A magazine is a periodical publication containing a variety of articles, generally financed by advertising, purchased by readers, or both.

Publication :

Magazine publication schedules can vary wildly. Typically, magazines which focus primarily on current events, such as Newsweek or Entertainment Weekly, are published weekly or biweekly. Magazines with a narrow focus on specific interests, such as Cat Fancy, may be published less frequently, such as monthly, bimonthly or quarterly. The magazine will usually have a date on the cover which often times is later than the date it is actually published. They are often printed in color on coated paper, and are bound with a soft cover. Current magazines are generally available at bookstores and newsstands, while subscribers can receive them in the mail.

Magazines are also published on the internet. Many magazines are available on both the internet and in hard copy, usually in different versions, though some are only available in hard copy or only via the internet; the latter are known as online magazines.

Most magazines are available in the whole of the country in which they are published, although some are distributed only in specific regions or cities. Others are available internationally, often in different editions for each country or area of the world, varying to some degree in editorial and advertising content but not entirely dissimilar.

Categories :

Magazines fall into two broad categories: consumer magazines and business magazines. In practice, magazines are a subset of periodicals, distinct from those periodicals produced by scientific, artistic, academic or special interest publishers which are subscription-only, more expensive, narrowly limited in circulation, and often have little or no advertising. Many business magazines are available only, or predominantly, on subscription. In some cases these subscriptions are available to any person prepared to pay; in others, free subscriptions are available to readers who meet a set of criteria established by the publisher. This practice, known as controlled circulation, is intended to guarantee to advertisers that the readership is relevant to their needs. Very often the two models, of paid-for subscriptions and controlled circulation, are mixed.