Have you ever felt like you had a calling? Like you were chosen to do one thing and couldn’t explain why?
That is what happened to me when the idea of creating a magazine for the childfree community popped into my head. It wasn’t something I had been thinking about it.
It wasn’t part of a grand plan or strategy. It was pure organic thought that popped into my head when I was scrolling through Instagram.
I passed an ad for a magazine on a totally unrelated topic and I thought to myself, “why don’t we have a magazine for childfree people – something that is exclusively ours?”
When you Google parenting magazines, they are plentiful but what about our childfree community? Where are we represented? We are well overdue for a slice of the media pie and having a publication that talks to us in our language, address our issues and shares our stories.
So that is where this journey starts. I had no idea what to do as I had never created a magazine before. I am not a publisher (well I wasn’t before this) so with blind enthusiasm, I just went for it.
I wrote down some thoughts, put together some loose plans, had a vague idea on how to get some funding to get it started, and then jumped into the deep end – boots and all.
Issue 1 was challenging and exciting and Issue 2 has had its own challenges. It’s a fine line between taking the feedback you received and keeping true to the vision, whilst maintaining a mix of articles on various themes. All with the goal of keeping a positive vibe. Hopefully, we have achieved that in this Issue and it is well received.
One thing I have learned is that you can’t please everyone (and nor can I try to). I also learned that you won’t get support from everyone in our childfree community. Unfortunately, not everyone in our community likes to see the success of others. But that’s on them and not me so I don’t dwell on the haters.
I have been asked by I created a digital magazine instead of a print version. There were two main reasons why.
The first one is cost. It is very expensive to create a real magazine and it is cost-prohibitive to ship it across the world. No one would pay for the high cost associated with it.
And the other reason was to provide easy access to people globally. Anyone with a digital device can download it and enjoy it. The last issue sold in 32 countries so it would be awesome to break that record for Issue 2.
The harsh reality is that without the sales from the childfree community buying, it cannot continue. I have boot-strapped both issues and apart from a small Go Fund campaign for Issue 1, it is my own personal money paying for the editing, design, tech, and marketing. Since this is not a full-time business, I have little time to find sponsors or advertisers to cover the costs and pay contributors. This is a passion project but one that is important to me.
If you want to see the magazine continue, please buy a copy and help spread the word. After all, this is your very own piece of the media pie.
This magazine was created by childfree people for childfree people. No matter where you are in the world, I hope it brings you some joy, makes you feel less alone, and provides practical advice for whatever challenges you might be facing.
Tanya xo
