. If you follow me on Twitter and read my blog posts, you will have noticed that I often struggle to get an issue out on time. As I explain in my editor’s note of issue 13, reducing the amount of content and contributors will (hopefully) provide some breathing room for me to try out new things and make some progress on various other ideas I have.
As part of this change, I also reduced the cover price of the magazine to $20 (down from $22). Please note that if you buy your copy at your local stockist rather than online, you may not see the reduction in price if your currency is not USD. There has been a disparity in price due to recent currency fluctuations, which will be adjusted to some extent with the change in USD. The official RRP is USD 20.00, EUR 16.00, and GBP 13.00. As you may already know, by buying your copy of the magazine through this website, the biggest chunk of the cover price stays with me and is directly supporting future issues.
I'm glad to say that this is the most diverse issue yet. My previous post on this topic led to a lot of helpful and encouraging emails and new contacts (thank you!). Issue 13 actually started off with more female than male contributors, but by the time all the content was in and the inevitable dropouts had been replaced, the mix balanced out to around 50/50. It's going to be interesting to see how well I can maintain that ratio. Having to find fewer contributors overall (as described above) also helps. Please keep your suggestions coming!
As always, I hope you enjoy the new issue. Change always triggers some positive and some negative reactions. However you feel about the changes above, please do let me know if there is anything I can improve – whether it is in regards to quality, pricing, or the experience online – I’m all ears. Thanks so much! :)