Scientific American, America’s first science magazine, has launched an updated version of the publication. Beginning in July, the redesigned magazine will deliver more news, opinion, and interactivity and present it all in more accessible and engaging ways. All this will be in addition to delivering the tradition of excellence in science journalism that Scientific American’s three million readers have come to depend on.
“For well over a century, Scientific American has been where science and technology authorities have explained their work directly to the public,” said John Rennie, Scientific American’s editor-in-chief. “The new, reengineered version, with its heavier emphasis on explanatory images, bulleted summaries and greater interactivity with the web site, will help both mainstream consumers and enthusiasts to better grasp how science and technology impact everyone’s lives across a broad range of issues.”
The redesigned publication is part of a broader brand strategy by parent Holtzbrinck Publishers which also owns trade book publishers St. Martin's Press and Farrar, Straus and Giroux, stressing interactivity and integrated platforms. Scientific American’s website already offers podcasts, video and blogs, as well as stand-alone articles and news, and the reengineered print version will help drive more traffic to those online features. The July issue includes new advertisers, and its publication coincides with the announcement of a circulation rate base increase.
As part of its cross-platform strategy, the July issue will also include the article, “An Earth Without People,” which began as a podcast interview on Scientific American’s website with Alan Weisman, author of the book “The World Without Us,” soon to be published by St. Martin’s Press.
“The magazine publishing industry has changed dramatically in the past several years. Scientific American no longer considers other science magazines its primary competition,” said Brian Napack, president of Holtzbrinck Publishing. “To be a successful magazine in today’s multimedia environment, Scientific American needs to compete against Google, Yahoo and countless other print and online sources of science information. This reengineering of the print publication continues towards this goal.”
About Scientific American
Scientific American.com (sciam.com), which debuted in 1996, has grown into a dynamic online resource that provides coverage of the latest in science and technology as well as health news articles from current and past issues, podcasts, website exclusives, daily science news, blogs and weekly polls. It has become a leading online science, health and technology destination with more than 1,700,000 visitors per month.
For 162 years, Scientific American, one of the world’s most enduring and revered science and technology magazines, has chronicled for its readers major and technology innovations and discoveries using expert accounts and assorted journalistic features. The magazine publishes 15 foreign language editions with a total circulation of more than 1,000,000 worldwide.