A Letter to our Readers
We are incredibly honored to be included in the New York Times as a pioneer in the online magazine industry. It is a recognition of our field, the talent of our community, and above all, your support. As you may have seen, the tone of the piece caused a bit of a stir on the web. To this point, we would love to recognize Grace Bonney for her thoughtful and articulate response. It contained wonderfully constructive criticism young women like ourselves can learn from and highlighted the great potential for our field and the future of online media.
Please know that the editors of Lonny, Rue, and High Gloss are some of the kindest and most talented people we’ve encountered. We have nothing but the utmost respect and support for each other and would go to bat for them any day of the week. Behind these publications are six young women that work tirelessly seven days a week to bring their hundreds of thousands of readers inspiration. The piece failed to highlight this.
We ourselves are professionals and take the work that we do very seriously. The article states, “None of the new magazines’ founders can claim much experience in either design or publishing. Only Ms. Adams has a background in interior design…” We’d especially like to clarify one point: Katie worked in high end residential interior design for three years and Jane worked in freelance design before spending two years on J.P. Morgan’s creative team. To that point, a retraction will be printed in the New York Times.
With all this said, there is much to take away from this article and experience. We are incredibly excited about the future of our industry and its endless possibilities. We will continue to carve out our own path and thank you for your support, encouragement, and enthusiasm along the way. And yes, it’s true, we “don’t even have an office” — but we will someday and it will look damn good.
The Matchbook girls have only just begun.
Faithfully yours,
Katie + Jane
P.S. We thrive on your feedback and would love to hear your thoughts either here or on Facebook. Let the discussion begin!
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Very classy. Well done
It doesn’t matter what they say, I love what you guys are doing! I think it’s completely inspiring the quality of content young women have been able to create online and it drove me crazy how much fun they made of Michelle for being an assistant. We ALL have to start somewhere. The fact that she worked hard and built a magazine from scratch is inspiring! Of course there’s room to improve, but there always will be. Otherwise, whats the point?!
PS- I think Matchbook is wonderfully unique and inspiring.
very well put. with just the right tone, grace and class! yay for matchbook!
An elegant response ladies…keep up the good work.
What a classy way to respond.. and in a very unique voice, I might add. :) I’m enamored with matchbook and I really love the way things are heading with online mags! There may be room for improvement like Grace said, but that’s the fun of starting something new and thought-provoking, right? And the piece on Princess Di – far from wikipedia! Thanks for all that you do.. I look forward to reading it every month!
Graceful + Classy. A Matchbook girl response, for sure.
Thank you ladies. We thought long and hard about how to approach this. We are so excited for what the future holds! xo Katie
Well put ladies!! Love Matchbook!
GREAT response. Well done, ladies. Keep up the good work. Matchbook is amazing.
Great response and correction on your experience. I personally love the path you are carving for MatchBook !
Bravo! Looking forward to many more issues to come from your talented team.
What is evident when reading the article was the tone came from a place of fear. Magazines and newspapers as we know them are changing and the journalists are panicking. If young guns with a great eye can create a magazine then what the hell is a middle aged journo who can barely use the internet going to do?
I love all the magazines mentioned in the article. Well played.
After having a bad reaction to the article, I’m so pleased at this response you put out. A wonderful, thought out address of the tone of the Times piece. Well said!
The Matchbook girl has grace under pressure.. so beautifully said.
Thank you for your magazine – I am onthe other side of the world and LOVE that the Matchbook Girl is global! Keep up the fabulous work.
perfect reponse, k+j. classy approach, but i’m glad you stood up for yourselves! you produce an fabulous magazine and cultivate a great relationship with your readers. keep up the amazing work!
xo.ashley
reading the article gave me MORE respect for you, and less respect for the Times. Of all the online shelter pubs, Matchbook is my go-to. I love what you are doing, keep it up!!
The last 6 months or so I have become a happy reader of Lonny, Rue, and your wonderful magazine… I would never have thought that I (the most traditional of book and paper nerds) could be converted to online magazines, but so it is! I have to say that I think it’s very odd that an article purported to be about the success of a new creative industry would have such a tone of sour grapes. It read a lot like one of those backhanded compliments from the popular girl in high school that was really an insult! It seems like any time someone has success there is someone else just panting to rain on the parade. I’ve noticed this is especially true when success does not come through a traditional path but rather because someone stepped out and took a creative risk. I think this is what is wonderful about your respective magazines…they are different (and thus worth reading!) from the established print mags precisely because of the different backgrounds and fresh perspectives of the creators. Keep up the good work girls!
