How sad I was yesterday when I received my Italy

..... with no revenue coming in from the sale of the magazine, are you considering a membership fee for access to th online magazine (and Community pages)?

Hi Lorraine,completely understand your point of view - and believe me Poundbury Publishing did not take the decision lightly. They've had long discussions about whether and how to continue. However, circumstances have fundamentally changed which made continuing for them an option that could not work.We also realise that the website is not the perfect solution for all and we certainly agree that there is nothing like a printed magazine to relax on the terazza with.We hope that with Carla (our website editor) and the rest of the Istos team we will improve what is available online but also return to print in different forms. We are putting together a series of print publications that will be available on-demand rather than through the rather unforgiving monthly cycle of magazines and will allow us to sidestep the whole game of advertiser vs publisher vs distribution channels giving us more time to focus on the actual content.So in a way what Italy Magazine set out to originally do - provide great content about Italy to lovers of Italy - will continue. The ways and means of doing that will change - both because changing times mean you have to adapt but also because changing times afford new possibilities that were not there before.We will be announcing more soon as if you are interested check back with the website or sign up to the newsletter! A prestoRonald 

Hi Russ,currently the website generates revenue from advertising (and has been self-sustaining for quite some time). The plans are to build on that rather than membership schemes. We will also have a series of print / e-book products  coming out that will be accessible via several means (pay for each book individually, pay for a group of books, buy in advance, etc). If we ever decide to create a membership scheme for Community pages it should be for services above and beyond what is currently offered - the website's value is in the people coming to visit and participating every day in the community and I don't think asking people to pay is the right way to go about motivating people to do that.If we come up with some great idea for a service that adds additional value that we think we will consider that.

I imagine some of you will realise why I am especially sad to hear the news about the magazine closing! The magazine business is tough these days and the website has gone from strength to strength, but I agree it isn't the same. It was something to be proud of,  especially at the beginning when it was the only magazine about Italy in the UK. Ronald has done an amazing job with the site (remember the time when it was just a place to sell subscriptions!) and it is great to see how it has expanded.

Fiona

www.petsinitaly.com

www.spiderywriting.com

I understand your decisions completely.  We print newspapers and have seen our ad revenues plummet.  Paginations are way down print runs reduced,   it's the same across the industry in all it's forms.  Don't know if it's quite the same with heat-set titles but the cover price on a newspaper makes a tiny portion - if any - of the revenue.  I hope that things go well for the web site, we have enjoyed being a part of the community for over 4 years and look forward to many more.

As most people will be aware the demise of the paper version of ItalyMag is a great disappointment, and to those people who do not have internet access etc, things will simply come to a halt. The current financial crisis brings about these changes, and I wonder if the publishers have thought about those people without the 'net that have made subscriptions and therefore will be out of pocket?I'm not in that situation, however we'll miss the monthly update, and the chance as quoted to settle down with the mag and a glass of wine.

I´ve just read the news and I feel very sorry. This crisis is affecting everyone in different ways and publishers are suffering. Perhaps the idea of dedicated issues to specific topics may be the way to continue. My advice would be not to do it on a monthly basis but see how it goes and build up from there. I think that people will tend to buy single issues covering topics which will be of particular interest to them. And you will only have to monitor what interests people through the posts in the Community.Best wishes.

my missus is going to be saddened by this news. She also loves to curl up on the couch and flip through the mag checkin out the pics and stories.

The Internet is a wonderful invention but there is nothing like holding the "printed page". This magazine will be missed by many readers...me included.

 content of the internet version is generally just regurgitated Italian newspaper news... sort of headline stuff.. in fact am not sure there are any journalists left...just translators...  paper version had more interest... although have to admit never bought it after moving here... subscribed to the other one...well the only one now I guess

While in the past the online version was essentially a repetition of news from Ansa -  adriatica I invite you to revisit the front page and see if you still think it is just regurgitated stuff.

The past two weeks we have made quite a few changes  and outside the occasional article that we pick up from past versions of Italy magazine (revised for the web) the rest is all hand-lonigly created original stuff. I don't think it is fair to call Carla and Pat "just translators" https://www.italymagazine.com/content/about-us 

Although one can, of course, not like or agree with the content they produce.