Chapter 5: Specialized Magazine Readership

I went to the local Barnes and Noble bookstore and picked up a copy of a magazine I had never seen before: Woodcarving Illustrated.

I have never been passionate about woodcarving; the extent of my carving experience was whittling with a dull knife at scoutcamp. But this magazine actually got me a little excited about the prospect of woodcarving. I think I may take it up as a hobby.

In looking for the "target audience" of this magazine, I found a helpful note from the Editor, Shannon Flowers: "With every issue, we receive emails and letters from readers commenting on the mix of carving styles we've included...Experienced carvers say we don't have enough advanced projects and others claim there aren't enough articles of beginners. For every letter I receive asking for more of a particular type of project, there is another letter requesting the opposite. Over the course of the year, you'll find the mix pretty even."

This shows that feedback comes from both expert and beginning carvers, and thus both types of woodcarvers read this magazine. There is virtually nothing of any interest in here for anyone who does not or does not desire to carve wood. All of the ads pertain to carving, to list a few: wood tool sharpeners, wood, workshop lamps, workshop sawdust collectors, carving design software, carving tools, carving Santa contests, carving books, hand forged knives, and woodburners. There were no ads that did not pertain to this topic.

Articles were written by and about woodcarvers. One man taught children to appreciate carving by helping them carve faces into sweet potatoes in school, and he was highlited for it. There was a how-to guide for artists to make a relief mantle piece and another on creating a house sign. These were obviously for experienced carvers, because the tools they referred to were unfamiliar to me. There were also a few articles appealing to beginners, explaining what grain is in wood and why it is important to pay attention to it. This article by Everett Ellenwood was interesting and informative to me, but I can see how it would be obvious to an expert. He had great illustrations of using grain, though, like this piece, called "One Feather."

If we look at Woodcarver's Illustrated using the "uses and gratifications" theory, it is clear that this magazine exists because it offers information and entertainment to a small group of people who don't get that kind of information any other way. I've never heard of a woodcarving channel on TV. The magazine thrives because it fills a need that no one else is filling.