Susan Eyo-Honesty is so addicted to journalism that she can't just let go. This passion led her to the journey where so far she has spent 21 years. To her, that is just beginning. After 14 years with City People magazine as Deputy Editor -in-Chief, she started a magazine, Glam & Essence. A few months old, the lifestyle, all-gloss magazine is already the toast of many discerning readers. She shares her experience and vision for the industry with LEONARD OKACHIE. Excerpts:

Why Glam & Essence?
Before setting up Glam & Essence I was the Deputy Editor- in- Chief of City People media group. I was part of the team that started the first edition. But in September 28, 2010 I resigned my position. So I spent 14 years there. I resigned to start my own magazine which is a total deviation from what obtained in City People which is a soft sell. What we are doing with Glam & Essence is a lifestyle magazine that is a monthly magazine and is an all-colour, all-gloss that takes care of all issues that have to do with lifestyles.

What motivated you to go into publishing?
I've always had flair for things that have to do with lifestyle: fashion, beauty, interviews and so on. It's an all encompassing thing. What you find in Glam & Essence is everything I have done in my 21 years of being a journalist and putting my own flair into it. Journalism is like a drug; take it and you will not go away from it. You find yourself being drawn back to it. That is basically what happened to me. Even though I have other interests that I am involved in but I knew that this was my first love and I couldn't walk away.

With many magazines springing up how you intend to make a difference?
There are so many magazines on newsstand but anyone who has read Glam $ Essence would agree that it is a totally different concept. That is why I said it is lifestyle. A man can pick it and read and enjoy it. Surprisingly articles you find in Glam & Essence are mostly written by people who are not journalists, but who have flair for writing. Of course we cannot ignore the fact that fashion has become a strong force in our environment. This is not just putting the pictures of clothes but actually helping you have a sense of style. Some people have the money but they just don't have the flair. So what we do is offer those tips, guidelines as to how to develop their personality through sense of style. Basically it is all encompassing: how you can have a good home, how you can cook if you can't cook, give you the recipes if you are someone who loves cooking but wants to experiment with other kinds of dishes.

Entertainment is also in it. You find people who like the showbiz world. You cannot ignore one aspect of the society. So it is not a fashion magazine, it is a lifestyle magazine. Everything that has to do with living is captured in the magazine. You also get a gist or news of things happening around you. While a break we can give you the inside detail, which is different. So it is still not stale. Event could have happened three weeks ago and you just hear a break but we can give you more details as to what happened.

When was the Glam & Essence magazine launched and the impact so far?
It came into being in February 2011 and we are now with our third edition. The response so far has been encouraging. It's obvious there is a market and I guess we have found our own market. We have also found a way to quickly get into minds and homes of people because we are into subscription. So we have got a lot of people to subscribe. Of course we are also finding our space on the streets as well especially because of our advertisers so that they will see our presence. We knew that there were so many magazines on the streets, so we needed to find a way of also pushing the magazine beyond being on the streets. So we have been working on the subscription side of it.

Besides Lagos we are also in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Benin and we are looking at getting to others states as well. But we know that Lagos is the place to be really to make your presence felt. So far, we have done well, at least in making Glam & Essence become a household name.

How would you describe your 14 years at City People?
It was fantastic. It was an experience that money cannot buy and it is an experience I will live with for the rest of my life. It is an experience that moulded me and exposed me to many things in my journalism journey. It was a worthwhile experience regardless of whatever situation that must have risen along the line. I have no regrets. If you have been part of something, planting a seed, watering it, seeing it blossom and become a big tree that so many people can now perch on, you should feel that you have done something that you should be proud of. I think I have seen it from the very first edition to the point where it becomes a household name. It something I'm very proud of for having been part of that growth.

I don't think that there is anyone that you can tell the story of how City People started that you will not attribute Susan Eyo Honesty to its success. So for me, it's like I have accomplished one of life's challenges. Life is all about challenges and the idea is for you to overcome and make a success of it. What it actually means is that, whatever I am doing now, I already see the light at the end of the tunnel. That has entered into my memoir. I have entered another chapter, another new book.

How would you assess women generally in this profession?
I think they have found their own place. Now you have several women journalists who are now publishers of one magazine or the other. And that is a plus for journalism industry. It's a sector that they have always thought that women will never have a voice. But now I think we have about five or six women publishers of successful magazines. For example, magazines like Genevieve, Today's Woman, Wedding Planner, Gem, and others are magazines published by women. Also look at the Source magazine by Comfort Obi. She has made a mark in that sector as one person who went into the hardcore area of news reporting, competing with the likes of Tell, The News, and Newswatch. You cannot push her aside. She persevered and has found her own niche in that sector.

It is all praises for women because, that is a sector which for long was dominated by men. Now women have been able to break new grounds there. They have found their own comfort zone. They have created a market and it has become obvious that the key buyers are women. I do not intend to over emphasise the fact that, women are the majority when it comes to those who buy papers till this moment. Men don't read as much as women do. If you take women out of the business a lot of soft sale will die.

How did you come into journalism?
I studied English at the University of Lagos. From the NYSC, I found myself in the media. I worked with Vintage People as a reporter. From there I went to The News Magazine, and then I was transferred to Tempo. I resigned to join City People. I started out as Fashion Editor and then became the Editor. I later went on to become the Deputy Editor -in – Chief, a position I held till my resignation to start Glam & Essence. I am also the Second vice President of the Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria (FADAN).