Lauren Boudard is the co-founder of the TechTrash newsletter and of Climax, a climate change news newsletter launched in 2021 that became a fanzine the following year. She is the guest on the fifth episode of the second season of *Chemins*, the Médianes podcast.
In this fifth episode of the second season of *Chemins*, we’re joined by Lauren Boudard, co-founder of the irreverent newsletter *TechTrash* and *Climax*, a climate change news newsletter launched in May 2021. A year later, Climax has moved from inboxes to mailboxes with a fanzine that’s “hotter than the climate.” Is it really easier to make a print product profitable than a newsletter? How do you engage your community?
Key Points
- Climax is funded by subscriptions, donations—which can be in addition to a subscription—and its studio operations, which sell business expertise through newsletters.
- Climax also provides training to companies. This economic driver does not prevent the media outlet from maintaining its committed, anti-greenwashing stance.
“There’s a radical edge to the fanzine and the content we share in the newsletter. We maintain that radical edge during our training sessions. That’s what sets us apart—that’s why people follow us.”
- The media outlet has just been selected by the Fund for a Free Press — a press support organization whose sole funding comes from donations by citizens committed to the causes of freedom and pluralism in the media — which this year is supporting ten independent media outlets with grants ranging from 12,000 to 45,000 euros.
“This funding will allow us to expand Climax’s investigative journalism section. Currently, we have a journalist, Nicolas Beublet, who is on a work-study program, and we’d like to make his position permanent so he can develop more reports and investigations. The FPL was convinced by our argument, and we’re very pleased about that.”
- Climax was initially launched as a paid newsletter. A year later, the founders decided to turn the newsletter into a fanzine.
“At first, we launched the paid newsletter because we believed—and still believe—very strongly in the Substack model that’s taking off in the United States. But our editorial approach didn’t fit. With a paid newsletter, there are two main motivations: either you subscribe because you know you’ll learn something useful for your daily life, or you subscribe to support a specific person. This is the path taken by American journalists who leave their newsrooms to build their own small media empires on their own. We, on the other hand, had a collective project that was better suited to a free newsletter as a complement to a print format.”
- When the Climax newsletter became a fanzine, it had 1,000 paying subscribers. The team simply announced the transition to a print format, and existing subscribers naturally went along with the change. Today, Climax prints and sells 3,000 fanzines.
“The idea is to grow little by little. We’re the opposite of the ‘scale’ and hyper-growth mindset. We cherish this small publication because we cherish our radicalism. Since we’re distributed exclusively in bookstores and on our website, we’re limited to a smaller reach.”
- With each new issue, the team pre-sells copies through a crowdfunding campaign. It’s a matter of financial security. Today, the fanzine is barely breaking even but relies on a fragile balance given the cost of paper.
“Pre-sales allow us both to secure sufficient funds to begin printing and to gauge the number of copies to print. Our goal, however, remains to have a clear picture of demand for the next two or three issues in advance.”
- The fanzine and newsletter content — now free — communicate with each other.
“We have a section in the newsletter called ‘The Bogus Argument,’ where we debunk the clichés that prevent us from taking action. In the newsletter, it’s a very concise format, but we also feature this type of content in the fanzine in longer articles designed to equip readers with the tools to respond to these tired old refrains we hear every day. There are overlaps, but the formats remain distinct: the newsletter covers current events, while the fanzine features longer-form content, including an archive.”
- The transition from a newsletter to a fanzine allowed the Climax team to gain credibility and build a team of freelance journalists.
“We’ve received a lot of feedback from our readers and colleagues, who take us more seriously thanks to the print format. There are still some preconceptions about newsletters—people tend to think we write them during our lunch break and view them as somewhat unprofessional. So this has taken us to the next level; it’s generated more interest in what we do, especially since there are so few print publications focused on environmental issues.”
“Aside from passion, I don’t think there are any specific requirements for launching a fanzine. What has changed is the structure of the team. We’ve brought in writers beyond the Climax editorial team. It’s been a real challenge: we’ve developed a specific tone—how do we let other people embrace it?”
- Chaque sortie d’un nouveau numéro est l’occasion d’organiser une soirée et de développer une logique événementielle. L’équipe souhaiterait à présent développer ces événements en dehors de Paris. De quoi créer une communauté autour du fanzine tout en augmentant sa « découvrabilité ».
“We want to foster eco-joy. It’s important for us to feel a sense of accomplishment, to realize that we’re not doing all this on our own. It’s an opportunity to connect with the community, to organize games like climate-themed blind tests and giant versions of “Petit Bac.” We’ve also launched a series of talks on the concept of utopia to help us envision desirable futures. This is all part of our editorial vision. Ecology isn’t just about graphs and numbers. It’s also about the visions we want to project ourselves into.”
Editor's Note: Médianes, the consulting firm, has been supporting the Climax team in its strategic development efforts since 2022.
"Chemins" is a podcast produced by Médianes. Season 2 is hosted by Marine Slavitch and directed by Morgan Prudhomme. The sound design is by Nicolas Peiron, and the visual design is by Christelle Perrin.
