Montana Quarterly

What Montana Quarterly does

Montana Quarterly is a privately held regional magazine publisher founded in 2005 and headquartered in Livingston, Montana. The company produces a quarterly print and digital magazine covering Montana's people, places, culture, conservation, and history, distinguished by an explicit editorial policy of portraying the state "warts and all" rather than as a tourism brochure. The publication has earned industry recognition including the Western Publications Association Best New Magazine West of the Mississippi award (2005) and three Society of Professional Journalists Best Magazine in the Five Northwestern States awards (2010, 2012, 2013). The core technology is straightforward: quarterly print production combined with a digital edition, supported by a WordPress-based website (wpengine.com hosting).

The business model combines four revenue streams: (1) Print+Digital and Digital-Only subscriptions at $43/year, marketed as saving 40% off newsstand price; (2) display advertising capped at 35% of content to preserve editorial quality; (3) back issue sales at $5.95 plus shipping; and (4) ancillary retail products including the 2015 "Montana, Warts and All" book at $18 and the annual Big Snowy Prize writing contest. Distribution is multi-channel — direct mail subscription, independent bookstores in 13 Montana cities, Barnes & Noble and other chains, Montana airport gift shops, destination hotel bedside placement, and an e-commerce storefront — reaching approximately 30,000 readers across all 50 U.S. states and a dozen foreign countries.

The operation is small (1-10 employees) and independently owned by its founding editorial team. Editor and founder Scott McMillion leads a senior team that includes Senior Editor Alan Kesselheim (author of 11 books), Senior Editor for Design Craig Lancaster (author of 10 novels), Senior Photographer Thomas Lee (author of two photography books), and Editor Emeritus Megan Ault Regnerus. No parent company, holding structure, external investors, mobile app, or technology platform beyond the website are disclosed. The business is fundamentally a traditional print+digital content publisher operating as a regional lifestyle brand.

Name

Montana Quarterly

Legal name

Montana Quarterly

Website

https://themontanaquarterly.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Montana Quarterly is a privately held regional magazine publisher founded in 2005 in Livingston, Montana, producing a quarterly print and digital magazine about Montana's people, places, culture, and conservation, reaching 30,000 readers via subscriptions, advertising, and retail distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Magazine Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Periodical Publishers (51312), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO), Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF), Biography, Memoir & Narrative Nonfiction Publishing (MPAJAAAI)

Keywords

• Regional magazine publishing
• Quarterly print publication
• Consumer magazine subscriptions
• Montana lifestyle journalism
• Editorial content publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Livingston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Print and digital subscription revenue through direct sales, with subscribers receiving quarterly issues delivered by mail
2. Advertising: Display advertising sold to businesses targeting Montana Quarterly's 30,000 educated and engaged readers. The magazine limits ads to 35% of content, providing premium attention for advertisers.
3. Back Issues: Sale of historical magazine issues at $5.95 per copy plus shipping
4. Book Sales: Sale of Montana-themed book 'Montana, Warts and All' at $18 paperback

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Montana Quarterly publishes a quarterly print and digital magazine featuring in-depth journalism about Montana's people, places, culture, conservation, and history. The publication is sold primarily through annual and multi-year subscriptions delivered by mail, with secondary distribution via independent bookstores, airport gift shops, and major retailers. The company also sells a compiled book of the magazine's first decade of archives titled "Montana, Warts and All."

Product overview

Montana Quarterly is a single unified magazine product published quarterly in print and digital formats. The core offering is the Montana Quarterly Magazine, supplemented by the Montana, Warts and All book compilation from their archives, the Big Snowy Prize youth writing contest, back issue sales, and subscription options including Print+Digital and Digital-Only tiers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Montana, Warts and All: A book compiled from the magazine's first decade of archives, published in 2015, featuring the best stories about Montana's people and places.

Products and services

• Montana Quarterly Magazine A quarterly literary magazine featuring in-depth stories about Montana's people, places, culture, conservation, and history. Published four times yearly, available in both print and digital editions, and targeted at Montana residents, ex-patriates, and enthusiasts worldwide.
• Montana, Warts and All (Book) A paperback book compilation of the best stories from the magazine's first decade of archives, offering a definitive collection on Montana's people and places. Priced at $18 for paperback.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MontanaQuarterly

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Montana Quarterly