On March 7, 2023, I (Gloria), gave a presentation about Niagara Escarpment Views to the public and members of the Georgetown chapter of Canadian Federation of University Women. They wanted to know how we were succeeding in business when so many print publications are folding. They also wanted to know how Mike and I started the magazine, and my work as editor.
I shared some of our “secrets to success.” The main one is that publishing excellent content makes the magazine a “must read” and leads to more advertisers and subscribers.
I showed some of the local stories we’ve published over the past 15 years and explained how we came to publish our book Views & Vistas, showing some of the photos in the book from local places.
Photos were projected onto the huge screen of the John Elliott Theatre in the Georgetown library. Greg Coman, the photographer whose work we had published on the cover of the Spring 2023 issue, had fun standing beside the projected image of his photo. He never expected to see his photo of a hummingbird be almost as big as he is.
The response from audience members afterwards was very kind. Some of them spoke to us privately, taking free copies of the magazine or signing up to buy a book. One lady had a written list of back issues that she was missing from her collection! I have to note how rare it is for people to want magazine issues from years past, but it is not uncommon for our magazine. Again, the timeless excellence of our features is the reason.
Here are some comments that people sent us by email after the event:
We heard wonderful feedback from the audience, especially from the CFUW members in their meeting. They really enjoyed the chance to hear your presentation and also chat in the lobby afterward. It was also great to see the local features highlighted along with the photography – I noted a few articles that I’d like to read!
There certainly were positive responses from all of our members after your presentation. 🙂 It was really an excellent look at your inspirations, values, goals and methods in publishing your magazine.
That was an excellent talk you gave last night – people in the audience near me thought so too. I loved learning about your writing career and NEV’s savvy business plan. The slides you chose were perfect for that crowd. Well done!
Thanks…for your wonderful capture of life along the Escarpment.
