Center spread

"Sustainable success will come to those with a very clear sense of brand values and editorial mission, who are able to differentiate themselves from competitors in print, online and other channels," he says.

A total of 9,884 magazine titles were published in China last year, according to GAPP, which approves any and all magazine titles before it can go to print. The number of magazines by foreign publishers accounted for less than 10 percent of the total, says Li Wenbin, senior analyst at research company Century Chinese International Media Consultation Inc.

Therein lies one specific problem: Foreign publishers cannot operate in China independently and are required to secure copyright cooperation with a local publishing partner. A number of local publishers said that there are many cultural differences and distribution challenges that are major hurdles to foreign magazines.

China's magazine industry may be booming, but it by no means equates to huge success in this market. So while the market remains highly appealing to international players, it is also highly complicated and challenging. Not every foreign magazine has fared well.

Li Wenbin says "most foreign magazines have gone through some struggling phase when they come to China and major challenges come from regulatory, operation, distribution and network restrictions.

"Take distribution for instance, whether it is through the postal service, airport, newsstand or subscription, every channel is different (in each nation) and the situation becomes even more complicated in different cities."

One example of a failed venture came in the early 1990s when a German women's magazine titled Lisa by the publisher Hubert Burda Media stopped publishing after years of struggles to make a profit. Elle Magazine also failed to reap a profit until after six years its launch during the mid-1990s because of what it said were the unexpected costs in distribution and operations.

Sun Qun, CEO of the publisher of magazines by Italy's RCS MediaGroup, says it's not easy for a foreign company, whether in TV, print or film, to make money in China until it gets a certain level of success in its home country.

"Because if the company came alone all by itself, the cost of printing fees, operation and distribution can be much more expensive for a foreign company than a local publisher, who already has several publications," he says.

Sun, who founded a joint venture with RCS MediaGroup and published the Chinese edition of RCS' home decoration magazines Casa Design and Abitare, says that his magazines didn't turn a profit until this year three or four years after their initial launch.

"We spent quite a long time to cultivate the market, and educate people how we operate and what we can offer. This year we organized International Design Week in Beijing and invited the vice-mayor of Milan, many international companies, experts and designers to participate in the event," Sun says.

"This is good not only for our branding and marketing but also for the development of the whole industry, which in return will offer many opportunities."

The company is mulling to launch a new interior design magazine or other new media portals in the coming years, Sun says, without providing more details.

Another challenge that all magazines face comes from the Internet. In many Western countries, online advertising has been sluggish for magazines and newspapers but in China, online advertising has taken off.

Online advertising revenues are forecast to reach $6.95 billion by 2012 and become the second-largest target for advertising in the country, according to the China Internet Network Information Center.