Working Mom Aims to Revolutionize Tween Publishing with Kiki Magazine

Frustrated at overtly sexualized media aimed at girls 9-14, editor and

educator Jamie Bryant launches new quarterly for 'girls with style and

substance.'

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    CINCINNATI, Aug. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- After a fruitless and exasperating
 search for magazines that would entertain, educate, and inspire her own
 daughters, Jamie Bryant found herself doing something she'd never dreamed
 of -- launching a new national publication. Kiki Magazine, which debuts
 next month, is aimed at "girls with style and substance" ages 9-14. Part
 magazine and part studio, Kiki proves possible the marriage of fashion,
 design, and creativity with smart, safe, age-appropriate content that will
 please girls and their parents.
     (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070827/CLM022 )
     Kiki began when Bryant's daughters, aged 7 and 9, started to express
 interest in fashion and design, topics not usually covered in magazines
 aimed at younger readers. Already frustrated by overtly-sexualized clothing
 and media marketed to an increasingly young audience, Bryant -- a
 Cincinnati-based editor and educator -- found the same was true of the
 current crop of magazines for adolescent girls.
     "Even publications aimed at younger teens offer up soft-sex articles
 and overly-mature content that parents and readers are uncomfortable with,"
 Bryant says. "There simply wasn't anything compelling being published for
 tween girls."
     Bolstered by her years of experience in education and textbook
 development, Bryant took matters into her own hands. "I could sit around
 and wait for someone else to do something about it, or I could do it
 myself," she says. "And I work with a lot of creative people who were
 determined to help me."
     The result is Kiki Magazine, a high-quality, full-color quarterly that
 debuts September 2007 with a two-part editorial mission. First, Bryant
 explains, Kiki aims to help each reader develop a sense of style that
 reflects her own personality. It also seeks to help readers gain the
 confidence that comes from being comfortable in their own skin, whatever
 their style.
     "Kiki is first and foremost a fun fashion magazine and creativity
 journal for girls," Bryant says. "But at the same time, it's also a
 publication of real substance and value, something parents and kids can
 both feel really good about."
     Bryant also notes that Kiki Magazine is as unique in what it doesn't
 feature as in what it does. "We're leaving out what most teen-magazine
 publishers consider must-have content. There's no gossip, no boyfriends, no
 sensuality, no instructions on how to kiss, no tips on getting sexy abs,"
 she says. "We don't miss it. Parents don't miss it. And, perhaps most of
 all, our readers certainly don't miss being bombarded with mature themes
 they're not ready to tackle."
     Instead, according to Bryant, Kiki takes the college fashion curriculum
 and tailors it to younger readers, using the fashion and design industry to
 explore a variety of topics, including business, geography, fine art,
 craft, history, world culture, and even math and science. "The fashion
 world is the perfect platform for helping girls discover and nurture their
 own sense of self, style, and creativity, while providing content of solid
 value," Bryant says. "Kiki is proof that having fun with style and artistry
 is completely compatible with intelligence and creativity."
     Kiki pairs articles about fashion with art and design project pages
 that turn the magazine into an interactive creativity journal. "These
 creative pages give each issue of Kiki even greater lasting value," Bryant
 says. "Girls will want to hang onto each issue and come back to it over and
 over again."
     Kiki Magazine is published quarterly by B-Books, Ltd. of Cincinnati,
 Ohio, and is currently available by subscription at www.kikimag.com. Since
 1998, B-Books has provided comprehensive solutions in academic publishing
 to clients nationwide.
 
 

SOURCE B-Books, Ltd.