Getting published by magazines
Ξ December 1st, 2007 | → | ∇ Modeling advice |
I started modeling in August 2005 and immediately started trying to get published. I wasted a LOT of time chasing magazines and attempting to win their online contests before I really started to define exactly what it was I was seeking from being published. I finally realize, all I wanted was the “tear sheet”, but beyond that I didn’t have much of an idea of what I would do with it or what it was worth. As it turns out, its value is still imperceivable. Think about this; do a mental rewind, without using Google, and tell me who was Playmate of August ‘06, or who was Miss FHM of 2005, or winner of Maxim’s Hometown Hotties contest of the same year. Chances are, that you can’t! I’ve even had the opportunity to talk to one of the winners of the aforementioned online contests. To my surprise, the contest didn’t help launch her career as many of us models would have thought! Nope, it kept her busy for a few months, but the moment the next contest started, she was old news and left with a suddenly-open schedule.
Another issue I discovered the hard way was the top men’s magazines don’t like to publish or promote a girl that’s been in a competitor’s mag or on their website. Sometimes they’ll bend the rules, but generally speaking, if you’ve been in a contest at fhmonline.com (for example), chances are you won’t be welcome in Maxim OR in one of their online contests.
With that in mind, you need to determine two things:
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A) Do you want to spend much effort chasing a tear sheet?
B) Which magazine will do the most for you?
Playboy has long been regarded as THE magazine that will launch a girl’s career. But consider how many playmates you can name from the last three months. Playboy sells the most mags with 2006 circulation (in the US) in the range of 3M copies. And, shooting for a Playboy photographer doesn’t mean that you’ll be a Playmate. It’s becoming increasingly common for them to use “test” images as cyber-girl-of-the-month and based on web user’s reaction to those images, they may use the model in the magazine - MAYBE! And that assumes the model is willing to pose nude. Be cautious about posing nude. If you are wishing for a career in Hollywood, be forewarned that posing nude will likely leave you typecast and possibly stall or terminate an acting career - google Julie McCullough if you need an example.
So, back to Maxim. Considering that they’re younger than Hef’s empire, they’re doing quite well at second place with 2.5M copies circulated in ‘06. (Trivia: According to the ad revenue numbers, they’re able to capture higher earnings on their circulation [reference]) Add to the fact the model doesn’t have to bare all and its appeal is even stronger.
Stuff, owned by Alpha Media Group along with Maxim Magazine, has fairly respectable circulation numbers that are roughly half of Playboy’s. That’s not too shabby, but try to assign those circulation numbers to the value of appearing in the magazine. I’ve worked with a Stuff model who received a LOT of promotion from them and Sony, but you’ve probably never heard of her. I don’t intend that as an insult. I’m simply trying to point out, a tear sheet’s value isn’t everything you might think it is.
Lastly, (in the U.S.) is FHM. They ceased publication of their print magazine in the U.S. and are now relegated to being an entirely-online publication. So being published in the U.S. version of the magazine doesn’t count as a tear-sheet in the typical sense. To make matters worse, compare their web traffic to that of their competitors and it seems that having a print version of the magazine helps to drive traffic to one’s website. Have you ever heard a co-worker say “doing a good job around this place is like peeing your pants in a dark suit; it gives you a warm feeling, but no one seems to notice“? I’ll let you read between the lines regarding that quote, but in the United States, FHM goes largely unnoticed, at least for now. Unless you’ve been under a rock for ten years, you SHOULD be fully aware that every form of entertainment is transitioning to the internet. With FHM U.S. focusing all of their attention on their site, they MIGHT surpass their competitors. But their traffic stats show they have a long way to go.
Penthouse is rumored to be attempting to alter their image to become more like Maxim & Stuff. They gave me a non-nude tearsheet in ‘06 and Tila Tequila was published in a non-nude multi-page feature in ‘07. They’ve solicited me SEVEN times for a pictorial and the last time I checked them out (before declining the offer, again), I was not convinced they’re on the right track to emulating the likes of Maxim magazine.
What does all of this mean? DON’T EXPECT BEING PUBLISHED TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE! Vida Guerra did pretty well with her tear-sheet opportunities, but she had a PLAN and used those tear sheets, well. If you’ve paid attention to the techniques being used to sell Maxim and Stuff, the cover models most recently are already celebrities. Being published alongside Eva Longoria means you will most likely NOT be the reason the magazine is sold, so you REALLY have to ask yourself how much that tear-sheet is worth!
In a previous blog, I suggested that real models should leave the online contests to the girls who want to be models and I still feel that is good advice. Let your manager, publicist and/or agent know that you’re interested in being published and let them know where you want to be published - feel free to use the information above to determine your magazine of choice. Once they know where you want to be, let them devote THEIR time to getting you published - that’s their job. As a model, you need to dedicate your time to modeling, not chasing a tear sheet for which a true value cannot be assigned!! Take your time - you’ll get there.
Onward and upward!
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4 Responses to ' Getting published by magazines '
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on December 1st, 2007 at 3:30 pm
That was great, Teresa. Nicely written. inciteful and nicely researched, too. Will pass it along.
on December 1st, 2007 at 9:30 pm
Hi Teresa! I’d like to tell you something that reflects upon me and upon you. First, it was your good looks that got my attention. Second, it was your personality and intelligence that kept my attention. I don’t know how typical I am of your fan base or of men in general. For a 44-year-old I’m probably an oddball. But in my opinion your assets go well beyond how you appear in a photo. So that has me wondering; aside from the pictorial, what other qualities do you look for in a magazine spread?
on December 1st, 2007 at 11:36 pm
THANKS FOR THE INFO, DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL ABOUT MEN WHO LIKE TO START MODELING, ACTING AND STUFF LIKE THAT I’LL APPRECIATE THE INFO, XOOOXOXO.
on December 29th, 2007 at 10:49 am
Teresa i was adding my new friend request on myspace this morning, and look who whats to be my friend?
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=305322437
Who is this person?
is that a Fake ?
I was thinking OMG Tom deleted her NO Way!!!!!!!!!! and started to get Mad.
Now i just dont understand, please help me figure this one out.
oh have a awesome new Yr you and James