Autism Parenting Magazine started as a digital publication running on the Apple Newsstand platform for iOS ( iPhone / iPad editions) and subsequently got released in Android smartphone and PDF formats.
We have experimented and explored the idea of paper copies of the magazine in the past. The short answer is we cannot continue to produce a magazine with so many articles at a price most autism parents can afford if we switch to a paper based subscription model. We have a large magazine now packed with articles which address the large range of conditions, issues and solutions that are inherent in the autism spectrum. It is not just the issue of printing paper but also the issue of delivery costs to our now global audience.
Unfortunately, we live in an age where many niche publishers like ours are going bankrupt and the successful ones are charging upwards of $14.95 per issue or reducing publication frequency to bi monthly or quarterly. We chose not to do that as our goal is to provide world class information regularly at a price parents can afford. Our mission is really to help and support children and parents affected by autism in the best way we can, regardless of affordability.
You are welcome to print the magazine if you feel to, while we haven’t used any of these or guarantee their quality – there are several services online where you can send a PDF and they will print and send the magazine in the mail to you. There are also companies like Staples that have big industrial printers which will print for you while you’re in the store. If you have good experiences with any of these, please let us know so we can recommend it to other parents.
We prefer the “print if you need” approach over pre packaged glossy magazines that do not biodegrade and have a high carbon footprint. One of our concerns also is the environmental impact and we are not alone in that….
If you have not heard about 16 year old Greta Thunberg, she is shaking up the world at the moment with her “school strikes” as result of the rapid environmental and climate change we are faced with. Not only is she on the autism spectrum and a Nobel Peace prize winner – she also represents the next generation. The generation of your children. The ones that will be forced to live with the environmental impact of the generations before. She is my hero at the moment and I’m sure we will see more ASD teenagers speaking and caring about the future of the planet in the same way she does.
We understand that our approach and decisions will not make everyone happy. There will always be people that say a magazine has to be glossy and in paper. But we do our best with the resources we have available. If you are unhappy for any reason with our magazine, just contact our support team and we will issue a refund.
Thanks for you taking the time to read this article
All the best,
Mark
Founder
