Shop MagsBC
Search
Close this search box.

Become a Member

Join a network of British Columbia magazine publishers, professionals and volunteers working together to strengthen the BC publishing industry. 

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.

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:

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:

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.

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. 

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.

All membership applications except for supporting memberships are subject to board approval.

Membership dues are subject to change.

People

We’ve interviewed some of the terrific people who work at our BC member magazines about how they got into publishing and what it’s like. Feel free to suggest other people to profile here.