Building community — one story at a time.
Most of a publisher's day is spent with people, not production. Here is what a typical day looks like for the owner of a community magazine.
Short answer: a City Lifestyle publisher owns and runs their community's monthly magazine and its digital hub. Most of the work is relationships: meeting local business owners, finding the stories worth telling and being present in the community. Design, editorial, printing, distribution and technology are handled by the Kansas City headquarters, so a publisher's day is spent on people, not production.
Morning. Coffee with a business owner. It might be a first conversation with the new orthodontist in town or a renewal meeting with a landscaper who has been in the magazine for three years. Publishers talk about the business owner's goals and build an advertising partnership that covers print, a business page on CityLifestyle.com and social media. Back at the desk, there are follow-ups to send and a quick check on the clients whose ads run this month.
Midday. Story planning. The publisher sends the editorial team at headquarters a lead on a family bakery turning 50, approves a photo shoot for next month's cover and reviews the proof of the issue about to go to print. The writing and design happen in Kansas City. The publisher's job is to know which stories matter locally.
Afternoon. A ribbon cutting, a chamber lunch or a walk down the main street to drop off copies of the new issue. Two more conversations with prospective partners, usually introduced by someone who is already in the magazine.
Evening. Home. As Rachel Schaffner, franchise owner of NBTX City Lifestyle, puts it: "I'm home for dinner every night."
Publishers do not lay out pages, write every article, negotiate with a printer or manage a mailing list. Those functions run at headquarters for every market. Publishers are connectors, not journalists. They champion local businesses and tell their neighbors' stories.
Consistency. The publishers who do well show up in their community every week, keep their promises to advertisers and build a book of annual partnerships that renews year after year. The magazine is the product; the relationships are the business.
Is being a publisher a full-time job? Publishers set their own schedules. Most run the magazine as a full-time business, and some go on to own more than one market.
Do I need media or publishing experience? No. Most City Lifestyle publishers came from sales, corporate roles, teaching, real estate or raising a family. Training starts at signing with a dedicated Launch Coach and continues after the first issue.
Details about the City Lifestyle franchise, including current market availability, are at future.citylifestyle.com. To hear publishers describe it in their own words, watch the Publisher Stories series.
