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A happy niche
At
1-year mark, "Iguana Magazine" still tickles kids’ Spanish
fancy
By Georgann
Yara
When
Christianne Meneses Jacobs found her dream of creating a Spanish
children’s magazine could quickly become reality, she was
happy. But it wasn’t exactly a laughing matter between herself
and husband Marc.
More than a year of research culminated in a sample of Iguana Magazine
in the summer of 2004. Although they brought it to trade shows in
Arizona, Los Angeles and Miami, Fla., "just to test the market," the
Jacobs remained grounded, and didn’t take their project too seriously.
More than 100 e-mails from people all over the world wanting to write
for or subscribe to the magazine, however, changed that.
"
We thought, wow, people really like this idea. This is real. This is
not a joke anymore," Jacobs recalls with a laugh. Any doubts or
private jesting about their ability to run a magazine disappeared with
the support of strangers.
WIDESPREAD READERSHIP
Iguana Magazine celebrated it’s one-year anniversary last month.
Jacobs has seen her subscription list grow from 50 to more than 650
paid subscribers from as far as Puerto Rico. The magazine ends up in
mailboxes nationwide, from large cities to small towns like Walla Walla,
Wash.
"
It goes to places that I had no idea there was a big Latino population," she
says.
With her husband as Iguana’s creative art director, the Scottsdale
mother of two and Garfield Elementary School teacher has launched a
publication that is geared toward children ages 7 to 12. It is available
in both bookstores and classrooms.
Iguana was born not too long after the birth of her oldest
daughter, now 4, as she started to embrace books. While
there were children’s
books translated into Spanish, Jacobs, a native of Nicaragua, was disappointed
and frustrated over the lack of original children’s Spanish literature.
What’s that saying about necessity and invention?
"
We looked at each other and said, ‘Hey, why don’t we create
this magazine?’ Jacobs says.
With college degrees in government and international
relations and filmmaking, respectively, Jacobs and her
husband jumped
into the
project, although neither of them had experience in the
publishing field.
"
We learned by doing it," she says.
WORKING
WITH EXPERTS
To ensure Iguana is pleasing its target audience, Jacobs runs each
article by a children’s panel representing different age groups.
The ones that get everyone’s seal of approval make it into the
magazine. The magazine runs on the Jacobs’ personal savings account
and revenue generated from subscription sales. Their research showed
that the more respected children’s magazines do not have ads,
so Iguana has no paid advertisements; Jacobs intends to keep it that
way but would welcome a sponsor.
After one year, the magazine’s renewal rate is 90 percent. The
typical subscriber is a parent who wants to read to their child in
Spanish, or wants him or her to continue fluency - parents just like
her.
"
They have realized we live in a global economy, one in which keeping
the language will benefit kids in the future. Jobs of the future will
require bilingual skills," Jacobs said.
"
It’s exciting to know people find it interesting and find it
useful."
For information about Iguana, visit www.iguanamagazine.com or
pick up a copy at Changing Hands Bookstore, 6428 S McClintock
Drive,
Tempe.
© 2006
Latino Perspectives Media, LLC. Reprinted with permission.
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