In fact, people in Taiwan have never had so many magazines to choose from. Government records show nearly five thousand registered publications, with about two hundred of these widely available. In addition, another ninety Chinese periodicals are imported, most of them from Hong Kong. And the foreign-language publications available include about five hundred titles from Japan and almost twelve hundred from the United States and other Western countries. "Taiwan probably has the highest per capita magazine density in the world," laughs Hsu Chung-jung (許鐘榮), chairman of The Earth, a local monthly modeled after National Geographic.
While the island has for decades had a relatively large number of magazines, the industry has grown significantly more in recent years. Since the general economic expansion of the late eighties, more than one thousand new periodicals have entered the market, an average of fourteen every month. Many of these, of course, are specialized journals or company publications, and others end up as failed ventures. Still, the number of Chinese publications that can be found on any magazine rack has increased noticeably in the past five or six years.
Some of the old standbys continue to claim a strong share of the market—including the Hong Kong-based Chinese edition of Reader's Digest, the English language-learning magazine Studio Classroom (which now has a CD-ROM version), and the sensational weekly entertainment tabloids. But the trend is now turning toward a greater variety of special-interest magazines, which before were largely confined to such topics as fashion, food, and family. "In the past, two-thirds of the magazines in Taiwan were geared for female readers," says Chiang Ping-yang (姜秉陽 ), general manager of Kuangtang magazine distribution company. "Now there are magazines published for men, although they also attract female readers." In fact, many of the new publications are neither male-nor female-oriented, but directed simply at whoever has an interest in a particular topic, be it interior design, stereo equipment, or stock market investments.
What this new trend in magazines reflects above all is the economic and social changes that have taken place in Taiwan in the past ten to fifteen years—particularly changes in spending. Not only was per capita GNP only US$1,900 in 1979, less than one-fifth of to day's US$10,000 figure, but when people did have leftover income, there were few options but to save it. Local investment opportunities were scarce, overseas travel was restricted by the government, and high tariffs severely limited the availability of high quality consumer or luxury imports.
Today, it's a completely different story. Besides the real-estate and stock markets, people are investing in everything from mutual funds to foreign exchange and commodities futures. Since most overseas travel restrictions ended in 1979—and the ban on travel to Mainland China in 1987—Taiwan tourists have also pumped countless dollars into tour packages and airline fares. And thanks to lower tariffs and the resulting increase in competition, consumers are now buying up an endless assortment of imported as well as better-made local goods, from cars to cosmetics and compact discs. At the same time, people are paying more attention to leisure activities and hobbies. The magazine industry has been quick to respond to these developments, with publication after publication appealing to the new consumer mentality as well as the more diversified interests of the public.
Economic and financial publications have taken the lead in the number of titles registered. Of about one thousand being published, around fifty are widely available. The more established economic magazines—including Common Wealth, one of the most respected publications on the island—analyze macroeconomic trends as well as help businesspeople manage their companies. But many of the newer magazines, such as Money, are geared more toward practical investment information for individuals. Some older magazines, including Wealth, have also added more advice on personal investments and money management.
This practical orientation has even become a trend in art magazines, with a number of recent periodicals focusing not on appreciating or critiquing art but on investing in it. These publications fall right into place with the island's tremendous growth in art galleries in recent years and with the advent of regular auctions in Taipei by Christie's and Sotheby's. One of the first publications in this field was the Art of Collection, launched two years ago by the same company that puts out Wealth and two other financial publications. "Many people in Taiwan are now very affluent, but they don't know how to make the best of the extra money they have," says Hsieh Chin-ho (謝金河), executive director of the Wealth Group. "The heyday for realty and stock-market speculation is waning. With our expertise in finance and economy, we believe art investment will become Taiwan's next major money game."
Many other special-interest magazines similarly reflect the consumption and recreation habits of Taiwan's more affluent society. Since the mid-1980s, for example, there has been an increase in magazines that focus on such topics as interior design, stereo equipment, pets, fashion, and gourmet food.
