IDEA No. 407 (October 2024 issue)

The Future Connected by Print Media: The People Behind Magazines, Fanzines, and Little Presses

Since the late 1990s, the sales of print books and magazines have continued to decline. Recently, the rising costs of printing materials have made publishing with paper media even more challenging. The publishing industry had relied on a model of mass production to keep book prices and material costs low, but this model was based on the assumption that books would sell widely. However, the explosive spread of the internet, smartphones, and social media has caused a significant decline in book and magazine sales, with magazines particularly seeing a sharp drop in numbers. This situation has made it difficult to maintain traditional production and distribution systems, forcing a fundamental transformation of the publishing industry itself.

On the other hand, new initiatives by independent publishers and movements that recognize the value of conveying information through "print media" have become more active. These new publications are moving away from the traditional publishing distribution system and are trying to create new networks and brand value. Independent editors, with their unique perspectives and sense of mission, are reevaluating the distinctive charm of print media and are attempting to carve out a new role for it in today’s information society.

This special feature focuses on a diverse range of magazines and little presses, such as Subsequence, mahora, inch magazine, MMA fragments, MOMENT, Lumber Roll, Mononome, SASHIKO BOOK, mürren, Taiwan Notebook, Chasui Series, Notes, and Bookbinding and Editors. Through interviews with editors and designers, we explore their current ideals and how they continue their work.

Additionally, we have insights from Momo Nonaka on the latest trends in Zines, from Toshihiko Mochizuki, the organizer of the Literary Flea Market (Bunfuri), on the past and future of the event, and from Tadafusa Okamura, the former representative of the cinema "Stranger," on the role of mini-theaters and in-house media production.

Due to space limitations, the media featured in this issue are just a small selection, but the activities of editors working in magazines, fanzines, and little presses continue to expand. These small yet powerful endeavors may eventually become the spark for a major transformation, leading to a "rediscovery" of the industry.

Edited by IDEA Editorial Department
Planning & Composition: Idea Editorial Team
Design: LABORATORIES (Kensaku Kato, Sae Kamata)
Photography: Toshifumi Aoyagi, Shunta Inaguchi, Masato Takahata (pp. 66-69)
Price (including tax): 3,630 yen
Release date: September 10, 2024

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