Publishers Weekly

(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)Publishers Weekly is a staple of the publishing business. Editors, publishers, agents, writers, reviewers, and booksellers pony up the exorbitant subscription fees so they can be the first to know about upcoming releases, changes in personnel, and hot deals. Each week the magazine features an author, sometimes famous, sometimes up-and-coming. They run features on audio books, religious releases, children's books, and many others throughout the course of the year. The weekly forecast section runs short reviews of books (in all genres) that will be released over the next three months, giving readers a glimpse of the future. The PW bestseller lists are reliable indicators of what is selling in bookstores all over the United States.

Publishers Weekly is probably the only magazine that sells its cover to advertisers, giving you an idea of the type of trade journal it is. I do not recommend it for anyone who is not associated with publishing. But for those who are, this is a professional expense you won't regret spending.

I have been a subscriber for years and have grudgingly paid more and more every year for my subscription. Still I have always loved PW and look forward to my weekly edition...although I do not always receive my magazine in a timely manner. Whether because I live on the West Coast or if it's just the mail, I don't know. Sometimes it arrives way into the following week, sometimes closer to the beginning of the week. I still find the magazine valuable, but have to say the following:

For a magazine directed at the publishing trade I find it ludicrous that there are so many typos in the reviews as well as the text. WHO IS DOING THE PROOF READING HERE? There is a new format that has updated the look, but I miss the best seller lists being in the back of the magazine. Now they're somewhat in the middle and one definitely can't just easily flip to them. Also, the Q&A's with authors are so stupidly placed in issues which don't contain the review of the author's book who is being interviewed. Instead, there is a reference date to the issue said book was reviewed in. It's frustrating to read the Q&A and then not be able to see the review of the author's book in the same issue. I guess the publisher thinks people keep the magazine at least 4 weeks or issues just lie around the house or office and pile up. I like the "Deals" columm and "Hollywood Reader" column, but my very favorite section is the Author Profile. I am curious tho about the age of some of the writers in this publication... I'd also like to know how the magazine and the editors decide what book should get a starred review. Sometimes I'm astounded as to what gets starred. The website, which you get full access to when you register as a subscriber to the magazine, is easy to use. Even before I receive my issue in the mail, I can see the latest issue on line.

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...however I have recently let my subscription lapse. I am NOT in the book publishing business, I am just an avid reader. The synopsis and reviews contained within, often led me to books that I might otherwise have missed--that's why I indulged in the price of this weekly magazine. I also loved the fact that it's a WEEKLY mag. All the other book publishing info contained within was completely un-useful to me. Unfortunately over the years, it has become just too pricey for me. Reluctantly I have not renewed my subscription. It will be missed (except for the cost).

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Publishers Weekly is a must for writers and for those college and university professors who teach their students more than self-expression. Administrators who want to keep abreast of electronic media and hardware are also well-advised to subscribe to PW/

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Sad to have purchased this item. Not worth the subscription price. I used to use it to advertise editorial services, but they no longer have that feature. Not useful in my business and when the issues come I just throw them out.

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The Atlantic

The illustrations are now included in the Kindle edition, and they've stopped cutting the questions out of Goldberg's advice column, so now the Atlantic is really worth the price.

I love The Atlantic, so I was ecstatic when I saw it on the Kindle list.

Overall, I'm disappointed. All the text is there, but no illustrations, graphics, or charts. One of my favorite sections is Primary Sources, filled with interesting charts and maps. For some reason, NONE of these make it to the Kindle. Nothing but text. I guess it sounds immature to say, "where are all the pictures!?" But I certainly miss them, and the content is not the same without them.

But again, it is nice to have some form of The Atlantic available. I hope the illustrations are eventually included.

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Since I don't get the paper edition anymore, I've been wondering how complete the Kindle edition is. I didn't really expect graphics, since most other Kindle periodicals don't have them or leave most of them out, but I was shocked when the latest issue of Atlantic in the Kindle edition had a list of the contents of the Election Special, but not the Special itself. Bummer.

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As much as I like the Atlantic, the Kindle version pales in comparison to the physical magazine. There is no reason photos, graphs and other visual elements should be left out.

I also dislike the index, which is just a listing of sections. I would much rather have a link to each individual article and a description of what the article is about. Nowhere is there a brief description of the contents of each article and the titles aren't always descriptive. Clever maybe, but not descriptive. So, I end up reading a paragraph or two before I decide whether or not it's something that I'm interested in reading. Occasionally this means I expose myself to something I might have skipped over, but I would still prefer to have some better cues.

The cost is low for the Kindle edition, but I would rather pay extra for the full experience.

