Hotdog: moving to smaller size but more pages
Paragon is hoping to clinch a deal with a US publisher to launch an American edition of film magazine Hotdog.
Meanwhile, the UK edition has changed in size, increased its pagination and the cover price is to rise by around 50p.
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Paragon acquired Hotdog last year from James Brown’s company, I Feel Good, and demand for the title in the US has grown since it was first exported there last summer.
Editorial director Damien Butt said: “We have had it little over a year but we have had time to iron out the wrinkles and improve it as much as we can. We are getting a lot of response from America and a lot of interest for it to become a full-scale magazine over there.”
The number of export copies to the US has doubled and Paragon will monitor sales ahead of the launch, which is scheduled for September.
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Paragon is in talks with at least four US publishers. Although Butt declined to comment, sources have speculated it could be in talks with Dennis Publishing, which is also believed to be planning to launch a film title in the US.
“We are talking to publishers at the moment, some on the East Coast and others on the West,” he told Press Gazette. “I don’t think there is anything like it in the US. There’s nothing with its edgy appeal. Its tone and the way its features are done work really well. A lot of US magazines aren’t as edgy as British titles and that is what appeals.”
If the deal goes ahead, Butt said he could see vast scope for launching further titles in the US, particularly from Paragon’s computing and home entertainment portfolio. Paragon already has 48 overseas editions in 10 languages.
The UK Hotdog is changing to a smaller size, more square, similar to the American Super A4 format. Pagination goes up from 148 to 180 and there will be more features, DVD reviews and retro film coverage – one of the most popular sections. Butt said the new format would make it stand out from its rivals on the news-stand. Hotdog has also taken on two extra writers, Chris Tilly and Richard Edwards.
Paragon is expected to launch a number of new titles in the UK over the next few months.
By Ruth Addicott
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