Membership benefits
MagsBC is the leading advocate for British Columbia magazines, constantly working to raise the profile of our membership and to increase investment in the BC magazine publishing industry. Membership is open to print and online periodicals, individuals and allied industries.
MagsBC creates new opportunities for professional development, access to resources, and knowledge sharing for its members.
Advocacy
MagsBC advocates at the municipal, provincial and federal levels on behalf of BC magazine publishers and creators.
We consider the unique needs of our members and the BC magazine industry when we lobby governments to provide the resources necessary for the stability and growth of our sector.
We strongly believe that magazine creators deserve the opportunity to grow, to innovate and to contribute to the cultural economy of BC and Canada.
Your involvement in MagsBC helps us advocate for you.
AI
Members must adhere to current best practices in the use of generative AI.
MagsBC acknowledges that as the technology develops, so too may our guidelines. AI tools must only be used respecting journalistic practices, ensuring reader trust in an article’s originality, accuracy, fairness and quality.
Use of generative AI must be driven by a commitment to reader transparency. Therefore, MagsBC member magazines will not publish articles with text and/or images using generative AI without full disclosure to readers through clear labelling.
Awareness and Promotion
We look for opportunities to raise the profile of BC magazines by getting them into the hands of as many readers as we can.
In the past, we have displayed member magazines at strategic venues and events, including the BC Legislature, for BC Book Day and Creative Industries Week, and WORD Vancouver. In 2022, we also displayed and shared member magazines at the Magazines on the Hill event in Ottawa with MPs, senators and aides.
We maintain member listings on our website, which raise awareness and interest in your magazine or business.
We showcased our great member magazines and content in our “We Have a Magazine For That” campaign, which ran from March to August 2022.
Code of Conduct
The MagsBC Member Code of Conduct lays out the expectation of inclusivity and respect at all MagsBC and member events, unacceptable behaviours, accountability and call-ins, and interventions and actions the association may take in response to escalating or unsafe behaviours.
We expect all members to abide by this code.
Credibility
We are better together!
Magazines bearing the MagsBC logo in their masthead or on their website signal to readers that their publication is part of a network of periodicals that can be trusted to meet stringent editorial and advertising criteria established by the Canadian magazine industry through its Code of Reader & Advertiser Engagement.
Discounts
- MagsBC members may join FIPP, an international magazine media association, for a 25% discount. This membership offers many benefits, including:
- Industry reports and white papers
- Event videos, presentation slide decks, and discounts
- Exclusive access and discounts to FIPP training courses
- Free access to FIPP webinars
- Networking and consulting services with thousands of contacts and experts
- Literary magazines with a budget of less than $50,000 USD who are members of MagsBC may join the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) at a 20% discount. They can then also buy CLMP’s Filemaker Pro circulation template at a discount.
Expert Advice Through Our Magazine Coach Program
MagsBC pairs experts in a particular area—digital marketing, budgeting, editorial or any other field—to meet with staff at member magazines for a half-or full-day consultation.
These are hands-on, practical sessions, with each member receiving a summary of recommendations after.
The member magazine pays a contribution toward the consultation and MagsBC pays the rest.
For more information, please visit our Magazine Coach Program page.
Internship Subsidies
Since 2010, MagsBC has provided internship subsidies of up to 80% to our member magazines, making it easier for publishers and small teams to bring in new talent, get much-needed support and help develop the next generation of magazine professionals and other creators.
In addition to the subsidies themselves, we now have funding to provide living and moving stipends to interns to assist our member magazines outside our major metropolitan areas with recruitment.
Although full members have priority, affiliate members may also apply for and receive an internship subsidy, as long as the intern hired is located in BC.
All current project subsidy funding has been spent or allocated. We hope to offer subsidies for internships starting February 2024.
For more information, please visit our Internship Subsidy Program page.
Partnerships
MagsBC regularly collaborates with a broad range of organizations to further its member-driven mandate, including:
- Access Copyright
- Alberta Magazine Publishers Association (AMPA)
- Association of Book Publishers of BC (ABPBC)
- BC Alliance for Arts + Culture
- Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) – BC Producers Branch
- Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP)
- Creative BC
- Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC)
- DigiBC (The Creative Technology Association of British Columbia)
- Federation of BC Writers
- Magazines Canada
- Music BC
- Publishing @ SFU
Professional Development
Skill sharing is essential to driving the magazine industry forward. When experts and up-and-comers get together to exchange ideas and share experiences, the whole industry benefits.
MagsBC leads cornerstone projects and events to stimulate discussion and knowledge sharing among magazine professionals, as well as offering free and discount registration to our members.
- All members except supporting may claim free professional development registrations based on yearly print circulation or VPY as follows:
- Up to 15K print / 100K VPY: 3 free registrations
- 15+ to 50K print / 100K+ to 250K VPY: 6 free registrations
- 50K+ to 250K print / 250K+ to 500K VPY: 9 free registrations
- 250K+ to 1M print / 500K+ to 1M VPY: 12 free registrations
- 1M+ print/VPY: 15 free registrations
- Affiliate members: 5 free registrations
- Associate members: 2 free registrations
- Members may also negotiate an ad in lieu of some of the free registrations above if desired.
- Members can also register for Alberta Magazine Publishers Association and Magazines Canada sessions at member rates or for free, depending on the session.
Normally, we offer a conference every 12-18 months, but for 2021-2022, we decided to focus on professional development webinars, discussions, and online workshops instead. We hope to offer the Magazines West Conference in the spring of 2024.
Research
MagsBC was most recently involved in the following research:
- The State of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity in the Canadian Magazine Industry (L’état de la diversité, de l’inclusion et de l’équité dans l’industrie Canadienne du magazine) – A national survey spearheaded by the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association with the support of the Magazine Association of BC.