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The Atlantic Monthly was founded primarily as a "literary and culture commentary magazine" for and by local authors such as Harriet Beecher Stowe, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., John Greenleaf Whitter, and James Russell Lowell back in 1857. On February 1, 1862, The Atlantic Monthly was the first to publish Julia Ward Howe's BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC. Until recently the magazine was known mainly as a "New England literary magazine". The Atlantic too has shrugged off its roots, no longer publishing much fiction beyond a summer special. Things have greatly changed between 1857 and 2009.

I started reading The Atlantic Monthly, or The Atlantic, as they now call it, back in 1963 while serving in the military. Read it all the way through college into the 70s and 80s, etc. While I go back to Elizabeth Drew, Ward Just, James Fallows, Edward Weeks, and who can forget Phoebe Lou Adams, among others, I find today's magazine worthwhile if for no other reason than the book reviews and writer profiles that frequently occur.

As with most magazines of today, The Atlantic Monthly is no better, no worse than most, though much less than it was once. Though it is more colorful than in prior years, it still has a lack luster to it. And the logo, The Atlantic, now in use while new to many readers, is the way the logo appeared back in the 1940s and 1950s. Sometimes I think the high money-bright idea people at the magazine are too clever for their shirts, I mean positions. I really mark The Atlantic's decline from the mid-1970s, various and sundry ailments from which it has never bounced back.

I assume the magazine has changed hands at least once, no longer coming from Boston but from Washington, D.C. I think The Atlantic's guidelines and direction have changed too through the years and doesn't always succeed. Undecided whether to be a literary magazine, a political magazine, a "People" knockoff, or a combination of all. However, as many reviews listed here indicate, The Atlantic doesn't always succeed nor please its subscribers.

But for the occasional 'good' feature and the book/author information offered I will stick with them. And as with many monthlies, they are now reduced down to 10 issues a year rather than 12. You receive 2 combined issues plus 8 others, that too seems the contemporary trend (helps with summer vacations and winter holidays). I prefer The Economist to most other magazines but the cost is far too prohibitive at $127.00 per year. So The Atlantic is my next choice, good or not so good.

Semper Fi.

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Civil War Courier

As an avid Civil War fan and reinactor, I like following all the latest news on the Civil War front. You would be surprised at how much news, articles, stories, book reviews, and latest developments there are on a war that came to a finish well over a century ago. For those of us that still have a strong interest in this tragic but always fascinating time in our nations history, a modern up to date newsletter is a very interesting periodical to have arriving every month in your mailbox. Civil War Courier is one of two such newsletters available for subscription on Amazon currently. The "Courier" and "Civil War News". Having had a subscription to both in the past, I decided to opt for the Courier. It just seems to have a slight edge in its diversity of subjects in my opinion over the CW News. (Plus the Courier is published every month, the News skips one month). I really enjoy this finely written and very informative news letter magazine. And I like the fact that it comes every month. I did take one star off for the Courier can be a little thin at times, (not every month), and I can sometimes run through all its articles and such in less than 20 minutes. But overall I feel it is well worth the price being asked for a yearly subscription. It is always interesting, diverse and up to date, and one of the very few ways that one can keep up on the newest current events, opinions, and discoveries on what is probably the most fascinating chapter of Americas memoirs..... Recommended.

Folk Magazine

Magazine improving each issue, but purchased a subscription and having problems receiving issues. Also, magazine has offered some great low cost specials recently and it's frustrating after paying full price.

FOLK magazine's website looked so wonderful that I subscribed to the print magazine at the beginning of December, 2012. FOLK magazine appears to be the darling of many bloggers and you rarely if ever find any complaints on the Facebook page.

The Winter issue was delayed by 4 weeks but I did finally receive it, and it was quite nice but I would rate it at about 3 stars -pretty pictures but not much content. And at only 4 issues per year, it is expensive considering, as I said, that the content is rather thin.

The Spring issue, though, I have never received. I have contacted FOLK magazine's customer service email four (4) separate times in the last six (6) weeks but have never received a response. My emails started out very kind and polite, enquirying as to the problem. The latest one that I sent though was anything but kind. I've also posted comments on their Facebook page asking where my Spring issue might be, but rather than respond to me, they delete my comments. If I do not hear from them soon, I will post a complaint on the Better Business Bureau website.

Yes, the magazine looks very pretty but if you subscribe please be aware that you may need to repeatedly email them in order to actually receive the issues.

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I have not received a copy of the magazine. I am sure it will be wonderful, but where is it...

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I have not received the first issue yet....still waiting. I am sure I will love it if I ever get it.

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Humanist

The HUMANIST is published bimonthly by the American Humanist Association. A recent issue contains articles, book reviews, editorials, news and Letters to the Editor. The subjects include such topics as the commercialization of society, multilateralism, nuclear weapons, the Just War Doctrine and the environment. Some of the contributors are Ralph Nader, Gregory D. Foster, Douglas Mattern and Eugene B. Kogan.

