'Self' Mag Shutters Print Edition, Hires New Editor In Chief

Condé Nast announced today that Self magazine will shutter its monthly print edition after a 38-year run and go digital-only.

The last print issue will be the February 2017 edition. Self plans to publish print editions in the future around “health and wellness-related moments throughout the year,” according to a statement from Condé Nast.

As a result, Self Editor in Chief Joyce Chang is leaving the company and will be replaced by Carolyn Kylstra, currently Self’s executive digital director. She was previously editor of health at BuzzFeed and site director of Women’s Health.

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Selfs print team is made up of about 20 staffers. A spokesperson told Publishers Daily that the company is working to hire some of them in positions that are currently open at Condé Nast, but he could not estimate how many would lose their jobs at the company.

However, The Wall Street Journal reports that Condé Nast also plans to consolidate some responsibilities and cut about 30 other jobs company-wide, or 1% of its total staff of roughy 3,000.

Last year, Self folded its advertising team with Glamour’s business division and this summer continued to combine its social and editorial teams with Glamour, WWD reports.

In the statement today, Condé Nast said it plans a “significant investment” in a “new content and distribution strategy that will transform Self into a digital, video and socially-led brand.”

"By reimagining how Self creates content — and how we distribute it—we are uniquely positioned to give consumers more of what they love while creating innovative and engaging opportunities for our advertising partners,” stated Jim Norton, chief business officer and president of revenue for Condé Nast.

Since 2014, Self’s single-copy sales dropped from 148,000 to 44,000. Circulation has dropped from just over 1.5 million to just under.

Meanwhile, video viewership experienced triple digit growth compared to last year, according to Condé Nast. In September, Self.com broke previous traffic records with 5.3 million unique viewers, representing a 56% increase year-over-year.

That same month, Self revamped the site and refocused its digital strategy on more fitness, nutrition and wellness content, as well as committed to a more diverse and inclusionary message.

The Chinese edition of Self will continue to print its monthly edition.

Condé Nast has cut a few of its titles in the last year to account for falling print advertising revenue. In November, the publisher decided to cut Teen Vogue’s frequency from nine issues a year to four.

In 2015, the company shuttered Lucky magazine and men’s fashion magazine Details.

 
1 comment about "'Self' Mag Shutters Print Edition, Hires New Editor In Chief ".
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  1. Daniel Ambrose from ambro.com, corp., December 2, 2016 at 5:39 p.m.

    Did Self have a digital edition version of the print?  If so, how many subscribers?  Will it survive?

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