MagsBC and AMPA have plans to follow up on this research later in 2023.
You can find the report summaries in both French and English, and a form to request the full report, here.
- Making the Most of the Digital Leap Forward: Identifying Digital Content Delivery Systems That Effectively Support Magazine Publishing in 2021, March 30, 2021 by Jessica Fabrizius, assisted by Lindsay Stone. Final revised version May 4, 2021.
Other Benefits
- Bursaries: When we again have in-person events, out-of-town members may request up to $250 to help with their costs to attend.
- Resources: Your financial support helps us maintain over thirty subject resource lists with links to useful and relevant articles, videos, podcasts and other materials to help you when you need it.
- Videos: MagsBC has recorded many of its professional development sessions and made them available to the industry through our website and YouTube channel.
Is Your Publication a Magazine?
Not all online or print publications are magazines.
This list of magazine characteristics may be helpful to those wishing to join MagsBC but who don’t come from a publishing background.
We have also suggested best practices in this document for magazine publishers to consider.
This content is still in draft form so we welcome input from the field about anything publishers might consider problematic or missing from either list.
Full (Voting) & Probationary Membership – Print and Digital Magazines
Full (voting) and probationary memberships:
- Are available to publishers of a British Columbia magazine, journal, digital magazine, or other periodical of a cultural, social, economic, political or artistic nature.
- Have access to all programs and services.
Note that membership is by magazine, not by publisher.
Full (voting) members:
- Shape the strategies and messages we deliver to key stakeholders and funding organizations.
- Tap into the broadest range of programs and subsidies that we offer.
- Are eligible to vote at MagsBC meetings and to participate in referenda. Parties with other types of memberships are welcome to get involved by joining the board, by participating in a committee, or by volunteering.
You can see our members here.
If your magazine is eligible for full or probationary membership (see below), you can submit an application form here. We will get back to you within a couple of days about your application and the board will review and vote on it within the month.
Ineligible publications include:
- House organs, advertising catalogues, promotion publications, daily or weekly newspapers, or publications circulated primarily to a club
- Magazines where advertising to editorial ratio exceeds 70:30 (averaged annually)
- Magazines who do not comply with the Magazines Canada’s Code of Reader & Advertiser Engagement
- Members who are no longer in good standing
- Print Magazines
To qualify for full (voting) membership, in addition to the above general requirements, a print magazine publication is eligible if it:
- Conducts its publishing activities primarily in British Columbia
- Has its effective managerial and editorial control in the hands of BC residents and financial control in the hands of Canadians
- Uses the original work of Canadian writers, artists or photographers as a substantial part of its editorial content
- Has established regular frequency of publication for a period of at least twelve months prior to its application
- Has maintained accepted standards of editorial and production quality
- Endorses, and is willing to work on behalf of, the objectives of the Association
- Adds the Association as a subscriber or member, as applicable
- Submits a complete Annual Information Form, and
- Pays the requisite membership dues
Please fill out our membership application form here and submit all documents as required to Sylvia Skene, Executive Director, MagsBC.
- Digital Magazines
To qualify for full membership, in addition to the above general and print magazine requirements (as applicable), a digital publication must:
- Be at least 51% owned by legal residents of Canada (publisher or parent organization)
- Publish at least 50% original content
- Not contain excessive advertising, at the Board of Directors’ discretion
- Be updated regularly
- Present a clearly displayed contact page that includes, at minimum, the names of the editor and publisher as well as the postal address of the publication
- Be a destination for users/readers rather than an email newsletter, RSS feed or similar
- Maintain an editorial control system where the editor is named
- Have been live for at least six months prior to application for membership
Please fill out our membership application form here and submit all documents as required to Sylvia Skene, Executive Director, MagsBC.
Probationary Magazines
Probationary membership is open to magazines who meet the criteria for full membership outlined above, except for the duration of establishment or accepted standards of editorial and production quality.
Publications must show that they have consistently published original content online and/or in print for at least three months.
Probationary members are entitled to all services that help them become eligible to apply for full (voting) magazine membership within the year and are welcome to join the board or a committee, or volunteer. They are not eligible to vote at MagsBC meetings or to participate in referenda.
The MagsBC Board of Directors will review the publication after one year and determine if full (voting) membership can be offered.
Please fill out our membership application form here and submit all documents as required to Sylvia Skene, Executive Director, MagsBC.
Affiliates – Allied Organizations and Magazines Ineligible for Full (Voting) Membership
Affiliate membership is open to publishers whose magazines are ineligible for membership, as well as to other allied and trade organizations that share the aims of the association.
Affiliate members have a listing on our website and are eligible for free and discount registrations.
You can fill out our affiliate membership form and pay for your affiliate membership here.
Associates – Professionals and Students
Associate membership is open to BC individuals who share the aims of the association and who are professionals or students in publishing or a related field.
Associate members can access MagsBC member services, including professional development bursaries, and attend association events for free or at a discount.
Associate members also receive a member listing on our website.
Apply to become an associate member here.
As associate membership is only open to BC-based industry professionals and students, you do not need to pay dues until your application is approved by the board.
Supporting – Anyone
Supporting membership is open to individuals who wish to join or support the Association without going through the more involved application process or who may be ineligible for Associate membership.
Supporting members receive news and information, can access certain member services, and can claim member discounts on MagsBC, AMPA, and Magazines Canada events.
Supporting members are recognized on our members’ page unless they choose not to be.
You can fill out our supporting membership form and pay your dues here.
Membership Types and How to Apply
MagsBC offers a variety of memberships to meet the needs of BC magazines, publishing professionals and students, allied organizations, and individuals interested in our industry.
Full, probationary and associate memberships are subject to board approval.
Membership dues are subject to change.
