Elements of A Bookazine vs. Magazine

We’re all familiar with magazines. They are publications that cover every topic you can imagine, from specific kinds of cars to every aspect of health, cooking, hobbies, or the most random interests you could imagine. While the word bookazine is rarely heard, it is gaining traction, so I thought it a good time to answer the question of what a bookazine is vs. a magazine.

The first magazine I really had any interest in (other than Highlights as a child) was Victoria Magazine. I purchased my own subscription in the 80s when I was a teenager and kept it for nearly a decade. Honestly, I didn’t read it much, as I was much more interested in absorbing all the wonderful photos and the scent of rose that wafted from the pages. I imagined tea parties and someday decorating my home with lace, flowers, and china tea cups. I even ordered calling cards (that I never used) and a wax stamp and seal (which I only used in the privacy of my room, even singeing my bangs one day while lighting a candle to melt the wax!). The magazine was my escape from reality and gave me permission to daydream.

Come to think of it, even when I found other magazines that delighted me as an adult, they were primarily visual journeys rather than something to actually read (unless it was a short quote or a list I could easily glance over).

As I started my own magazine, the only reference I had for putting one together was my memories with Victoria Magazine. I took a trip to the bookstore and came back with literally over a dozen different magazines, pouring over them to give myself a crash course in magazine design. Yet I learned I wanted more than just a visual journey. After a few editions, I reflected on my purpose and realized that Paola Lane was destined to be a bookazine rather than a magazine. Thinking I had made up a new word, I discovered that bookazines were a real thing!

Definition of A Magazine:

A publication that is issued periodically, usually bound in a paper cover, and typically contains essays, stories, poems, etc., by many writers, and often photographs and drawings, frequently specializing in a particular subject or area, as hobbies, news, or sports.

The Bookazine

Being that the word bookazine was not widely used, I defined Bookazine as:

The flow and timelessness of a book with the
glamour and gloss of a magazine.

The idea behind a bookazine vs. a magazine is that a specific topic is addressed and a flow guides the reader from a starting thought to a conclusion. For me, a very important aspect of a bookazine is that there’s nothing to interrupt the flow. In other words, no ads or promotions.

When you purchase a book to read, your reading is not interrupted. In the same way, a bookazine, in my humble opinion, is void of such distractions.

On the other hand, instead of a typical book that seems to take pages and pages to explain a thought in detail, the bookazine takes main ideas and compiles them into short articles and quotes. Each article presents a big idea and leaves room for the reader to explore more as they desire. And like a magazine, ideas are supported through beautiful imagery, poetry, quotes, and/or worksheets that allow the reader to take in, ponder, and absorb.

I like to think of a bookazine as a picture book for adults
or as a magazine with depth.

Elements of a Bookazine

1. Flow and timelessness of a book.
2. Glamour and gloss of a magazine.
3. Covers a specific topic.
4. Quality imagery is prominent and keeps the reader visually intrigued.
5. Includes poetry, art, and quotes.
6. Individual articles work together to form a complete picture (but can also stand alone).
7. Articles typically by one author but can also be by multiple contributors.
8. A visual feast but also offers mental stimulation.
9. An intentional flow of thought that guides the reader from a starting thought to a conclusion.
10. The flow of the publication is not interrupted by ads or promotions.
11. Presents a big idea but leaves room for the reader to ponder and explore at their leisure.
12. Articles work together to create a narrative but can also stand alone.