More min magazine 2008: Launch Publisher of the Year (at Spry)
Sunday, November 9, 2008

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Tracey Altman,  Launch Publisher of the Year (for Spry magazine), interviewed by Dr. Samir “Mr. Magazine” Husni.

Although she has since moved on to Reader's Digest, where she is VP and publisher, Tracey Altman was a prime mover behind the launch of Spry magazine. While the players behind the launch were named min magazine's Launch Publishing Team of the Year, Altman also deserved the solo honor of Launch Publisher of the Year. Following is an interview with Altman, conducted by Dr. Samir Husni before Altman took her current post at Reader's Digest.

What does it take to be a magazine publisher in today’s marketplace?

I think what it takes is really selling the magazines more as brands. I think what marketers are looking for today are media brands that can go across all media platforms. Selling beyond the page is a new concept out there. I really feel that we have been doing that here, since I got here in 2000.

How has the job of a magazine publisher changed over the last ten years?

I think the whole process of R.F.P. has changed significantly. It has kind of changed from full service advertising agencies of where you have account management creative and media buying all in one house to kind of separating out that media planning and buying segment. I think when that happened it was really a change in the R.F.P. process that came out. I think it was in 2000 or 2001, in where instead of getting a letter where you would basically present your rates and it would explain objective strategies, marketing efforts, what we started doing was getting these Excel sheets via email and you basically have to plug your magazine brand in a box and fill it all out. It became much more process driven. The other major changes are people making decisions later and later and later in the R.F.P. process and issue by issue, so you are not getting schedules up front. I think budgets; clients are releasing budgets much later. While I think a lot of the marketing programs have gotten bigger and selling across all media platforms has become more key. I also think that from an R.F.P. standpoint it has become much more process driven.

In having a harder job, what drives you every single morning? What makes you tick as a magazine publisher?

I just really love every single thing that I do. I have the most fabulous team. Coming in every morning and having a group of people that you believe in, that you trust are able to sell three mass publications in the environment that you are in, really makes the job much better and more fulfilling. I also work for Dick Porter and he is such a visionary for our company. He is also a mentor and a friend. We have known each other for a long time. I would say times like these, what makes me tick is working with really smart, talented people.

What are the hurdles that you face today?

I think the major hurdle we have is controlling costs, paper, ink and distribution from the print angle, that in combination with the chopping ad market is something that all of us as publishers are facing today.

How did you ascend to this position? What were some of the difficulties? How did you reach that stage because you don’t come to be a magazine publisher over night?

I had some great training at American Media. I sold the National Enquirer and Star. Basically there is no better story than perception versus reality. Conceptual selling with those magazines. I had some really good fundamental training of being able to sell out of the box ideas. When I came to Publishing Group of America, what I saw was an opportunity really to have my fingerprints all over American Profiles’ launch plan. We didn’t have a presentation or a media kit or even the first issue published. It was a very small office and I think in the spirit of it being so small, I really haven’t worked for some of the big publishing houses but I think it honed my skills to be more performance and result driven and to really bring the readers to life, whether it is American Profile’s readers in non-metro counties or Relish’s mass readerships of foodies. I think that enough mass readerships of people in the boomer age range who need practical tips on how to take better care of themselves and their families, I think all those brands really have in common that engagement, that accountability and that mass reach to affect brands on a scale from a sales’ standpoint. I think we have worked together as a very solid team and I have been given a lot of opportunities here to prove myself and I know that is atypical in the industry.

What are some of the pitfalls in the industry?

I guess just trying to, if a publisher or a publisher’s team tries to sell page by page versus selling big marketing concepts, I think that is definitely a pitfall. None of us are selling pages anymore. We are all selling brands, we are selling marketing programs, and we are selling ideas. I think what advertisers are demanding are yes, they want a really good C.P.M. but they have challenged all of us to come up with programs that have both engagement and accountability. Those are kind of the two buzz words out there right now and I think that if you can really understand the marketer’s business, whoever you are calling on, the more likely you are going to hit a unique marketing program that connects your magazine to their consumer. I think the pitfall is looking at things the old way versus continuing to move with change and how the market and the industry are. I find that exciting and some people find it demoralizing. I love it.

Would you recommend the job of a publisher to anyone in today’s marketplace?

Absolutely and 100 percent. I am completely fulfilled with how my career has gone. To be honest, this award is just the icing on the cake.

Who influenced you to read more?

The owners of American Media really gave me a lot of recognition when I was there. I had a ton of different jobs when I was there, I was anything from bi-coastal entertainment category manager to the southeast ad director, and then I was publisher for David Pecker when I left. I would say that Dick probably influenced my career the most, the most recent part of my career, the past five years. And, then of course, my parents have been so supportive. I owe them a lot because I would have never moved to New York if they wouldn’t have given me the confidence to do so.

I made a huge career move when I went from media to sales. I even took a pay cut in my salary way back when. My husband really was encouraging for me to change careers and do what was in my heart. Without that encouragement at that point in my career, I probably wouldn’t have gotten into sales because it is an awfully scary thing to go from media to sales when you don’t have any experience.

What does it take to be a great publisher today?

I guess strong leadership skills really come into play and having high expectations of your staff and yourself. My philosophy is really leading by example. I don’t ask myself to do anything that I wouldn’t do. That includes some late hours and going above and beyond what you normally would do. I think relationships continue to be the key. I hate to underplay that. I really think that believing in your brands and believing in a very genuine way what you are selling. I am the type of person who couldn’t just sell anything. I think that really rubs off on anything from a sales call to managing internally.

In the year 2012, where do you see yourself? Will you still have magazines? Will you still be doing the same thing you are doing now?

I hope I still won’t be doing the same thing I am now. I hope it continues to change and evolve and be as exciting as it is now, and it has been. I am someone who loves change. I think in 2012, I’m sure I will be working on some fabulous brand that has all different types of distribution, anything from magazines to online, to retail, to just about everything. I really think as far as the P.G.A. brands go, that we are really poised to be the most exciting media in our category and a lot of media categories. I think this notion of building a community of consumers and readers and viewers is really unprecedented in the numbers that we are delivering here. That is how I feel about P.G.A

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