Mothering magazine Editor-in-Chief, Peggy O’Mara, announced in an on-line editorial that the Mothering magazine will cease its print edition in order to concentrate efforts on its on-line community.
Mothering’s website and community forums get upwards of 500,000 visitors a month and @MotheringMag has over 75,000 followers on Twitter.
The print magazine was down to a circulation of only 100,000, and was no longer financially viable.
There will be no digital edition of the magazine either.
In her editorial, O’Mara explains that Mothering‘s advertisers and subscribers, many of whom are stay-at-home or work-from-home moms, have been hard hit by the economy.
My head is reeling. I’m so disappointed to hear this news.
I discovered Mothering when my daughter was born eleven years ago and a friend bought me a subscription. I eagerly awaited each issue to come in the mail and always read the magazine from cover to cover.
Every time a new issue of Mothering came it was like getting a visit from an old friend.
I published one of my first long articles in Mothering: “‘Mommy, I Want Nummies!’ The Benefit of Nursing Past Three.”
I work now as a contributing editor and blogger for Mothering. My popular blog, which is updated three times a week, is called “Mothering Outside the Lines.” The last thing I want to see is the magazine cease.
It’s a difficult time to be a writer when so much is in flux.
But perhaps there’s a more Shakespearean way to look at this. According to Shakespeare, Sweet are the uses of adversity.
Perhaps what feels like a tragedy will be an opportunity in disguise.
UPDATE: Since the announcement, Peggy O’Mara has started her own on-line platform, peggyomara.com.
Published: February 15, 2011
Updated: January 20, 2020
I’m hopeful this scaling-back will work for Mothering. Maybe it’s just a smart adjustment on their part that will pay off.
Call me old-fashioned, but I still prefer paper magazines and real books. I know others love reading on their mobile devices, but I don’t have one … and I fear the effect on my budget if I did.
It’s a shame they won’t even be going a digital version for e-readers. There is simply something different about a real composed page versus the clicking/scrolling we most often do online.
I will keep my hopes up that this works out for them and for you.
Mothering was a great print magazine. This news makes me very sad. It may be the way of the future, but reading on a computer simply is not the same as holding a magazine or book.
There is nothing like holding a physical magazine or book in your hand. Print media companies are still struggling with how to make it in the new world of the internet and free access to news and information. No one has found the killer app or the best way to balance quality content, paying writers and low cost access. I hope it works out for you and for Mothering.
I really prefer hard copy magazines. I always feel like there are things on websites you just miss if you don’t click far enough in.
I agree with NoPotCooking – there’s something wonderfully tangible about flipping through an actual paper magazine. But hopefully the publication will continue to flourish as a website. It really seems like there’s demand for this type of writing. And Jennifer, know that your long-form writing will be appreciated elsewhere, even if you can’t write for the print version of Mothering.
Oh I’m so sorry to hear this. I, too, prefer print magazines, partly because as a writer, my time at the computer is all about work. But when I can lie down on the couch and read magazines, it’s like heaven.
I so hate to see great publications ceasing their print editions, but I’m hopeful that your great blog at Mothering’s Web site will continue into infinity.
This is sad. I am hooked on the look and feel of actual books and magazines. Sadly, it seems as though they are becoming more and more extinct. I simply cannot absorb words on a computer screen the way I can absorb them from the actual page. I hope everything works out in your favor, Jennifer, whatever/wherever that will lead you.
Crap!
I too am hoping that there’s a silver lining here. I was unhappy when the LLL magazine went to digital; losing Mothering too is like losing the war. Just having those covers with nursing toddlers and babies being worn lying around the house was a frequent source of inspiration when my kids were really little.
It seems like so many magazines are upping their online content and even those still in print are favoring regular columnists versus freelance-generated articles. I hope this leads to bigger, better things for you.
Reading your post it felt like I was reading about a loved one who you’d recently learned was ill. All the feelings – shock, denial, confusion…they are all there. I will wait to see what happens to the mag and the site.