Bookmarks

Publication analysis


About the publication

Title: Bookmarks

ISSN: 1546-06571

Purpose, objective, or mission: The magazine offers a guide to the best in books, both new and old, by summarizing book reviews, highlighting the best works by classic authors, and polling experts on non-fiction recommendations. “Bookmarks magazine is a decidedly unstuffy, glossy magazine delivered right to your doorstep every two months. Simply put, we are the best source of ideas for your reading list: we summarize book reviews so you can make an informed decision about what to read next, highlight classic and contemporary authors, uncover readers’ everyday favorites, and much more.” 2

“Bookmarks magazine was the brainchild of Jon Phillips and Alison Nelson, who envisioned a magazine for book lovers: readers who spend countless hours combing bookshelves, clipping book reviews, and studying author biographies and reading lists. Jon and Alison searched high and low for a comprehensive source they could trust for literary advice and pictured a research team hard at work for them: summarizing book reviews, highlighting the best works of classic and contemporary authors, presenting books in different genres and on different topics, and uncovering everyday readers’ favorite books. They looked everywhere, but that team, that one source, that dream magazine, didn’t exist. So they created it, and that editorial team become a reality.” 3

Website: http://www.bookmarksmagazine.com

Target audience:  Adults who are active readers; the “intelligent mainstream.”4

Publisher: Bookmarks Publishing LLC. 5

Peer reviewed? No

Type: General interest, civilian. The content is written in simple but engaging language intended for book lovers and readers with some knowledge of authors current and past. Generally the magazine is free of LIS or scholarly jargon.

Medium: Print magazine6 with some content, such as reading lists and guides, posted online.

Content:

“Our readers enjoy summaries of hundreds of opinions from every major newspaper and magazine for a comprehensive look at 50 new fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books, all designed to give you the information you need to make the best reading choices. We highlight the books that receive a lot of attention, but we always search for that great unsung book that quietly gets just a few enthusiastic reviews.

We also present in-depth profiles on classic as well as contemporary authors, discussing their lives and major (and not so major) works. Bookmarks also covers different topics, from the best American biographies to new fiction in English translation to great mystery, fantasy, and historical fiction series.

Since the best books become known by word-of-mouth, Bookmarks publishes unique lists of our subscribers’ favorites—terrific, little-known gems. Each issue also features a different book club discussing the books its members loved … and the ones that caused the most awkward silences.” 7

Frequency of publication: Every 2 Months. 8

About the publication’s submission guidelines

Location of submission guidelines: https://www.bookmarksmagazine.com/contact-us.html

Types of contributions accepted: “The magazine is structured in its content and will rarely consider pitches that fall outside of that structure. We do not publish original reviews; rather, our mission is to summarize existing reviews from major newspapers and magazines (in our opinion, the last thing the world needs … is another opinion). Within a fairly structured format, we also publish classic and contemporary author profiles as well as specific articles on various topics (Historical Fiction About the Renaissance, Best New Crime Writing, What’s New in Europe, Feminist Fiction, Books of World War II, etc.).” 9

From the website 10:

  • Letters to the Editor
    Please send letters to letters@bookmarksmagazine.com or to our editorial address: Bookmarks Magazine, 2625 Alcatraz Avenue, #362, Berkeley, CA 94705. Please indicate in your letter if you do not wish the contents of your letter to be considered for publication in the “Letters to the Editor” section of the magazine.
  • Book Club Submissions
    Please include the following information for your book group profile: your name and contact information, the name of the book group, the group’s location, and a photo. Email your information to letters@bookmarksmagazine.com or send it to to our editorial address: Bookmarks Magazine, 2625 Alcatraz Avenue, #362, Berkeley, CA 94705​.

Submission and review process: “You may submit a resume and short (fewer than 1,000 words) book- or literary-related writing sample in the text of your email message. We will NOT consider applications without a writing sample. No phone calls or email attachments, please. Address your email to service@bookmarksmagazine.com. 11

Editorial tone: Casual but informed, as if you were talking in a book club, and “decidedly unstuffy.”12

Style guide used: None given.

Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors

Anyone who is interested in reviewing books for a book-loving audience would likely have success at Bookmarks. LIS authors would be particularly well-suited for the mining and synthesizing of information required for the consensus-oriented book reviews.

 

Audience analysis


About the publication’s readers

Publication circulation: More than 40,000.13

Audience location and language or cultural considerations: The magazine is based in the United States and printed in English. Because Bookmarks is mostly a compilation of other media reviews, there would be little variety in cultural considerations.

Reader characteristics: The magazine’s media kit states, “Active readers are generally better educated and more affluent consumers. It has been proven they are more interested in travel, science, arts and the community.”14

Knowledge of LIS subject matter: The general reader may be aware of public library terms, but not specific jargon. Many will have an interest in libraries due to the free access to books that have just been reviewed. Some could be aware of the financial struggles that libraries face and the competition from Internet entertainment.

Conclusion: Analysis of reader characteristics and their potential impact on authors

The defining characteristic of the Bookmarks audience is a love of reading. For a librarian who is skilled at readers advisory or collection development, this should be an easy audience to reach and a pleasurable topic to write about. Authors with a special knowledge or interest in certain topics (non-fiction, suspense novels, etc.) could be asked to write on those, but writing brief reviews on any books would be the main desire. Readers expect reviewers to have a confidence about books they recommend (or criticize!). A general magazine about books features classic books in a genre, but also upcoming books, which is one of the main interests of voracious readers. Those who are passionate about a genre or an author want to know what is coming next. Authors and reviewers should be able to excite a reader about a book, while being entertaining but not giving away major plot surprises! Bookmarks has a witty and casual tone, and its habit of compiling reviews from other sources gives the audience “soundbites” for books, instead of in-depth analysis. Potential authors should therefore be clever and concise.

Last updated: September 8, 2020


References

Show 14 footnotes

  1. Bookmarks.”, Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory, accessed September 8, 2020, http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/title/1521860858609/438973
  2. “Home.”, BookmarksMagazine.com, accessed September 8, 2020, https://www.bookmarksmagazine.com/
  3. “About Us.”, BookmarksMagazine.com, accessed September 8, 2020, http://www.bookmarksmagazine.com/about-us
  4. “Bookmarks Media Kit.”, BookmarksMagazine.com, accessed September 8, 2020, https://s3.amazonaws.com/gatherdigitalassets/other/BookmarksMediaKit2015R.pdf
  5. Bookmarks.
  6. “Subscribe.”, BookmarksMagazine.com, accessed September 8, 2020, https://www.bookmarksmagazine.com/subscribe.html
  7. “Home.”
  8. “Home.”
  9. “Contact Us.”, BookmarksMagazine.com, accessed September 8, 2020, https://www.bookmarksmagazine.com/contact-us.html
  10. “Contact Us.”
  11. “Contact Us.”
  12. “Bookmarks Media Kit.”
  13. “Bookmarks Media Kit.”
  14. “Bookmarks Media Kit.”
Comments are closed.