I am definitely not a humanist but I still enjoy reading this publication for its alternative viewpoint. It is highly readable and contains very little waste.

I have received three issues of the Humanist as of this review. I have read most of the articles in two of the issues, and am currently working my way through the third. Inside every cover of the magazine is the following definition of humanism, "Humanism is a rational philosophy informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by compassion. Affirming the dignity of each human being, it supports liberty and opportunity consonant with social and planetary responsibility. Free of theism and other supernatural beliefs, humanism thus derives the goals of life from human need and interest rather than from theological or ideological abstractions, and asserts that humanity must take responsibility for its own destiny." Not surprisingly, I would say that the articles I have read fall nicely in line with this definition.

The magazine covers many different topics. Here are the titles of a few articles that I particularly enjoyed: "Moving from a War Economy to a Peace Economy," by Mary Beth Sullivan; "The Bible According to Thomas Jefferson," by Peter Carlson; "Going Anti-Postal," by Michael I. Niman; "Black Churches and Blue-Eyed Jesuses," by Sikivu Hutchinson; "Biblical Scholarship and the Right to Know," by Bart Ehrman; and "Terra Instabilis: Are we Headed toward a New World Disorder?," by Jon Harrison. As you can see, there is a wide array of topics covered. Each issue also has worthwhile book reviews.

I particularly enjoyed the article about the Postal System. The author, Dr. Michael I. Niman, who is a professor of journalism and media studies at Buffalo State College, makes the point that the Founders looked at the Postal System as fostering democracy, as it offered cheap rates to publishers. In other words, it aided in providing free speech. He goes on to say that we are one of the only countries that does not subsidize our Postal Service. We stopped subsidizing the Postal Service under President Reagan's tenure. Dr. Niman advocates the Postal System offering a reasonably priced internet service, which would be similar to the reasonably priced service it provides with first class mail. He makes the case that there are things that can be done to make the USPS profitable again. The reason I liked this article is because it introduced me to ideas that I had never been exposed to before, nor would have thought of on my own.

Another article that I thought was exceptional is entitled, "Terra Instabilis: Are We Headed toward a New World Disorder?" by Jon Harrison. He looks at the predominantly economic crises in Europe, China, the Middle East, and the U.S. He looks at the specific problems that each of these regions face, and how these region-specific problems could impact the whole, since there is such economic interdependency in the global economy. I particularly like what he says about the problems the U.S. faces. He says, "The economic dilemmas America now faces are politically driven. That is to say, past political choices---to run up massive deficits, to encourage consumption over investment, to impose a free trade regime on a playing field tilted against the United States---have landed the country in its current economic situation." I could not agree more. Unless these specific trends are reversed, I think there is little hope for our country's future. With respect to "free trade" he says, "Both parties adhere slavishly to the current free trade regime, which has devastated U.S. manufacturing...." My overall point about this article is that he questions issues, issues like "free trade," in a way that is rarely done in the major media.

Overall, I am glad I subscribe to the Humanist. In all likelihood, I will renew my subscription. I find it to be worth reading.

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Custom PC

Great pc magazine for the enthusiast or the open minded starter. Very detailed reviews with a reliable simple layout. My only complaint is that this is a european magazine, so some of the products they review aren't to avaliable in the US and prices are a bit different. With that minor complaint aside this is a helpfull and fun read. Its a newer magazine, its only been on the racks a little over 2 years but for what thay have accomplished in this time is none short of a wonderfull, solid, enjoyable reading experience.

I ordered this magazine in mid-November. The magazine just got here finally two weeks ago. I had better get all of my issues through this subscription, or there will be trouble... That said, this is the best English-language computer enthusiast magazine in the world, bar none. PC Format is too expensive (I don't need a DVD disc of stuff that I can download on my own). CPU is just a shill for whoever pays them nowadays, their articles were boring, and their hardware reviews were not detailed enough anyway. PC world has a good privacy watch section, but their hardware reviews are nonexistent save for whatever desktop they liked that month (stupid benchmark charts are useless). Maximum PC is okay (I have a subscription), but they need to sell it without the DVD also... actually, I think I'm going to order a subscription through Amazon here to avoid renewing for $29.95... CustomPC goes in-depth on things that really matter, like the anatomy of a CPU/GPU, or what power supply is the most efficient... It IS expensive, but I think its well worth it. Update 2012: James Gorbold, the editor of Custom PC, has left the magazine (replaced by Ben Hardwedgie), and it has greatly changed as a result. It's more like Maximum PC, reporting on a lot of stuff I don't care about, like smartphones (I know about Spybubble and Stinger). They have given more space to Mr. Leather and his modification tutorials, so that's a positive. But I find myself fondly reading past recent issues more (8-core AMD processor issue, etc.). The magazine has become more "emo", with guys writing articles literally apologizing for being male. I don't know if I will be renewing.