The French Mouse
Thoughtful, classy, and gracious. Those are the three adjectives that come to mind when describing the ladies of Matchbook. It has been a very long time since I have been excited about a new magazine. And, to be honest with you, I have never been a fan of online magazines at all. I guess I am old fashioned, and prefer to actually hold a paper copy in my hand, and savor it. Your magazine, however, has completely changed my mind. I absolutely adore it, and everything it stands for. Elegance, decorum, and charm. Continue down that path, and you will have a reader for life.
Oh, and by the way, I wouldn’t take any comments written by the New York Times to heart. It’s hard taking a magazine seriously that has yet to rise above plagiarism and fabrication, no?
Very sincerely,
Deirdre McCormick
On the whole, I think your reply is fine. I’d like to point out just a couple of things tho:
Starting out with the whole “pioneers in the field” is a little .. lame. I realize the Times may not know much about the online publishing world, but I’m sure you do; there are many hundreds of online magazines covering all sorts of topics and there have been for years. (You can search thru the titles on issuu from, say, 2008 and get back to me)
Also?
“Behind these publications are six young women that work tirelessly seven days a week to bring their hundreds of thousands of readers inspiration. The piece failed to highlight this”
This is not enough. Any upstart ANYTHING has people who work tirelessly. Any young women (or men) in law, or banking, or medicine, or tech, or publishing or — hell, I don’t know, most professions — work tirelessly, til past midnight every night, without twos days off in a row, for years and years. Being a young woman who is working seven days a week puts you in no special category at all and does not require highlighting. In fact, to highlight it would be outrageous. I can’t imagine an article in the Times about a start up tech company that talked about how hard the young men were working. Aim higher.
From “What Strikes Our Fancy”, to the “Matchbook Girl” Twitter thoughts, to every new Matchbook Magazine issue, it’s all a fabulous, detailed, thoughtful, eye-catching collection of what inspires the women of Matchbook. To quote a Matchbook Girl favorite, Ms. Audrey Hepburn, “I never think of myself as an icon. What is in other people’s mind is not in mine. I just do my thing.” Keep doin’ your thing ladies. You have thousands of followers who look forward it.
What an amazingly gracious response. You two really are the epitome of a modern day class act.
Very classy response, just what I would have expected from a Matchbook Girl. I love Matchbook Magazine so keep up the good work ladies.
Thank you ladies! You keep up motivated and we can’t even begin to tell you how much your support means to us!
Julia – Duly noted :) Thanks for keeping us on our toes.
Applauding your grace!
I believe we could say: The Matchbook Girl is always classy, regardless of what others say about her.
Perfect response ladies!
Completely agree with the above comments…you ladies are so classy and gracious in every situation and we are all behind you 100%!
Lisa
Ditto what the above readers said—you are quite classy, and sadly, the Times did a horrible job conveying your talents.
The funny thing is, last evening I must have spent hours flipping through your mag, reading Katie’s blog & this blog. And even perusing your Tumblr site! I have a post-it sitting here on my desk reminding myself to email you and introduce myself. Your love for vintage and the way you convey it through your online presence is truly impressive! SO, that being said, nice to meet you–you have a fan in me!
Just keep up the great work and I’ll look forward to keeping up.
Lynn
You go girls! NYT is not what it used to be. Sometimes they can be so out of touch. Guess what NYT the internet is changing the game. Get used to it! Glad that you spoke up!
A truly well-written response to the NYTimes piece. I for one think that this new frontier in online publications is exciting and inspiring, and while there are of course many improvements to be made, both of you have been paving a path with grace and wit. And for what it’s worth, I’m such a fan that I had to write about Matchbook on my blog–and got some lovely responses from bloggers who hadn’t yet come across it. You both must have something special, and I am sure this will eventually translate to a charming office space (perhaps even with a view of the Golden Gate bridge, no?).
I also greatly appreciated Grace’s response to the NYTimes article. As someone with quite a bit of magazine experience in my own career, I am extremely impressed with what all of you are doing. I was hoping the article would focus more on the exciting new ground that you’re all forging. Keep up the good work. You are building a charming brand!
Katie and Jane,
You have much to be proud of. Well said.
All best,
Lynn
Every woman should strive to be as classy, respectful, and talented as you two are. I so look forward to everything you two create and will continue to do so. You both are amazing women… keep on keeping on…
I finally read the NY Times article and Grace’s response. I couldn’t agree more with all of Grace’s points, especially women supporting women.
You’re all young, fabulous and doing what you love. Keep up the good work.
