Down East, The Magazine of Maine

Down East
Editor Kathleen Fleury
Former editors Paul Doiron, D.W. Kuhnert, Davis Thomas, Duane Doolittle
Categories Regional magazine
Frequency Monthly
Publisher Bob Fernald
Total circulation
(December 2011)		 91,564[1]
Founder Duane Doolittle
Year founded 1954
First issue  1954
Company Down East Enterprise
Country  United States
Based in Rockport, Maine
Language English
Website www.downeast.com
ISSN 0012-5776

Down East, The Magazine of Maine, also known as Down East Magazine, is the principal general interest monthly magazine covering Maine, according to Ulrich's Periodicals Directory.[2] It is based in Camden, Maine. As it was originally known, Down East Magazine was founded in 1954. It covers a range of topics including politics, business, food, fashion, and lifestyle in the state of Maine.

It enjoys the largest paid circulation of any publication in the state, at 91,564,[3] and 64% of its readership is aged 55 and above. Global readership exceeds 400,000. The magazine is published twelve times a year by its parent company, Down East Enterprise, Inc., which also publishes Shooting Sportsman and Fly Rod & Reel magazines. In 2013, Down East Enterprise sold its book publishing arm to Rowman & Littlefield.[4]

In 2013 Kathleen Fleury became the first female editor-in-chief of Down East Magazine. [5] Paul Doiron is Editor Emeritus and Bob Fernald is President, CEO and Publisher.

The magazine recently opened a second office in Portland, Maine.

The magazine is a member of the International Regional Magazine Association, the Penobscot Bay Chamber of Commerce, the City and Regional Magazine Association, the Alliance for Audited Media, and the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Down East Magazine and Vermont Life Magazine together founded the International Regional Magazine Association in 1960.[6]

Digital presence

Down East's digital presence hinges on downeast.com, which features an e-store, blogs, travel guides, dining guides, back-issues, real estate listings, and photo galleries. The magazine launched a digital edition for iPad in 2013.

Down East Marketplace

The 1,700-square-foot MarketPlace, complete with an "Experience Maine" interactive kiosk and Down East branded TV programming about Maine, is located in the Portland Jetport's newly expanded terminal, and allows Down East to offer customers new ways to access the information they have come to rely on. The two million visitors who pass through the Jetport each year can shop for a wide array of top-quality Maine-made products, including food, clothing, travel accessories, gifts, books, magazines, and more from the state's most respected companies.[7]

Contributing writers

Virginia M. Wright has written five books for Down East Publishing: Route 1: Maine, Ultimate Acadia, Red’s Eats: World’s Best Lobster Shack, The Wild Blueberry Book, and The Maine Lobster Book.

Paul Doiron is the author of the Mike Bowditch series of crime novels, including The Poacher's Son, which won the Barry Award and the Strand Critics Award for Best First Novel. PopMatters named it to its Best Fiction of 2010 list.[8] Other books in the series are Trespasser, Bad Little Falls, and Massacre Pond.

Sandra L. Oliver is a contributing writer to Down East, a food historian, and the author of Maine Home Cooking and Food in Colonial and Federal America, among other books.[9]

Awards

Named #2 on About.com New England Travel's list of best New England Magazines [10]

In 2013, Down East received a record number of awards from the International Regional Magazine Association.

2013 International Regional Magazine Association Awards

Gold:

Single photograph: “Racers,” Down East contributor Nicholas Tanner (June)

General feature: “The War Game,” Down East contributor Robert Moor (July)

Food feature: “Oyster Land,” Down East Senior Writer Virginia M. Wright (October)

Travel Feature: “The Maine Road,” Virginia M. Wright (April)

Art Direction of a single story: “Route 1,” Down East Design Director Miroslaw Jurek (April)

Photographic series: “Oyster Land,” Down East contributor Douglas Merriam (October)

Silver:

Department: Dining, Down East Managing Editor Kathleen Fleury (ongoing series, including “The Menu and Dining column)

Bronze:

Historical Feature: “The Ledge,” Down East contributor Edgar Allen Beem (December)

Essay: “Evergreen Cemetery,” Down East contributor Monica Wood (May)

Special Focus: “50 Reasons We Love Portland,” edited by Down East Associate Editor Will Bleakley, (November)

Overall art direction: Down East Design Director Miroslaw Jurek

Cover: September, Maine’s Ten Prettiest Villages, Down East Design Director Miroslaw Jurek with a photograph of Stonington by Susan Cole Kelly

Community sponsorships and involvement

Down East and its parent company sponsor a number of community organizations in Maine which have included:

References

  1. ↑ "eCirc for Consumer Magazines." Audit Bureau of Circulations. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  2. ↑ Ulrich's Periodical Directory
  3. ↑ "Down East Magazine - Rockport, ME". Citymag.org. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  4. ↑ "Rowman & Littlefield Buys Down East Book Assets". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
  5. ↑ "Down East magazine taps Maine native as first female editor-in-chief — Midcoast — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine". Bangordailynews.com. 2013-09-18. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  6. ↑ "IRMA". Regionalmagazines.org. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  7. ↑ "Paradies - Brand Detail". Paradies-na.com. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  8. ↑ "The Best Fiction of 2010". PopMatters. 2010-01-13. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  9. ↑ "Sandra L. Oliver: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  10. ↑ "New England Magazines - Top Picks". Gonewengland.about.com. 2013-07-14. Retrieved 2013-11-02.

External links