One such area that has expanded considerably is travel and leisure magazines, evidence of the fast-growing numbers of people in Taiwan who are traveling overseas or taking part in outdoor activities. One of the most popular new travel magazines is the Taiwan edition of Blanca, a Japan-based publication. Offering two hundred pages of detailed information, it has attracted a circulation of more than 32,000—considered good in the Taiwan market. Another successful entry has been Leisure Life, which focuses on such hobbies as hiking, scuba diving, and windsurfing. A growing class of travel aficionados has also been a key to the success of The Earth, a high-quality geo graphic monthly. The Earth started up in 1988, shortly after the government had begun to allow people in Taiwan to visit Mainland China, and the magazine put an emphasis on articles about the mainland. But with more people now traveling to Southeast Asia, Europe, and many other areas, it has broadened its geographic focus.
Sports is another leisure category that has taken off in recent years. After a professional baseball league was formally established in 1989, five of the six teams started their own publications, and in addition there are two independent baseball magazines on the market. Sports fans can also buy tennis, basketball, and golf magazines.
A growing automobile market has spurred an increase in automotive magazines—now one of the fastest-growing categories. In recent years, more than ten different car publications have become available at bookstores and neighborhood convenience stores, and more are said to be on the way. The most successful one, according to a 1993 survey by the marketing and communications journal Brain, is Car Magazine. Basically a shopping guide for car buyers, it has a circulation of about 28,000.
For those with more cultural interests, magazines covering the arts or architecture are also making a showing, although readership is generally much smaller. Monthly gallery guides offer a simple, user-friendly service that highlights exhibition ads and location maps. At the other end of the spectrum are magazines, such as the Eslite Book Review published by an upscale Taipei-based bookstore chain, that offer a more highbrow emphasis on art appreciation and literature. Another recent launch is Arch, which gives general readers an in sight into the aesthetics of architectural space. And theater-and concert-goers can now turn to Performing Arts Review, one of the island's first magazine to focus on drama, music, and dance. Even more specialized is Taiwan Dance Magazine, launched just several months ago.
But the emphasis on travel, leisure, and culture are just a few indications of Taiwan's growing prosperity. For many people, the pressure and materialism of modern life have led to a renewed interest in religion, particularly Buddhism. As the number of Buddhist organizations has increased, including those devoted to charity work and overseas relief projects, the number of Buddhist magazines has also risen dramatically, most of them published by individual temples. Religious magazines, which include those of other denominations as well, now number about 440, making this the third-largest category following business and language-learning publications.
At the other end of the spectrum, pornography magazines have a tougher time in Taiwan, largely because of a strict legal ban. In July, for example, officials confiscated and publicly burned more than 46,000 copies. Although the government did give a license to the Taiwan edition of Playboy in 1990, the magazine was continually in conflict with pornography regulations and nearly every issue that went on sale was confiscated. The publication finally shut down last year due to financial problems. While the original English edition is still available, as well as numerous local pornographic magazines, readers have to know where to find them—most likely at small bookstores near university campuses or at a used book market.
While the variety and number of magazines available continue to grow, many publications have reached a plateau in sales and are finding it hard to build a large circulation base. Although people have the money and the interest, many of them haven't yet developed a magazine-buying habit, but instead remain avid newspaper readers and TV viewers. They do have the habit, however, of reading magazines for free at beauty salons, coffeehouses, and book stores (see story, page 14)—which keeps sales down further.
Even some of the most established magazines have had trouble reaching their potential sales. According to a survey by Brain magazine, the Chinese Reader's Digest sells about 167,000 copies every month, making its way into almost 3.4 percent of the island's 5 million households. Although this makes it Taiwan's top-selling periodical, the rate is far behind the Digest's international average of 10.5 percent. Other than the top twenty or so publications, which average 30,000 to 40,000 copies per issue, most magazines are lucky to reach a circulation of about 10,000—although they often can remain in business by selling ad space.