Best,
Amy
That article really upset me but so impressed with how you have all dealt with it. A matchbook girl is classy always. Thank you for the constant inspiration! x
That article is why the NYTimes is in trouble: more concerned about traditional methods of publishing that being innovative. Why do you need to have an office to be successful? That’s like saying a retailer needs a store front to make sales….amazon and zappos beg to differ. Also, the focus on experience (or lack there of)? You could have 30 years of publishing experience and still publish crap no one wants to read…instead, you bring fresh ideas that clearly resonate with your readers.
Keep up the good work, wishing to the best of luck!
“If you never stick your neck out, you’ll never get your head above the crowd.” -unknown
Kelly D
The Liberty-Blue Co.
Katie + Jane – this is a splendid response. I’m so thrilled to hear that you requested and that the NYT is issuing a retraction of the inaccuracies. I was so incenced by the way you all were treated in the article. There is room for everyone to discover, grow, and cultivate unique voices, points of view and talents. I definitely think Grace said it best about women needing to lift one another up and protect the way we’re treated by others. You two are incredibly classy to step up and say something on behalf of yourselves and for the rest this community. Cheers to you!
Well-said, ladies. You are both such class acts: gracious and humble, witty and kind. I really respect you both. I hope my students grow up to be “matchbook girls.”
Admittedly growing teary reading these responses. You gals are incredible and give such great advice. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your encouragement! We can’t wait for issue 6!
xx Katie
SO glad to see you comment on this, I think what you’ve said is both tasteful and elegant. To the pioneer of matchbook girls the world over! Thank you for doing what you do.
While far from won over by online magazines, I have passionately read all of the issues of every magazine I could get my hands on, online and in paper. Matchbook is the only one that I wish I could carry with me. It is different. Elegant. I feel like my grandmother would approve. If a lack of experience makes you fresh, new, different, and yes- better, perhaps print mags do have something to worry about. You don’t have to be old to have class. It is the blushing youth of Matchbook that is the secret to her charm.
Creating your own path will always bring questions, doubts, and open commentary…but it’s also thrilling, fantastically rewarding, and such fun along the way. Keep putting one foot in front of the other, ladies…that’s what Plucky Pioneers do!
You’ve handled this whole NYT bit with grace and aplomb and I commend you.
Speaking as someone who is AT LEAST 10 years above your demographic but has worked in Tech most of my adult life, I welcome the online trailblazers. Honestly? Traditional publishing has become such an ivory tower – every magazine had that ghostly echo of Diana Vreeland’s “Why Don’t You…” columns. Nothing new, nothing accessible.
As a business owner/advertiser, I would welcome the immediacy of the click thru rate. Like the old saying goes, I know half of my advertising dollar is wasted, I just don’t know which half.
You are on the right track, keep up the good work
I read the NYT article, and although I was really pleased to see four online publications getting some much-deserved recognition, I was disappointed by the overall tone of the piece. That being said, it has sparked some really wonderful and thought-provoking dialogue, and I’m thrilled to see so many opinions making their way into cyberspace. Yours, though, is the one I had been waiting on. I love Rue for its wide range of decor ideas and its California cool girl vibe, but I love Matchbook for its overall lifestyle approach. You guys have put together such a top-notch publication, and I eagerly wait each month to see what you’ve come up with… You’ve made the “matchbook girl” a true ideal, something to aspire to become. With this letter, you prove that it’s not an act or a marketing ploy. The matchbook girl is patient and classy, thoughtful with her words and her actions. This response is exactly what I expected from the editors of a publication I’ve grown to love. Thanks for being open and honest and genuine with your readers, and for producing quality work for us every month. And here’s to making the matchbook girl a household name!
Ladies, I had intended to submit a comment on your lovely 5th issue, but will add my thoughts here, after reading the NYT piece last evening. I am a middle aged design, garden, and style fiend, as well as a public affairs person, so I read everything I can get my hands on. Even a bit older than the typical Matchbook Girl, it speaks to me, being fresh, unlike many traditional sources, and I love the younger generation for bringing us new views, and new ways to view beautiful, fun, and thoughtful ways of arranging our lives. I’m saddened that traditional journalism, and the traditional world in general, would ever feel threatened, just as I’m saddened that too often the modern world, much like all of history, would segregate into “us” and “them.”. Just keep doing what you do, and those of us lucky enough to find you will salute you when we like it, and encourage you gently when something could be tweaked. Above all, maintain your gentle, fun style and have fun!
Hi — I really enjoyed the NYT piece, as it highlighted the new crop of design mags online. I also thought the author had some very valid points — the most compelling of which was that saying you are an “editor” does not make you one. I personally think there is a certain sameness to some of the books (what they cover and how they look), and that some of them could use a good editor/copy editor. Perhaps because the mag is online and edits can be readily fixed, there is an occasional laxity/sloppiness in tone. (And certainly — I have found — in basic grammar and correct word choice.)
