Independent magazines

328 Media Back to top

328 Media is based in Lewes, Sussex. Titles include:

• Kiteworld May 2001 launch as a worldwide kiteboarding magazine. Distributed in more than 60 countries, six times a year.
• Kingdom for inline skaters.
• The Boarder for board riders.

It also distributes DVDs.

Arcwind Publishing Back to top

Arcwind is based in Oxfordshire. Titles include:

• Inline Skating
• Kitesurf 6 times a year since June 2001
• Powerkite 6 times a year since June 2003 for people who fly sports kites
• Unity skateboarding title eight times a year
• Wakeboard & Waterski 8 times a year since June 2002
• Windsurf published 10 times a year. Launched 1979. Has a digital subscription for £21 ($38) compared with £30 for the print version
  

As Above So Below Back to top

Satirical magazine produced by David French and Derek Thompson twice a year. The magazine, which is 'not for sale to children, not even inner ones' takes as its targets 'society, religions and philosophies, natural medicine, conspiracies, politics, social justice and anything else that takes our fancy', say the writers.

Contact: asabovesobelow@btinternet.com

Bad Idea Top

Bad Idea is a website and magazine. It also runs regular meetings in London.

Bad Idea

Bad Idea is a magazine 'of journalism, ideas and opinion for intelligent young Britain', which sees itself as 'the new stomping ground for ambitious young British writers'. In May 2008, Portico Books published a collection of writing from the magazine, Bad Idea: The anthology

(The) Church of London Top

Based in East London, TCOLondon is a creattive agency that undertakes projects for clients around the world. It publishes two magazines, Huck and LWLies, which have won awards for design from the likes of D&AD and the PPA. Alongside publishing, its work embraces design, writing and filmmaking, and staging parties and exhibitions.

Huck

Huck is a bi-monthly lifestyle magazine rooted in surf, skate and snowboarding but its brief takes in art, pop culture, the environment, fashion, and the world at large. Huck is published in English, German, French and distributed worldwide.

Extreme sports magazines

Little White Lies

LWLies is devoted - in a serious way - to film. Each issue is often focused on a specific director, film or genre. The issue on them left, from November 2009, was devoted to Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are.

Film magazines

As Above So Below Back to top

Satirical magazine produced by David French and Derek Thompson twice a year. The magazine, which is 'not for sale to children, not even inner ones' takes as its targets 'society, religions and philosophies, natural medicine, conspiracies, politics, social justice and anything else that takes our fancy', say the writers.

Contact: asabovesobelow@btinternet.com

The Chap Back to top

The Chap is a 'satirical magazine for modern gentlemen' that harkens back from Lewes in Sussex to an era of pipes, slippers and knitted jumpers. Its readers gather, wearing tweeds, deer-stalkers and plus-fours, to protest against the vulgarities of modern life. If you want moustache news and somewhere to buy a monocle, this is the place.

Fire & Knives Back to top

'New writing for food lovers' is what Fire & Knives is all about. It's a quarterly launched in November 2009 that gives 'established writers a place for work that would not be published elsewhere; new writers a place to show themselves; and experts in other fields an opportunity to write about our favourite subject'.

Freestyle Group Back to top

Freestyle Group set up in 1999. Titles include:

• BMX Rider (closed) monthly founded in 2002
• Paddles monthly founded in 2002 for adventurous kayakers and canoeists
• Scuba World (closed) monthly founded in 1972
• Snowboard UK eight issues a year (September-March). Founded in1991

Its biggest brand is Boys Toys, a lifestyle-oriented gadgets title and retail website, founded in 1999.

Gym Class Back to top

Gym Class covers drawing and illustration, magazines and comics, film, photography, graphic design and typography; a zine for 'or the guy chosen last'. In July 2010, it was on its sixth issue, with the format evolving through the issues, from 32-page A5 mono (first issue, sold out), through A5 mono litho, mono tabloid newspaper format (Newspaper Club) to A4-ish colour glossy (with limited edition and newsagent covers).

Karen Back to top

Karen has been praised by the likes of the Observer and even Emap since it first appeared in 2005. Karen Lubbock is the brains behind it all, finding the extraordinary in the ordinary thtings of everyday life in and around Malmesbury in Wiltshire.

Karen Lubbock interview

Meat Back to top

Meat is run by Nick Hayes and James Pallister and does a good line in scary covers. It comes out six times a year under the tagline 'Publish or Perish' and aims to discover fresh writing and art.

Issue 8, was based around the theme of birds and beats, with the contents, put together by guest editors Tori Flower and Naomi Wood, described as:

'a veritable (and vegetarian) feast featuring the Institute of Critical Zoologists, a history of escaped zoo animals, origami dinosaurs and many other birdy and beasty delights. Lots of beautiful illustration, fine writing and gorgeous photography.'

Each issue was hand numbered!

Oksar Ltd Back to top

Oksar was founded in 2007 to publish Anorak magazine for children.

Anorak Top

Cathy Olmedillas, who had worked on The Face and Sleazenation, launched Anorak in 2007 as a quarterly art magazine for children. The core target market is children aged 5-10 - and their parents - with stories, games, art and fashion. Each issue has a theme, such as'birds, fear or bugs.

After putting out a test issue, 'the happy mag for kids' was distributed through Borders and Tate Modern's shop. It 2007, it signed an export deal to 22 countries including Ireland, France, Spain, Morocco, Australia, the US, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Canada.

The magazine has an app.

Orca Back to top

Based in Newquay, Devon. Publishes three surfing titles:

• Carve: surfing magazine published eight times a year. Launched 1994
• Surfgirl: quarterly with Carve. Launched in 2002
• Threesixty: specialises in bodyboarding. Published 11 times a year. Launched in 1981. Claims to be Britain's longest-running surf magazine.

The company runs an online shop selling surfing DVDs, posters, books and accessories such as boardbags.

Pitpilot Back to top

British surfing magazine founded in 2004.
Contact: Pitpilot, PO Box 441, Newquay, Cornwall
TR7 2XQ

The Ride Back to top

For people with bikes who 'don’t want to be pigeon-holed as roadies, freeriders, track racers, BMXers, XC riders or even commuters. They are just riders.' The Ride can be bought at some biks shops as well as more specialist magazine retailers.

Rotten Apples - first issue with dog standing on cheesburgers

Rotten Apples Magazine To top

Rotten Apples was launched in August 2010 and is about ‘the extremes of Food Culture’. Thankfully, says editor Ed Vaughan, ‘We are not suggesting that the funny little Pup [standing on cheesebugers on the first issue cover] is in any way a delicacy or should be eaten a la cheeseburger’. Coverage relates food to art, design, film, history, death and sex. Questions asked include: 'Does Sophie Dahl really represent what we truly think about food?'

Website includes page spreads displayed in Flash.

Rotten Apples is published in Bristol and costs £3.95

VNA Back to top

Very Nearly Almost is a quarterly that features street graffiti from London and covers artists and designers from across the world.

Independent magazines (2010) Back to top