January 15, 2004
Every year Folio magazine publishes a State of The Union issue about the status of the magazine biz. Here are some of the highlights and lowlights:

Magazine Trends From The Past Ten Years
• There were 31 bride magazines ten years ago. Today there are 77

• In 1993 there were 34 football mags. Today there are 84

• Dog titles (literally) ten years ago—40. Today there are 89.

• General interest mags got hit hard. In 1993 there were 175. Today there are only 25.

• Men’s titles have dropped from 81 in 1993 to only 34 today.

Quotes To Live By
"Most [successful] magazines have been started by enthusiasts. They started with a passion and learned how to do magazines, not the other way around."
—Bill Reilly

“The secret of a magazine is passion.”
—Clay Felker, founder of New York magazine

“So much of what we did was pure instinct.”
—Clay Felker

“New York [magazine] was not aimed at everybody. You pick a segment of the audience you’re trying to reach and that you care about. We were often attacked and called elitist. Well, we were elitist. Every city magazine has to be about the movers and shakers.”
—Clay Felker

“The thing about magazines is that they’re constantly evolving.”

“I don’t simply look at a mag’s design. It all starts with content.”
—David O’Connor

“One trick, is to sell the same customers more things.”
—Bill Reilly

“In the magazine business, it’s the editor and the editorial staff that matter. You can’t sell crap. Customers don’t buy it.”
—Bill Reilly, chairman of F+W