Say what you will about the NYT and “old” magazines, they go through a very vigorous edit/fact checking process.
And I am glad they are mentioning the matchbook gals’ professional experience. (!)
Well done and congrats on getting the retraction from the Times. I wondered at that statement they made and thought it couldn’t be true. Of course many come to design blogging as something they are passionate about and then turn it into a design career, but equally do designers get into blogging and it only made sense that some of you all had hands on design experience.
The whole article had a rushed, high school “new story” feeling about it that didn’t seem very “newspaper of record”
Pamela — We in no way mean to knock the NYT, we grew up reading it and being included was a great honor. You are right, they did make many very valid points. As for their vigorous edit/fact checking process — the retraction has been issued. All we ask is that they get the facts straight. Thank you for writing. Much love, Katie
Katie + Jane,
As someone who has followed the NeoTrad and Lox Papers since I discovered it via the Plucky Pioneers series (I used to own a stationery studio and got to know Dabney Lee) I have always been impressed with your grace, maturity and talent. I am much older than you and have read design/lifestyle magazines for years. Yours is fresh, innovative and delightful. That sentence jumped out at me and I knew it wasn’t true, having read about both of you and your backgrounds. It’s amazing what you’ve accomplished and still in your twenties! Overall, it was a great article but technology moves so fast, I think the industry is adjusting to all the changes and trying to make sense of what’s out there. Your response was gracious and thoughtful and you should both be given credit where credit is due. All the best to both of you and thank you for such an outstanding publication.
Cheers!
Susan
Susan – Thank you for your kind words! We’re relieved to hear we weren’t the only one that noticed the inaccuracy. We’ve worked hard to get where we are today and to hear someone say you have no experience in your field after you told them all about your professional experience in a phone interview was disappointing to say the least. They’ve made the retraction though and for that we are very thankful. Thank you for your support and your enthusiasm. We really, truly appreciate it. xo Katie
It’s like the phrase, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”. I love everything about Matchbook magazine, and I’m so glad to see that you have made lemonade from this experience. Keep up the great work!
Cheers,
Alyssa
I believe in the power of an idea. The NY times piece did not commend any of you talented and COURAGEOUS ladies for your amazing ability to do something that only others could dream of. Consider traditional shelter print mags and the hundreds that are published each year. Compare this to the small handful of girls who have done something brilliant and offered readers a free way to have access to design material ,in my opinion , just as informative and wonderful as the so called “traditional pubs”. When you analyze this you realize that these online mags have done the design world a service. Times have changed. People want a way to feel connected and want to relate to something tangible. I love to drool over Elle Decor and daydream about designing or living in multi million dollar homes. For the 98% of the population that can’t afford such luxury, being given a realistic way to imitate this lifestyle is wonderful and smart. I want to really thank you at Matchbook, High Gloss, Rue, and Lonny for all doing something great. Lets all learn to lift each other up. Keep doing what you do ladies.
xo
Amber
Alyssa – Thank you! Cheers to lemonade :)
Amber – Yes, let’s all lift each other up! So beautifully put. Thank you for writing!
I haven’t seen the origional piece written, but I have to say I love looking through you magazine, brings a smile to my face every time! As for the fact that you are online not only is it Eco friendly, but also very convenient do this military wife who moves so much… As it never gets tied up in the post when I have a change of adress and I’m sure I could get you over seas! Keep up the great work, each issue is better than the rest!
Oh my!! I have been anxiously anticipating your comments around the article. I was excited and a bit disappoint by the tone of the article but I just KNEW that you would have a classy, positive, and respectful response. I was correct!!! Thank you for being such an inspiration to women everywhere!!!
I’m so glad they are printing a retraction; I was even bothered by the incorrect statement about both of your experience, and I don’t even know either of you!!! :)
As an aspiring journalist, hoping to one day work for a publication (whether online, or in print) such as yours, I truly admire the free inspiration you provide to readers (and undoubtedly, receive in turn!) through Matchbook! In a field that will inevitably undergo significant changes in the coming years, online publications like Matchbook play such a vital role in allowing the future of lifestyle magazines of every breed to flourish–they prove that a high-rise office and a bevy of staffers is not necessarily needed in order to produce a well-made, innovative publication brimming with engaging articles & design. After spending a year starting up my high school’s online newspaper, I recognize the challenges that go along with this work, but also the many possibilities for providing interactive content and relevant ways of accessing it for the next generation of readers. I wish you both all the best as you continue to grow this magazine, and hope you realize what a gift you’re offering to your growing amount of readers—you’re on to something, Matchbook:)
Linnie Joy, Kelly, and Olivia – Thank you so much, ladies! Can’t tell you how honored and proud we are to call gals like yourselves our readers. You’re such a kind, thoughtful bunch and it means the world to us! Thank you for reading and for taking the time out of your busy days to write! So many wonderful things to come! :) xo
You go Matchbook girls! Your magazine is brilliant, smart and inspiring!
