Sister 2 Sister Magazine is a must read for many of us in the African American community. The magazine’s motto, “Givin’it to ya straight, no chaser,” is one many of us in the magazine publishing business admire.
From the magazine’s humble beginnings as a monthly trade newsletter targeting prominent women in the entertainment and media industries, to blossoming into a popular culture magazine, it has shown that it has staying power in the ever challenging magazine publishing business world, that is wrought with magazine demises. This makes Sister 2 Sister Magazine’s longevity even more admirable.
Behind every successful business is a hardworking person, and behind Sister 2 Sister Magazine is its publisher, Ms. Jamie Foster Brown. From her honesty in revealing what occurs both in front and behind the scenes at events she attends and the interviews she conducts, to her support of “hot” or “not so hot” celebrities in their life cycles, over the years, Ms. Brown has shown that she is a credible woman of substance and a force to be reckoned with as a business woman and a magazine publisher
I have always admired her from a distance and hoped to be like her one day. Although she won’t remember, I first met her on February 10th 2007 at Clive Davis’ Pre-Grammy party in Los Angeles. My second time meeting her was during the taping of the TVOne/DNC commercial on July 22nd 2008. My third time meeting her was yesterday, Nov 16th at the Living Fearlessly; featuring Susan Taylor event at Howard University, where she showed up to show support for her friend and her mentoring cause.
It’s not often that an up and coming magazine editor gets the opportunity to interview such a woman of substance who has represented the African America community in the publishing world well for so long. It was not an opportunity to be passed up, so Sociable Susan Magazine took the opportunity to ask her to share some nuggets of wisdom about the magazine publishing business.
Below are excerpts....
What motivated you to start your magazine, Sister 2 Sister Magazine?
Rejection. I was writing and my pieces were being rejected, so I decided to start publishing my own work.
How did you fund your magazine?
I had an advertising background because I was Bob Johnson's (Black Entertainment Entertainment’s (BET) Founder) assistant at BET, so I knew people and had relationships with them, so they were advertising in my magazine from the start.
What does it take to start a magazine?
Don't just start a magazine out of love, there’s a business side to it. You have to support the business with your advertising base. That's what funds it. If you don't, that's a sure way of going bankrupt.
What are your thoughts on online magazines?
They only give you the appetizer in the digital medium. The full story is in the print version. Also, you will learn that digital can sometimes be mean and unreliable. Some don't even do fact checking before they publish stories.
With some online magazines accuracy in question what would you advise that people including writers and readers should be cautious of?
I tell people this all the time, you can't let someone you don't know in a cafe somewhere write your legacy. You must have someone that is credible do it.
What advice would you give someone just starting out in this industry ?
Have your reading audience and advertising base in place first.
Thanks for taking the time to talk to Sociable Susan Magazine.
You’re welcome.
For more information on Sister 2 Sister Magazine visit: http://s2smagazine.com/
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