Parentwise: targeting "a huge untapped market"
Fathers are to be targeted with the launch next month of Parentwise, which aims to fill a gap in the men’s parenting market.
The 112-page A4 glossy bimonthly is backed by City investors and produced by independent publisher Family Titles.
It is aimed at parents with children aged nine months to nine years but will have a specific section to help men cope with the trials of being a dad.
Editorial will feature fashion, education, health and holidays as well as car reviews, recipes, food and wine and tips on the house and garden.
There is also a celebrity element with a piece by novelist Jilly Cooper, "From Polo to Parenting", and an article by actress Emma Thompson’s mother, Phyllida Law, on being a grandparent.
The first issue also includes a piece called "Who’s the Daddy?" by one father whose partner left him for another man, who had to deal with his son’s query: "I’ve got two dads now, so can I call you Glen?" Rachel Sykes, who has worked for the company before, is editor. Among the contributors are Paula Johnson, former literary editor of The Mail on Sunday, and Sunday Express and Daily Telegraph freelance Rosie Whitehouse. Pamela Janson-Smith, managing director of Family Titles, claimed fathers had been neglected for far too long. The idea for the launch came from the company’s previous title, Parents Guide, which was initially launched as a fundraising venture.
"A quarter of the subscribers were men and we often got calls from men, particularly sole parents, and we realised there were an awful lot of men out there who were becoming more involved with their children. All the other parenting magazines are totally targeted at mothers," she told Press Gazette.
"There is a huge untapped market out there. A lot of fathers don’t look for parenting magazines because they have all the men’s magazines but I hope they will now that they are being taken into account." Parentwise is due to launch on 2 September with a 30,000 print run and cover price of £2.90. Janson-Smith said she was hoping to extend circulation to the US by the second issue.
By Ruth Addicott
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