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Kids Discover

I have been searching for a good magazine for my kids, and this is by far the best I have seen. The articles are in depth, and the pictures and photos are very high quality. Best of all there is no ads to confuse your kids!! Since I read so many bad billing reviews about this magazine, I decided to get it from my local library. Again, this is a GREAT magazine you don't want your kids to miss!!

We had a subscription to this magazine and it's a pretty good one for the kids, albeit woefully thin. I found it too expensive for the few pages the magazine has and did not renew it. After ignoring the standard renewal pleas, yesterday I found in my mailbox a letter (with subscription invoice attached, of course) stating that my account was "seriously past due" and that "further action is pending" on my "delinquent" account. For those getting similar notices, I found this number to call:

1-800-825-2821

The lady I spoke with said she cancelled the 'unathorized order'...we shall see if I receive any other notices.

It really is a shame that the tactics of the subscription services overshadow the actual product.

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Recently KIDS DISCOVER has been "repeating" issues -that is simply reprinting ENTIRE issues it has previously published -this wouldn't be so bad I guess but they are not even updating the content.. the result is that they are printing old information that is more than just out of date and it's just plain wrong... I guess they are doing it to save money but they've lost my family's trust..

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We've never received this magazine, but we just received the bill with a message that we are about to be turned over to a collection agency.

BEWARE OF THIS COMPANY

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I have been dealing with this company for 2 years to have them remove my name from thier collection agency. NO luck..I would not recommend!

Zootles

Zootles is a relatively new bimonthly from the creators of Zoobooks. Zootles features vivid, colorful spreads of wild animals, drawings of wildlife, stories, poems, games and other activities geared towards very young children aged 2 to 6. Each Zootles issue features a different animal and the focus tends to be on young animals or those often popular with young children (e.g. baby zebras, tiger cubs, rabbits, horses, elephants).

Zootles presents the material in an educational and fun way without being "baby-ish". The themes tend to revolve around physical and developmental characteristics of the animal mixed in with fundamental learning skills such as reading, rhymes, counting and pattern recognition.

Each issue features a particular number and letter each month and there is a recurring character, an otter, which is part of an regular comic strip on the back cover, that playfully guides the entire magazine along. The middle includes a bit more advanced detail about the animal featured and a page or two of additional resources and tips for parents who wish to engage their children further based on the current issue's theme.

There is no advertising other than the subscriber insert cards for the magazine itself. Each issue is about 20 pages.

This is one of the few magazines I've found most appropriate for and enjoyable by very young children. I also suggest you consider Ladybug, which is geared towards the same age group, but is a more general literary magazine with stories, poems, songs and games for kids in the same age bracket.

My preschooler loves Ladybug, another periodical (with more of a language arts theme) for young children, and when I came across Zootles, I decided to give it a try. Zootles is a bimonthly publication and is a great magazine focusing on wildlife. The magazine is ad-free which is a great bonus in my opinion. Each publication features a particular animal, for example pandas, and the entire magazine (for those two months) has interesting facts about the pandas, covering their habitat, the panda babies, how they play, their diet, and a short story featuring the panda. The magazine also has a 'fun pages' feature which comprises fun activities like coloring, drawing, and other learning activities.There are plenty of full-color photographs about the featured animal as well as beautiful illustrations. Highly recommended for ages 3-6.

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This subscription focuses on animal science concepts, mainly physical features, subspecies, and interesting fact. Very limited on th phonics, and number focus, but maybe that is why it is a science subscription, lol. Some facts were even new for me. Example, you can easily tell the various monkys from apes because monkeys have tails, apes (gorillas, chimpes, orangutans, bonobos) do NOT. How cool is that. The photos are outstanding in this magazine, the poems are sweet and emphasize rhyming. The section in the middle for extension ideas is super and can take it to that 6 ending range or keeps it simple for the 2s. Lots of sensory activities which is great for the little ones. I will renew. Only thing that would make this a 5 star would be a few more letter/number activites.

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My daughter loves this magazines, she will sit and do one from front to back and never get bored. I love how engaging they are and the puzzles are fun, very much like Highlights Magazine.

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Started receiving this magazine when my son was 3! He just turned 4 and I plan on continuing as it has been a highlight for us. The funny (to me) story: While working on completing my son's toilet training this became the go to magazine to keep him occupied while sitting on the potty and waiting. It has excellent little facts about the featured animal as well as stories and games geared perfectly to his level. Although my son has been potty trained for some time at this point the habit of reading this magazine in the bathroom stuck. That's right, he asks for this magazine every time that it's "that time". I now keep them stacked at the back of the toilet :D