WOTS Wordshop: So You Want to Make a Magazine?

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Against a backdrop of over-commoditized mainstream media and a barrage of free online content, independent publishers are proving that the future of magazines is growing, one creator at a time. Join magazine maker and Issues Magazine Shop founder, Nicola Hamilton, as she guides us through the process of starting a magazine. We’ll cover everything from funding to production and printing to distribution. Plus, we’ll meet a few inspiring publishers along the way!

This in-person workshop is free to attend. However, if you have the means, we invite you to consider a donation to The Word On The Street as a way of helping to keep these arts events accessible for everyone into the future.

The WOTS Wordshop is located in room 310 of Metro Hall, accessible through the festival site at David Pecaut Square. Take the elevator to the third floor and follow the signage. Advance registration is required. Please arrive 5-10 minutes before the workshop begins, and bring something to write with!

Nicola Hamilton RGD (she/her) is an award-winning editorial designer and art director. She jokes that she’s best known for her delusional optimism about the state of Canadian media generally, and print magazines specifically. But that’s not actually far off from the truth: part connector, part cheerleader and part community builder, Nicola’s professional life revolves around championing creative industries and people.

She has been designing, redesigning and repositioning magazines for more than 15 years, with a portfolio that includes The Grid, Chatelaine, The University of Toronto Magazine, Best Health, Precedent and Serviette, a new indie food magazine that she is producing with a global roster of contributors.

In July 2022, Nicola took her love of magazines to a whole new level by opening Issues Magazine Shop, a bricks-and-mortar magazine retailer with a mandate to celebrate the people and projects keeping print alive.

The Word On The Street is an annual celebration of storytelling, ideas and imagination, hosting Canada's largest FREE book and magazine festival annually and promoting great books by Indigenous and Canadian authors year-round.

We have been providing our members with news, professional development and advocacy since 1973. As a member-driven not-for-profit organization, we serve Canadian magazines of all scope and size through ongoing programs and special initiatives. Magazines Canada protects and supports the interests of the Canadian consumer and business media magazine industry, and is a strong voice in all levels of government.

We believe in the cultural and economic value of the Canadian magazine publishing industry.

Host or Publisher The Word On The Street