A major reason for the industry's lackluster sales is that most magazines are expensive. While mainstream periodicals in the United States rarely sell for more than US$4, a price of US$7.50 is common in Taiwan. The most expensive is the 150 page The Earth, at US$9 per copy. The Taiwan editions of Cosmopolitan and People sell for US$7 and US$6, respectively. And even Reader's Digest, at US$5, is more than twice the price of the U.S. edition. People may have more money than ever to spend, but magazines are still expensive enough to remain a luxury. "Even Americans wouldn't spend seven-fifty on a magazine," says Yang Chih-hung (楊志宏), director of the Mass Communications Department at Ming Chuan College, "not to mention people in Taiwan, whose average annual income is only around US$10,000."
Although publishers might want to lower the price, many are caught in a bind. As Christine Kao (高瑞玲 ), who began publishing the Jasmine fashion monthly in 1992, explains, "The pricier magazines are, the less people buy them. The less people buy them, the higher production costs are, and thus the pricey magazines." But to Lin Hsien-chang ( 林獻章), publisher of Better Life Monthly, a successful and relatively inexpensive publication modeled after Reader's Digest, magazines are bound to be costly considering local market conditions. "It's no secret that commodity prices in Taiwan have always been stiff," he says. "At the same time, printing is expensive here, especially because of high labor costs."
Communications expert Yang Chih-hung feels optimistic about local magazines—"Their performance may still have flaws, but they have begun to speak in their own language. Give them time and they will improve."
Adding to the cost is the tendency of many publishers to print their magazines on thick, expensive paper, which allows high-quality reproduction of color photographs. They insist that the resulting look is an important selling point. "The kind of paper used widely by Japanese and American magazines is considered shoddy in Taiwan," says Christine Kao. "Our readers don't like it, and neither do the manufacturers who put ads in our magazine." Yang Chih-hung finds that glossy magazines are part of the nouveau riche mentality that has become prevalent in Taiwan. "People prefer things that are fancy, flashy, and eye-catching," he says. "So you see a lot of magazines that are far more expensively made than is necessary."
But many readers remain unimpressed. They may indeed prefer to buy a fancy-looking magazine, but not one that is all gloss and little content—which unfortunately fits the description of many of the new publications on the market. Some, for instance, are little more than poor imitations of foreign magazines, copying the design and format but not the quality of the articles. And the lifestyle and consumer-oriented magazines often seem more interested in pleasing advertisers than appealing to readers. For example, many run promotion-oriented articles that are really just expanded press releases telling readers about a new line of products. "Most magazines just give me a lot of beautiful pictures, but little useful information," says one 30-year-old secretary at a Taipei trading company. "Besides, advertisements fill up half the pages. It doesn't take me more than a few minutes to flip through a magazine like that. Why waste my money? I'd rather spend it on imported English magazines. They're also expensive, but at least I can learn some English."
Magazine distributor Chiang Ping yang says the high percentage of ad pages is partly a result of the island's high density of consumer products, creating fierce competition among manufacturers. The numerous products available are also part of the economic development that inspired many publishers to get into the field in the first place—and the resulting ads are what keep many publications in print. Some magazines also draw advertisers by exaggerating readership figures, which is possible because Taiwan has no circulation auditing system in place. A breakthrough in this regard came last year, however, when Brain magazine did an in-depth survey on magazine circulation. Although quite a few publications refused to provide any information for the study, most of the best-selling ones did take part. Brain's findings are considered the most reliable to date.
With advertisements and promotional articles filling up the pages, many magazines in Taiwan have come to be useful mainly as shopping guides. Once again, the problem for publishers is that many readers may want the information, but they don't bother to pay for it. When Mona Tsai ( 蔡孟娜), a 35-year-old owner of a trading company, can't think of a good restaurant to take her friends to, she often slips into a nearby bookstore and takes a quick look at the recent issue of one of the fashion monthlies. Other "readers" might make regular stops at the neighborhood convenience store magazine rack to find out which fashion boutiques or record stores are having sales. Even many of the feature articles can be gleaned over without actually purchasing the magazine.
