Supernova 

Supernova magazine is based on the philosophy of deep ecology and life-long-learning. Everything is connected, every one of our thoughts, decisions and actions has an effect on our environment. In this ever-changing world, we as humans need to learn to engage with, and understand our environment and the world we live in. We need to look at how our actions affect it and question how we interact with it. But most importantly, we need to stop seeing ourselves as outsiders, or separate from our environment, and rather as an integral part of it.  

A subtle approach

This philosophy is not explicit in the magazine. We prefer to allow children to make the logical link as they read the articles and see how nature, technology and humanity are deeply linked.

We want to see our readers unleash their power and potential to bring about real change in the world. Very soon, they will grow up and be the ones responsible for our environment and society. We should urgently give them the right tools and inspiration to do this.

Thanks to our subscription model of distribution and our interactions at events, we know a lot about our readers and how they engage with the magazine. This understanding has a big impact on our publishing decisions.

 Ages 8-9 – Avid young readers

• Supernova magazine’s youngest readers start at age 8. These are usually children who have already developed two to three years of reading skills and are thirsty for non-fiction content.

Ages 10-12 – Targeted readers

• We design our topics and the look and feel of Supernova magazine for a target age of 10-12 years old. These pre-teens are most at risk of dropping their hard-earned reading habits due to social, school and sport obligations and certainly, excessive screen time. Finding the time to read is one thing, finding something worthwhile to read is something else. Supernova is typically read in multiple sittings and requires low commitment, all the while still being highly engaging.

Ages 13-15 – Reluctant older readers

• Supernova allows a space for young teens to read for fun and without shame. Because the topics are varied and challenging and the articles well-researched, older kids can use them as a basis for school research projects.

Supernova is designed as a low-commitment reading option. It’s quite a difficult task to pick up a new novel or series of books, however it is not so difficult to pick up a magazine, open it at any page, and find something palatable and quick to read.  

The magazine is structured in a way that increases in difficulty as you progress through the articles. Starting with easier, bite-sized chucks of information and progressing to more intense high-grade articles which pose important questions and tackle complicated topics.

Our writers are all equipped with our strict Editorial Style Guide, which follows the plain language movement. Our writers and editors work on each article to increase engagement and information retention.

The best tool for getting a child to read is to give them a book or magazine that speaks to them and takes them seriously.

Children take themselves seriously and so do we. Any child who picks up a copy of Supernova magazine will immediately know that this was created for them.

While each article is coated with an appropriate amount of fun, the topics are never dumbed down. For example, we introduce a lot of high level vocabulary, but make sure our sentences are easy to read and understand.

Our greatest joy is to hear feedback from parents who say, “I read you article on fracking, or artificial intelligence, or climate change – and now I get it!”

We even hear from parents who read the magazine before their children do, so that they are on the same page when their kids ask them difficult questions!

A special thing happens when a child receives their own magazine in the post with their name on it.

• Firstly, it’s theirs and they buy into it. There is so much research that shows how important it is to have books and magazines of your own, in your own bedroom.
• Secondly, your child won’t miss an issue and we make sure it gets to them.
• Thirdly, it creates a link between us and you. A subscription offers us the opportunity to know who our readers are, as opposed to the traditional retail option, which is very impersonal. We know their names, how old they are, what province they live in, what types of schools they go to and that helps us make a better product.
• Furthermore, it offers you a direct link to us – you can share your feedback or concerns and we can help you with any queries you may have on how to work with the magazine. We enjoy building relationships with our readers and their parents.

We value high production quality. Each magazine is crafted over a four-month period by a team of over 12 people. Every article is carefully researched, every illustration is lovingly crafted, and every page is expertly layed-out by talented local writers, illustrators and designers. Our production management team checks every detail before print.

From the topics we include, to the way we structure information on the page, to the paper we print on, and the subscription method of distribution, every part of the publishing process is a crafted as a work of art. 

While each article is coated with an appropriate amount of fun, the topics are never dumbed down. We introduce a lot of high-level vocabulary, but make sure our sentences are easy to read and understand.

A magazine for the whole family

Our greatest joy is to hear feedback from parents who say, “I read you article on fracking, or artificial intelligence, or climate change – and now I get it!”  We even hear from parents who read the magazine before their children do, so that they are on the same page when their kids ask them difficult questions!

Since BK Publishing started in 2005, we have seen the move to digital take over all aspects of life. Moreover, we have seen children’s adoption, consumption and contribution to online content increase dramatically. Instead of seeing this as a threat, we embrace it and make sure that our digital offering is on par with other children’s magazines.  

However, we’ve also consistently seen that sales of our digital magazine has never gone any higher than 1% of our total sales. Likewise, discussions with other publishers around the world have shown similar trends. In short, given the choice, children still value a printed magazine and we expect this to continue for years to come.

The applications for the magazine are as wide as the topics we cover. From using the articles and activities as a basis for school or home projects to simply getting kids to read for fun, there is no end to the educational benefits of Supernova. It is a brilliant resource for the classroom, an indispensable title for all school libraries, but it is at its most powerful when read at home and discussed at the dinner table.

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