Mr. Magazine™ Talks With Jon and Erin Westman, Founders of The Publishers’ Circle
Publishing has always been a business built around content, audiences and relationships. But as the industry continues to change, publishers are being asked to play many more roles, from marketer and strategist to educator and technology adopter.
For Jon and Erin Westman, founders and publishers of Coastal Style magazine, one thing remains particularly important: the value of connecting with other publishers who understand the challenges of running a media business today.
That idea led them to create The Publishers’ Circle, a community designed to give publishers an ongoing place to exchange ideas, learn from experts and talk candidly about everything from revenue and sales to AI, digital strategy and the day-to-day realities of managing a publishing business.
In his latest Mr. Magazine™ interview, Samir Husni talks with Jon and Erin about why they created The Publishers’ Circle, the changing role of publishers, the continuing importance of print and why human connection still matters in the age of AI.
One observation in particular captures how much the business has changed. As Jon puts it, publishers today have “almost become educators, strategists, marketers, publishers.”
The conversation also gets into the realities behind that evolution: rising costs, pressure to generate revenue, finding and keeping good salespeople, helping advertisers navigate a more complicated marketing environment and figuring out where AI can help without replacing the experience and relationships that make publishing work.
Read the complete interview with Jon and Erin Westman on Mr. Magazine™.
