In boom times, the consumer magazine business defines itself by its launches. Launching is what major publishers like to do best: firing forth innovative, unforeseen titles that redefine markets and spawn imitators across the board.But this year, no one in publishing is feeling nearly as bullish as usual, and the notable launches can very nearly be counted on the fingers of one hand.Barring big surprises, this year's most significant launch will either be Condé Nast's UK edition of Wired or H Bauer's zeitgeist-tapping Eat In, which arrived on 2 April and 31 March respectively. Equally, new titles from Future (The Knitter, Triathlon Plus), NatMags (Triathlete's World) and KAL Media (Inside Crochet) are timely, yet modest and specialist.Condé Nast's fashion and style magazine Love is bold and appealing but infrequent, with only two issues a year. With Waybuloo, due to launch in the summer, BBC Magazines offers something for the pre-schoolers. And that, give or take the unsubstantiated rumours of a ShortList for women, is that, as far as print is concerned.In the midst of a general economic crisis brought about by risky investments, a healthy degree of caution in the market is understandable. Given the depressed state of the advertising market and the level of investment required for a major new launch, it is also pretty well inevitable."The cost of launching on the news-stand is now quite extraordinary," says ShortList Media chief executive Mike Soutar. "On a normal, orthodox news-stand launch for a new weekly that aims to get into the top three in its sector, you can easily spend £12m in year one. News-stand magazines have never been riskier and, I suspect, all but the boldest publishers will draw their horns in for a while."Proponents of the free sector have their reasons for knocking paid-for magazines, but Soutar's view is equally borne out by the reticence of news-stand publishers.Fresh investmentAt the time of the February magazine ABC results, Enders press analyst Douglas McCabe noted that publishers need "to make WHSmith feel exciting again". For the moment, if publishers do indeed rise to that challenge, it looks as though they will do so largely through existing products.Link to the comments from:-Nicholas ColeridgeManaging director, British Condé Nast and vice-presidentCondé Nast InternationalPeter PhippenManaging directorBBC MagazinesPaul KeenanChief executiveBauer MediaEvelyn WebsterChief executiveIPC MediaStevie SpringChief executiveFutureDuncan EdwardsChief executive, NatMags and president and chief executiveHearst Magazines InternationalMore ...