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Contributor

Talia Bourassa

Talia Bourassa has edited three independent magazines and folded one of them by hand. She writes about the economics and craft of small publishing, from newsletters to print runs of two hundred copies. She believes most publishing advice is really…

Mexico City, Mexico

Published work

Contributor archive

A publication about paid digital journalism on a wooden table.

Independent Publishing

Paywalls Change More Than Revenue

An essay on how asking readers to pay reshapes the relationship between a publication and the audience it serves. The relationship changes the moment money enters the picture.

Independent Publishing

Notes on Newsletters

A field note collecting small, practical observations about running a newsletter as an independent editor and publisher.

The Economics of Small Magazines

Independent Publishing Featured

The Economics of Small Magazines

A feature on the real numbers behind small independent magazines, and why most of them were never trying to scale. Most of these publishers were never trying to get bigger.

A person reading a broadcast message on a phone beside an open laptop.

Independent Publishing

The Newsletter Is Not a Backup Plan

An argument for treating the newsletter as a publication's primary relationship, not its fallback communication channel.

A large-format printing machine producing a colourful printed sheet.

Independent Publishing

Small Print Runs

A field note on what changes creatively and financially once a print run drops down to a few hundred copies instead of thousands.

An open seasonal magazine displaying a photographed gift layout.

Independent Publishing

Relaunching a Magazine on a Modest Budget

A representative case study on relaunching a struggling magazine with a small budget and a considerably narrower editorial focus.

A laptop displaying source code beside notebooks on a sunlit desk.

Independent Publishing

How Independent Publishers Are Learning to Compete Without Getting Bigger

An essay on how small publishers find leverage through focus and reader trust rather than pursuing growth for its own sake over time.

A speaker addressing a large audience in a dark auditorium.

Independent Publishing

Building an Audience Before a Product

An essay on why durable publishers tend to build a readership first, then work out the eventual product with that audience in mind.