How to Start a Magazine

Starting a magazine isn’t as hard as you’d think. I even have started several myself and successfully published them for years. Make no mistake, it’s diligence , but if you’ll meet a couple of key requirements you’ll get your briele.

What are those few key requirements?

1) you would like some money to try to to this – Every business begin needs some capital and magazines are not any different. what proportion does one need? As little as a couple of hundred dollars will work (not including your printing costs) to urge your first issue on the streets and/or news stands. For a projected higher end book, you’ll need thousands of dollars hooked in to what market you’re entering and the way big you’re going right off the bat. The key are going to be to find out the talents you would like to publish and do the tasks yourself instead of hire an office filled with workers and payroll (I will hit on those skills during a minute and talk more about take advantage a minute).

2) Equipment – a minimum of one good computer capable of operating the varied software you’ll need (Adobe InDesign and a minimum of Adobe Photoshop), an honest digital SLR camera just like the Nikon D50 which runs about $750, a phone and a dependable vehicle.

3) the power to sell – Magazines big and little escape of advertisements and yours are going to be no different. I cannot stress enough how important it’s to possess a solid sales strategy in situ before you’re taking on this project. i will be able to talk more about selling further along.

4) Creativity – you cannot survive without offering something new your readers in a beautiful package and for this being creative may be a necessity.

Step #1 – Develop the Framework

You probably have a thought of what sort of magazine you would like to publish but from here you would like to construct some basic framework. Pick a reputation for your magazine carefully, confirm you’re not stepping on anyone’s trademark by searching the US trademark database.

Your website’s name is additionally something to think about when choosing your name. look for open domains that match your magazine’s name as closely as possible. it’s okay to use a couple of sudo-odd takes on domains for magazines like magazinenameonline.com or magazine-name.com. Register your domain and get in touch with an internet development company that you simply wish to start work on your magazine’s new website. I personally like 22 Creative as they concentrate on websites for magazines. Your website doesn’t got to be awesome right out of the gate, just something professional that’s clear about who you’re and what your book is about – expect to spend anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars to thousands here. an internet site is an important a part of this process though, don’t skip out on this one.

Okay, you’ve got a reputation and an internet site , what’s next? find out what you’re getting to include in your first issue by writing out an article outline. Fancy name but actually , just write out what you would like to feature, what percentage pages you would like to devote to every item and the way many pages for ads you would like to store (this are going to be hooked in to what percentage ads you sell for your first issue). what percentage pages should your magazine be? Two factors are live here. One is that the cost of printing the magazine because it costs more to print a much bigger magazine obviously, the second is what proportion editorial can or does one want to produce? you are doing not need a 100 page book your first go around so, hooked in to what your competitors do , aim for around 50 pages for an area or lifestyle magazine and 90+ for a magazine you would like to distribute on national news stands.

Step #2 – it is time to supply Content

Contrary to popular belief, you are doing not need a military of ‘journalists’ to publish your first issue. I even have produced content for many magazines alone or with the assistance of just a couple of individuals , it’s not that tough .

Start with item favorite on your editorial outline. Write your text first, ensuring to follow basic guidelines for writing editorial (Google search it for plenty of help). Have friends read the copy and obtain their honest opinion. Did you lose your readers attention at any point? Are your facts correct? does one have any typos?

A picture is worth thousand words literally. People like pictures, big, colorful pictures and much of them. choose what percentage pictures you would like for the piece and whether or not you’ll take the photos yourself or if you would like to shop for them/license them from a stock photo service. If you’ll take them yourself, head out and begin snapping. Take clear, in-focus images and take many them. you are doing not want to possess to travel back and re-shoot anything because you probably did not get the shot. Also, set your camera to require 300dpi images, normal smaller resolution images won’t work and can look pixilated within the final product – nothing comes off as more rookie than low-res photos in magazines. Remember if you’ve got any people in your photos, get them to sign a ‘model release’ allowing you to use their image in your publication. If you would like to shop for a picture from a stock photo website, confirm you purchase a 300dpi image that’s suitable for printing. Expect to pay anywhere from $3 – $10 for every photo, if you encounter an internet site that charges more, you’d be over paying.

After you’ve got knocked your editorial out, sleep thereon and re-evaluate it yourself. Is it good? what percentage magazines have you ever seen that each one regurgitate an equivalent tired ‘electronics features’ of iPhones and a few silly whatever that not many of us care about? Lots. you’ve got to possess a replacement combat things if you would like to ascertain issue number 2, 3, 54, etc.

Step #3 – Start Selling Ads Yesterday

New publishers often fall under the trap of just that specialize in the creative side of the magazine and not the sales. As an independent publisher, you’ve got to wear both hats. Start by producing a media kit for your new magazine. A media kit may be a couple pages, printed out that act as a resume for your magazine featuring all of the small print of who your magazine is for, what percentage you print, your distribution tactics, what ads you offer and the way much they cost, etc. within the beginning most of your sales won’t be due to your media kit, this is often just an important thing to possess to go away with prospective advertisers. I could continue and on about the way to sell ads for brand spanking new magazines but if you read it, you’d need to send me a reasonably big check as that’s closely held information by beat the industry. What I can tell you is start with a plan; turn advertisers that add up for your magazine. it’s a waste of your time to undertake and sell a billboard to Budweiser if you’re a replacement magazine that’s about quilting – it’s just not getting to happen. Put yourself therein business owners shoes, would you think about it?

Now is not the time to urge rich quick. you would like to sell ads to pay the bills and hopefully recoup your investment and live. meaning price your ad offerings actually . For a thought of what reality is, attempt to determine what similar magazines in your market are charging. don’t attend low on your pricing however, believe the worth of your magazine – giving it away free almost guarantees future failure. i do know of 1 magazine that just kept throwing money at itself, starting in new markets without first being profitable in one and to seem successful, they gave away their ad space. a few years later and it’s public knowledge within the media buying industry that nobody pays for ads therein magazine ever. If a possible advertiser says they need it for fewer than you would like to sell it for, expire them politely and are available back to them during a few months after you’ll prove a stronger value to justify your rate card.

Most importantly, offer value to your advertisers. There are a gazillion alternative ways to try to to this but it all starts with you delivering a robust , readable publication on time. The old under-promise and over-deliver adage works well here.

Step #4 – Layout Time

It’s crunch time. Layout is rarely pleasurable, my first issue I ever designed took me about 72 hours of labor with about 6 hours of sleep therein period – not exactly what I call an awesome blast . confirm you recognize the way to use your software BEFORE you would like to start out laying out your pub. just about the entire Free World uses Adobe InDesign to layout their magazines. it’s a reliable and straightforward to use program which will run you about $650 unless you’ll find a deal. you ought to seriously consider purchasing one among Adobe’s Creative Suites that bundles InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. Those three programs will take you anywhere you would like to travel in publishing as I even have been counting on them for years. Yes that’s some expensive software but is important and well well worth the money if you’re serious about doing this right.

If you flip through a random magazine here and there, you’ll notice that tons of them have an inconsistent layout throughout the book, meaning that the fonts and designs change every few pages or every story. If this appeals to you knock yourself out, just know that it’s not an honest practice to follow. you would like to aim for a balanced flow together with your layouts. the primary page of content should be very on the brink of the last page and not stray too far in between. Use a text font at or above 8 points and never smaller. do not forget those pictures, lots and much of images . Learn to use Photoshop to wash your photos up. I even have spent a minimum of 60 seconds with every photo I even have ever placed during a magazine layout – it’s a criminal offense to run photos with zero post work done on them, just a straight up crime.