i’m really glad you wonderful girls addressed this. before reading the article, i was ecstatic to hear that these 4 magazines (i read all of them religiously) were being featured, and, like grace, thought this was likely going to be a “look at the fabulous place in which the print industry is heading!” type piece, because that’s often what i think when i read these publications. i ended up being disappointed in the article and the times, but i like the discussion it has sparked – it is an important one and can be applied to many industries. young women. competition – or supporters? i believe in the latter and i know you do too. i love everything matchbook stands for – thank you for being in existence.
All I have to say is that I love you ALL and your issue#5 was your best yet. I’ve changed my whole way of magazine browsing with the following of online magazines and blogs…I only keep one print magazine in fashion and interiors each year now. (currently House Beautiful & Harper’s Bazaar) I switch at the end of each subscription. My HB is ending and I’m going with Garden & Gun next. Joni of Cote de Texas recently wrote a post on the decline of print magazines…if you didn’t get to read it, she hit a few nails right on the head…
Anyway, I love what ALL of the online magazines are doing and it has done nothing but make my business (knitwear design and antique shop) easier to sell and market. It’s more fun now too. It surely has made the world smaller! Thanks for every single word, picture and illustration you’re putting out there. I for one will continue to soak it up like a sponge!
katie & matchbook ladies,
i look forward to matchbook every month b/c i know it will be lovely, well written, true to it’s purpose & just a fun online mag. it is very obvious, that ya’ll have passionately put together, not just an excellent product, but something that represents yourselves & your design/living aesthetic. readers respond to that.
i read the nyt article. i typed out a long response to that, then thought that both my grandmothers would probably roll over in their lovely, respective graves and haunt my dreams if i actually posted it.
so, i’ll just say..HEY, the NEW YORK TIMES published an article…with you in it!! you are famous and fabulous! and, your acknowledgement of that article and the other online mags was thank you note perfect & heartfelt.
look forward to many years of matchbook…this debate between online and hard copy mags reminds me of all the debates during the ongoing evolution of photography. there is always room for new technology without losing imagination, creativity and just loveliness. the market place will work itself out.
Matchbook Girls:
When I saw the NYT’s Home section cover I was excited for all of you. However, after reading the article FOUR times it left me a bad taste. As a blogger myself, I felt completely ofended with the article’s condescending tone. But as PR professional -my daytime job- I was reminded that when talking to reporters one is NEVER EVER off the record.
I’ll just say your response is classy and elegant. Experiences such as this makes us stronger and believe me audiences are smart. They can see when someone has a hidden agenda.
Kindest Regards!
Sharon (finuca.com)
I have to say that I walked away from reading that article feeling energized and inspired. Yeah, the tone was condescending, but I put that aside and gathered what I information I could about how you all got started, etc… I love reading about other creative businesses, and I love reading Matchbook and the others mentioned. Grace offered some wonderful constructive criticism as you pointed out… but overall, I think we are all delighted by these new online magazines. At least I am!
p.s. While I’ve loved seeing Katie’s cute pics in a lot of recent press surrounding Matchbook, I’d love to see more of Jane’s pretty face, too! I can totally understand being a bit camera shy (being that way myself) but I’m sure I speak for more readers out there in saying that we love seeing you both. Just a thought. :)
Hi Eva –
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, and thoughts on the article. I’m a huge fan of Sycamore Street Press, and in fact I once gave Katie your pug bookplates as a present. While I am a bit camera shy, I actually was shot for the piece in my little home outside Philadelphia, and can be found in the second page of the NYT print edition. Everyone knows that Kate’s pugs are just too cute!;) I look forward to being shot for future Matchbook press.
xx, Jane
Jane,
Thanks so much for your reply. I’m so flattered that you purchased our bookplates! I miss having those in the shop. (Although I have a tiny stash left for my own books :) Too bad I didn’t get to see the NYT print edition. In any case, I’m looking forward to more photos of you both… and of course to future issues of Matchbook! Best of luck with everything!
who needs an office?! I have been working from home for the better part of the past 4 years and I prefer this to any office. Most of my meetings take place by phone and why shouldn’t I be comfortable while sitting for hours on the phone? I’ve always wanted to live that MCI commercial from the early 90′s where the woman spends a busy day in her PJ’s and never showers. Offices are old-fashioned.