Guernica
Guernica is an independent, non-profit digital literary magazine founded in 2004, publishing freely accessible fiction, essays, poetry, and interviews on global arts and politics. It serves literary enthusiasts and writers worldwide, funded primarily through reader donations and merchandise sales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Guernica does
Guernica is an independent, non-profit literary magazine founded in 2004 and headquartered in New York City, publishing editorial content on global arts and politics through its WordPress-based website at guernicamag.com. The publication operates exclusively as a digital outlet, offering freely accessible fiction, essays, poetry, interviews, spotlights, apostrophe pieces, and audio content, with no paywall and no print edition. It serves two primary audiences: literary and arts enthusiasts seeking in-depth cultural criticism and underrepresented political perspectives, and writers and artists seeking publication venues for work addressing political and social themes, with contributors drawn from every continent.
The magazine's technology stack is a standard WordPress publishing platform without disclosed proprietary features, APIs, or integrations. Guernica generates revenue primarily through voluntary reader donations structured across three tiers: monthly recurring contributions of $10-$50, annual donations of $150-$250, and one-time contributions of $350-$1,000, with an option for donors to absorb credit card processing fees. A secondary merchandise shop operates on Big Cartel, providing incremental one-time purchase revenue. The publication has no advertising model, no subscription paywall for content access, and no institutional ownership.
Guernica's go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer and entirely organic, relying on search engine visibility, newsletter subscriptions, social media presence, and word-of-mouth within literary and academic communities. The organization has 51-100 employees, maintains editorial independence, and has sustained continuous publication for over two decades. Strategic partnerships, such as the Female Fighters series with the Politics of Sexual Violence Initiative at the City College of New York, reflect occasional academic collaborations rather than a systematic partnership strategy.
Guernica firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Guernica
- Legal name
- Guernica
- Website
- https://guernicamag.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Guernica is an independent, non-profit digital literary magazine founded in 2004, publishing freely accessible fiction, essays, poetry, and interviews on global arts and politics. It serves literary enthusiasts and writers worldwide, funded primarily through reader donations and merchandise sales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Guernica industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Literary Magazine
- NAICS
- Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)
Keywords
Where Guernica is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Guernica business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Donations and Subscriptions: Guernica generates revenue through reader donations via monthly, yearly, and one-time contribution options. The magazine offers tiered donation levels ranging from $10-50 monthly, $150-250 yearly, and $350-1000 one-time contributions. Readers can also opt to cover credit card processing fees (2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction).
- Shop/Merchandise: The magazine maintains a shop (Big Cartel) for merchandise sales, providing an additional revenue stream alongside donations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly recurring donation support |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual recurring donation support |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | One-time contribution |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Guernica product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Guernica is a non-profit online literary magazine that publishes fiction, essays, poetry, interviews, spotlights, and audio content focused on global arts and politics. The magazine distributes all content freely through its website (guernicamag.com) and funds operations through reader donations at multiple contribution tiers.
Product overview
Guernica is a nonprofit literary magazine focused on global arts and politics, published online since 2004. The publication features a single, unified platform publishing various literary content categories including Fiction, Essay, Poetry, Interviews, Spotlights, Apostrophe, and Audio. The magazine operates primarily through its website (guernicamag.com), with a secondary shop available through Big Cartel. Guernica generates revenue through reader donations and does not offer technology products, modules, or add-ons—its offering is purely editorial content published on a regular schedule.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Guernica Magazine Online literary magazine publishing fiction, essays, poetry, interviews, spotlights, and audio content focused on global arts and politics, freely accessible to readers worldwide.
- Guernica Shop (Merchandise) Online merchandise shop selling Guernica-branded products to readers and supporters.
Companies that use Guernica
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Guernica technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Guernica partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Politics of Sexual Violence Initiative at the City College of New YorkminorThe Female Fighters special series was published in partnership with the Politics of Sexual Violence Initiative at the City College of New York. This collaboration focused on content related to sexual violence issues.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Guernica competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Granta: Granta is a London-based literary magazine publishing fiction, essays, reportage, and poetry with a strong global and political lens. Comparable to Guernica in literary quality, international contributors, and themed-issue editorial approach.
- Tin House: Tin House is an American literary magazine publishing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry with a strong craft focus. Comparable to Guernica in literary fiction/poetry editorial mission and small-magazine scale, though with more craft/genre orientation.
- The Paris Review: The Paris Review is a leading American literary magazine publishing fiction, poetry, essays, and interviews since 1953. Like Guernica, it is a non-profit literary magazine with global literary ambitions, though it adds a print quarterly and broader cultural canon.
- McSweeney's: McSweeney's is a San Francisco-based literary publishing house founded by Dave Eggers, producing a literary quarterly and daily website. Comparable to Guernica in non-profit-ish literary publishing, online-first editorial model, and short-fiction/poetry focus.
- n+1: n+1 is a New York-based literary magazine blending literature, politics, and cultural criticism, founded in 2004. It is the closest direct peer to Guernica in terms of editorial mission, age, scale, and New York literary/political orientation.
- BOMB Magazine: BOMB is a New York-based non-profit arts magazine featuring interviews and creative work across literature, visual art, film, and music. Comparable to Guernica in non-profit status, New York base, and arts/literary editorial focus.
- The Believer: The Believer is an American literary and cultural magazine featuring long-form interviews, essays, and reviews. Comparable to Guernica in literary/political editorial mix, interview-heavy format, and independent non-profit scale.
Broad incumbents
- The Nation: The Nation is America's oldest continuously published weekly magazine covering politics, culture, and the arts. Comparable to Guernica's political-and-arts editorial lens and progressive orientation, though with far broader political scope and much larger circulation.
- Harper's Magazine: Harper's is one of America's oldest general-interest monthly magazines featuring essays, fiction, poetry, and reporting with a strong political lens. Comparable to Guernica's arts-and-politics editorial orientation but with vastly larger scale, print edition, and institutional legacy.
- The New Yorker: The New Yorker is the dominant American literary magazine publishing long-form fiction, poetry, essays, reporting, and criticism. Comparable to Guernica's literary editorial mix and New York base, but with paid subscriptions, print edition, and orders-of-magnitude larger audience.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses2 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks3 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Guernica social profiles
Digital presenceGuernica financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Guernica leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Guernica funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Guernica M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Guernica
What does Guernica do?
Guernica is a non-profit online literary magazine that publishes fiction, essays, poetry, interviews, spotlights, and audio content focused on global arts and politics. The magazine distributes all content freely through its website (guernicamag.com) and funds operations through reader donations at multiple contribution tiers.
Is Guernica a public or private company?
Guernica is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Guernica founded?
Guernica was founded in 2004. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Guernica based?
Guernica is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Guernica make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are shop/Merchandise.
Who are Guernica's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Granta, Tin House, The Paris Review, McSweeney's, n+1, BOMB Magazine and The Believer. Broad incumbents are The Nation, Harper's Magazine and The New Yorker.
Does Guernica have an API?
No public API is recorded for Guernica.
What industry is Guernica in?
Guernica's product category is Digital Literary Magazine. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAN, Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines. Its NAICS code is 5131 and its SIC code is 2721.