If you’ve ever seen a copy of Newton Living magazine, then I don’t have to tell you how terrific it is, or rather, was. That’s because this week John Sisson, the glossy magazine’s publisher and editor, sent the following note to contributors saying he is putting his magazine on “hiatus.”
Hi,The March/April issue of Newton Living is arriving in local mailboxes this week. It’s our best issue yet, and it may be our last. Unfortunately, we have to put the print publication on hiatus. Ad revenues were growing—just not quickly enough. We are taking some time to rethink the business model and, with any luck, we may be able to reboot Newton Living.I can tell you that Newton Living has a lot of fans—thousands of them. With your help, we created a publication that provided Newton readers with something sorely missing from today’s media options: great local content, beautifully presented. Thank you for helping me to make this magazine as good as it is.With my sincere thanks,John
I know a few things bout publishing and how hard it is to get a project off the ground — let along sustain it. Glossy magazines are especially hard; they’re expensive to produce and if they only come monthly or, as with Newton Living, less frequently, the ad revenue for each issue is critical.
Still John and his team should be incredibly proud of their endeavor. The story selection was terrific. The writing was smart. And the photography and design was gorgeous.
This is a big loss for our city.
I agree that it’s a big loss. They did a great job of putting together a magazine that was worth reading and worthy of the audience.
That is awful news – I just got my issue yesterday and really enjoyed it. Glad though that this is just a hiatus.
This is a huge loss, and I know John would appreciate any ideas at all on how to keep this going. The magazine has showcased our community well, and has also just begun a fascinating journey of exploring all things Newton.
The idea of a free, glossy magazine in a city like Newton sounds like a winner. Few other cities big enough to have such a variety of businesses have such a high average household income. While I’ve got zero experience on the money side of publishing (only the editorial side), it seems like a no-brainer that it should work. So it baffles me why it’s always so hard to get going (remember Newton Magazine back five or six years ago?)
Hopefully as the economy improves, John can get this back up and running again in some form. He’s been great to work with.
A big loss indeed. This issue’s article about the state of Newton’s arts and cultural organizations’ space issues (“The Squeeze”) has already garnered a lot of attention. I know both the Newton Cultural Alliance and New Philharmonia Orchestra received messages today with space offerings! Here’s hoping this can be turned around.
In any case, many thanks to John and his team!
This is sad news. I hope John and his team can figure out a way to keep the magazine going.
I only just became aware of this publication, and found it of very high quality.
Sad to see it struggling already, but probably not a huge surprise. Unless there’s some very deep pockets behind this, I’d be concerned about its staying power for the future.
I do hope I’m wrong John.
I am really disappointed to hear that Newton Living is shutting down, even if it returns in an alternative mode. I just got the most recent issue this week, and the articles are well written, and informative about what’s happening in the city. This week, an important article included a private email from a principal who never intended that her remarks be made public. The reaction to that message among parents has been one of rightful concern. The message has been sent from parents to the Superintendent and School Committee. I hope that there hasn’t been any interference from our representatives. It was a great article, written by a seasoned reporter, and the evidence printed was a great example of good investigative journalism.