Bay Area Magazines

Wired is apparently creating an eReader version of its magazine, the Wall Street Journal and MediaMemo are reporting.

There are few details of what it will look like, other than that the experience of reading it will be more like reading a print magazine—readers will be able to "flip" through it, the Journal reports—than the experience of reading on the Web. At the same time, users will be able to launch videos and connect to the Web from the eReader version.

The Journal also says that by the time the product is complete—mid-2010—eReader technology should have advanced sufficiently to render the magazine in color, which is one of the aspects that make flipping through a magazine such a delightful experience.

Peter Kafka at MediaMemo mentions another interesting innovation on the business side: Condé Nast, Wired's parent company, is trying to convince the Audit Bureau of Circulations that sales of the eReader version of the magazine are equivalent to newsstand sales. Such a concession would enable the eReader versions charge advertisers newsstand rates and avoid one of the pitfalls of the Web, where ad rates plummet.

While Wired is the pioneer, Condé apparently plans to make all of its titles, including Vogue, Vanity Fair, and the New Yorker available in eReader format.

The eighth annual San Francisco Zine Fest -- a two-day conference to support small publishers -- took place over the weekend, and Laughing Squid came back with an assortment of photos from the event. The focus was largely on handcrafted comics and magazines, and featured a number of luminaries in the field.

"How many events are out there where audience members can really interact with one of their favorite artists on a one-to-one basis?" said Zine Fest chief organizer Francois Vigneault in the Chronicle.

The festival offered workshops on topics ranging from bookbinding to the business end of distribution.

In this world of failing media outlets, San Francisco can actually boast a new publication -- and a fancy one at that.

Afar magazine will hit newsstands Aug. 18, featuring experiential travel as its subject matter -- "the connection to other people and their cultures," as its parent company, Afar Media, described it in a press release. "The magazine encompasses all aspects of experiential travel, including cultural, educational, adventure, volunteerism, and eco-travel. . . . Afar's feature articles take readers on foreign journeys from the inside looking out."

The magazine will publish six times a year, and will feature a social networking site that will launch in the spring. Also attached is the Afar Foundation, established to encourage cross-cultural study and travel by underserved high school students.