The Magazine Manager
The Magazine Manager is a comprehensive publishing CRM designed to help you manage advertising sales, production workflows, and digital editions within a single integrated web-based platform.
Wrike
Wrike is a versatile project management platform that helps teams streamline workflows, track complex projects, and collaborate in real-time through customizable dashboards and automated request forms.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | The Magazine Manager | Wrike |
|---|---|---|
| Website | magazinemanager.com | wrike.com |
| Pricing Model | Custom | Freemium |
| Starting Price | Custom Pricing | Free |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✓ 14 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✓ Has free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2002 | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Coconut Creek, USA | San Diego, USA |
Overview
The Magazine Manager
The Magazine Manager is a specialized CRM built specifically for the unique needs of the publishing industry. You can manage your entire publication lifecycle from a single dashboard, moving seamlessly from initial ad sales and contract management to production tracking and final invoicing. It eliminates the need for disconnected spreadsheets by centralizing your contact data, flat-planning tools, and digital asset management.
You can track your sales pipeline in real-time and automate the billing process for both print and digital media. The platform also includes tools for circulation management and email marketing, helping you grow your audience while keeping your internal operations organized. Whether you run a single local title or a large multi-national media group, you can scale the system to fit your specific team structure and workflow requirements.
Wrike
Wrike is a flexible work management platform designed to help you gain full visibility over your projects and team performance. You can move away from scattered spreadsheets and endless email threads by centralizing your communication and task tracking in one workspace. Whether you are managing a simple marketing campaign or a complex product launch, you can adapt the interface with custom item types and automated workflows that match your specific business processes.
You can visualize your progress using interactive Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and real-time analytics dashboards that highlight potential bottlenecks before they delay your schedule. The platform scales easily from small creative teams to massive global enterprises, offering specialized tools for proofing, time tracking, and resource allocation. By automating repetitive administrative tasks, you can keep your team focused on high-impact work that drives results.
Overview
The Magazine Manager Features
- Ad Sales CRM Track your entire sales pipeline and manage contracts specifically designed for print and digital advertising schedules.
- Flat-Planning Tool Map out your magazine layout visually with drag-and-drop tools to organize editorial and advertising placements.
- Production Tracking Monitor the status of every creative asset and automate reminders to clients for missing artwork or approvals.
- Automated Invoicing Generate invoices automatically based on your flat plan and sync your financial data directly with accounting software.
- Digital Edition Creator Convert your print layouts into interactive digital editions to expand your reach across mobile and web platforms.
- Circulation Management Manage your subscriber lists and distribution schedules to ensure your publication reaches the right audience on time.
Wrike Features
- Customizable Dashboards. Create personalized views of your most important tasks and project milestones to monitor progress at a glance.
- Cross-Tagging. Tag a single task into multiple folders or projects to ensure visibility across different teams without duplicating work.
- Dynamic Request Forms. Automate your intake process by routing requests to the right folders and assigning them to the correct team members.
- Interactive Gantt Charts. Plan your project timelines visually and adjust task dependencies with a simple drag-and-drop interface to stay on schedule.
- Proofing and Approvals. Streamline your creative feedback by adding comments directly onto images and videos to speed up the approval process.
- Resource Management. Balance your team's workload effectively by viewing real-time availability and reassigning tasks to prevent burnout.
Pricing Comparison
The Magazine Manager Pricing
Wrike Pricing
- Web, desktop, and mobile apps
- Task and subtask management
- Live activity stream
- External requester view
- 2 GB storage space per account
- Cloud storage integrations
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Unlimited projects and tasks
- Interactive Gantt charts
- Custom workflows
- Automated request forms
- 20 free collaborators
Pros & Cons
The Magazine Manager
Pros
- Built specifically for publishers rather than general sales teams
- Centralizes sales and production in one unified database
- Excellent flat-planning tools for visual issue management
- Strong reporting capabilities for tracking sales representative performance
Cons
- Interface can feel dated compared to modern CRMs
- Significant learning curve due to the deep feature set
- Initial setup and configuration requires a time investment
Wrike
Pros
- Highly customizable interface adapts to unique workflows
- Excellent cross-departmental visibility through task tagging
- Robust mobile app for managing work remotely
- Powerful automation engine reduces manual data entry
Cons
- Steep learning curve for non-technical users
- Navigation can feel cluttered with many projects
- Advanced reporting is locked behind higher tiers