Wu Sui-ru (吳荽如), editor in chief of Kuang Fu Book Enterprise says that most periodicals in Taiwan were not created to help readers cultivate knowledge but to help them with their more mundane needs. "The majority of magazines teach you how to manage your money or run your business, how to invest in the stock market or in art, how to buy a good car and dress better, and where to buy things," she says. "Readers are not stupid. They can get this kind of information free just by browsing through the magazines in a bookstore."
Even kids are eager readers when it comes to the many new comic books now on the market. Many of them are Japanese translations.
Those who do buy magazines are often not regular readers of any particular publication, and fewer than half of them are subscribers. Leading magazines like Reader's Digest, Studio Classroom, and Common Wealth are among the few that have a solid subscriber base. But about 90 percent of the magazines that are widely available rely on meager purchases made at bookstores, convenience shops, and newsstands. The reason is not only that readers are dissatisfied with the content, but also that publishers simply haven't given priority to building subscribers and developing distribution networks. "In the past, publishers were mostly idealistic intelligentsia whose major concern was the publishing itself," says Kuangtang's Chiang Ping-yang. "The situation has changed now that modern business management concepts have been brought into running a magazine. But the emphasis now is on selling advertising."
Most publishers, Chiang says, are also not willing to make sure that subscribers get their magazines before they are available in the stores. "If subscribers can't get their magazines earlier than anyone else, why subscribe?" Chiang says. He has suggested to several publishers that they hold their magazines for a few days so subscribers can get their copies first. "They refused," he says. "When the magazine is out, the publishers can’t wait to sell it."
Poor delivery service also keeps many people from subscribing. In this case, the culprit is Taiwan’s small mailbox slots, which are not magazine friendly—especially considering the heavy paper and thick bindings of many publications. "The mail carriers have no choice," Chiang says, "but to leave the magazine somewhere near the mailbox or try to shove it in." As a result, many magazines end up rain-soaked, torn, or stolen.
Although most publishers still rely on the regular mail service to send out subscriber copies, a few have employed private distribution companies. And some are also hiring retail agents such as Chiang who are eager to try new strategies to attract subscribers.
After years of little success with the same traditional marketing tactic—sending direct mail flyers to potential subscribers—Chiang started taking out half-page ads in the major national and local newspapers for the magazines that he represents. The promotion offered new subscribers a chance to win valuable gifts, including roundtrip air tickets to Hong Kong. It was a risky approach that had never been tried before, and one that involved a big advertising expense. But the campaign was a success. "Three months ago, I was getting only 750 subscriptions every month," he says. “Now I'm getting seven to eight thousand subscriptions per month." Soon many publishing houses who had turned him down before were knocking on his door. "It wasn't long ago that I had only thirty magazines to sell," Chiang says. "Now I'm the distributor for more than one hundred."
The increasing prevalence of credit cards in Taiwan may also help draw in more magazine subscribers. Until recently, the only way to subscribe to a magazine was to make a trip to the post office (which in Taiwan also provides banking services) and deposit the subscription fee into a special account set up by the publication. Lin Hsien-chang of Better Life Monthly believes this is also one reason why women have been the majority of magazine subscribers. "Women seem to be more willing to take the effort to go to the post office, he says. Chiang Ping-yang foresees that credit cards will change this trend. "People can now subscribe to a magazine and pay the bill all with a single phone call," he says.
But communications expert Yang Chih-hung still believes that lower prices will be a key to attracting readers. Even more crucial, he says, is the need to provide substantial content and to develop a distinct style rather than imitate foreign publications. The magazines that are selling well are generally those that have already started to take this route. "Their performance may still have flaws," Yang says. "But they have begun to speak in their own language. Give them time and they will improve."