Start up magazine publishing costs

Starting a new magazine is a fun and rewarding process. However, it is important for the publisher to consider all of the various costs before beginning this venture. Not having enough money to pay the printing bill can cause a promising magazine to fail before it gets off the ground.

The cost of publishing a magazine involves quite a bit more than bills from the printer.

Legal Costs for Magazine Publishers

It is a good idea for any publisher working in today's litigious society to think about forming some sort of corporation to protect personal assets. A lawyer is also an excellent idea. Look for a lawyer who specializes in writing and publishing cases and be sure to discuss whether the magazine should be run by a sole proprietor, a limited liability company, or a corporation before beginning the magazine.

• Costs can run from several hundred to several thousand dollars for the incorporation process, depending on whether the business owner can file incorporation or LLC forms himself or whether a lawyer draws up the papers.
• Contracts for writers, advertising staff and contractual positions are all things that should be looked over by a lawyer. Publishers should check to see if a boiler plate contract is available from the lawyer before creating a contract from scratch that may need heavy revisions. Plan to pay for several hours of lawyer fees.
• Liability statements for advertisers are also important for protecting the publisher from lawsuits in case the ads are misprinted or are accidentally excluded. An hour or two should be all that a lawyer needs to check advertising forms for correct wording on these statements.

Magazine Production Costs

Making the actual magazine can be time consuming, which is why most publishers have turned to desktop publishing to help speed up the process.

• Cut and paste still works for people who can't afford publishing software. The big advantage is that it is free. However, it is very time consuming and printers who use modern printing technology may charge a fee for scanning in the pages so they can be printed. This method is really best for people who are producing a photocopied zine.
• Apple originally had such a superior publishing program that a new computer often was a part of desktop publishing costs. Today, many publishers still prefer to buy a Mac with QuarkXPress installed for their layout and publishing work.
• People who own a PC can choose between several programs for magazine publishing, including the open source software known as Scribus, budget friendly Publisher software from Microsoft and Adobe's more costly PageMaker. Prices for desktop publishing software that can handle magazine publishing range from free to $499.

Printing Costs for Publishers

Printing a magazine can be a fairly inexpensive operation or very cost prohibitive. Simple photocopied zines are pretty budget friendly, while full color productions can really cost quite a bit.

Additional Magazine Start Up Costs

• Photocopied zines can cost under $500 for a small print run. Adding a color cover can more than double that cost.
• Local newspapers often offer low cost printing options. A 24 page magazine with 8 pages of color could cost as little as a dollar per copy for a thousand magazine print run.
• Online on demand printers are not the best value for the dollar, although they can produce a beautiful magazine. The costs can be passed on to the consumer, since customers can pay for a single copy before it is printed.
• Camera ready copy is always best, since printers will charge for all services that help the magazine publisher prepare for printing.

Other costs a publisher should keep in mind are staffing and distribution expenses.

starting a magazine

Types of Magazines

There are thousands of magazines on different topics, from regional parenting publications to sporting news magazines, but they all fall under several basic categories.

• Free publications are funded by advertising costs and are usually regional.
• Zines are often small, photocopied publications that are sold by subscription to a specific audience.
• News stand publications are usually glossy magazines that are also often sold by subscription for a reduced price. They usually have a larger audience than zines and appeal to advertisers because of their targeted, but large, group of readers.
• Newsletters are closely related to magazines, but are usually tied to an organization of some kind. They are often a free benefit for people who have paid their membership fees.
• Online magazines are increasingly popular because of their relatively low cost and ability to reach larger audiences than print publications.

Choose a Magazine Topic

For most prospective publishers, choosing a magazine topic is the easiest part of the whole process. Often, they have an idea for a magazine, discover that no one else is filling the need and decide to do so themselves. However, even someone who knows what he or she wants the magazine to be about needs to do a bit of research and fine tuning before proceeding to the next step.

• Consider the number of people who are interested in the topic. For example, a polar bear conservation magazine may not have a wide enough audience, while an Alaska conservation magazine will draw additional readers.
• Make sure the wheel isn't being reinvented. Just because there is one magazine being published on a topic doesn't mean it is off limits, especially if it isn't well received by the audience it is targeting. However, taking on a hugely popular, well established magazine is a recipe for failure.

If the publisher is interested in a money making business and doesn't have a certain topic in mind, regional magazines are probably the best bet. Just keep in mind that magazine publishing is a high risk business and many magazines fold within a year of the first issue.

Check Licensing Requirements

Any business, even one that is run from a home computer, needs certain licenses and permits, especially if it is operating under an assumed name. Unless Kris Kringle is publishing a magazine under his own name, he needs to let the government know the name of his business by filing a DBA, or doing business as, application. Distribution across state lines could also involve certain fees and permits.

Design the Magazine

A good magazine has a consistent design and style. Things to consider when designing a magazine include:

Advertising and Promotion

• Layout
• Typeface
• Page size
• Number of pages
• Whether the magazine will be black and white, part color, or full color
• Paper quality

Promoting the magazine, especially to potential advertisers, begins before the first issue is even made. Many publishers make a mock up of several pages of the magazine to show businesses and will include it in their media kits. Advertisers are more willing to shell out a part of their limited promotional budget when they can see what they are paying for.

Additional Resources for Magazine Publishing Basics

Don't forget to consider your start up magazine publishing costs as you finalize your plans to develop a new publication.

magazine marketing ideas

The magazine industry has some of the toughest competition on the market. Anybody can create a magazine these days using a home computer and a printer. If you want your magazine to stand out among the crowd, you will have to put in a lot of time, effort and possibly money to get your magazine noticed by the masses. However, you have many different options available for how to market your magazine.
Advertise


People see advertising every day. Ads come in newspapers, brochures, buses, mailboxes, commercials, even on banners pulled by airplanes. If you want your magazine to become more than simply a word-of-mouth hit, you will have to pay for advertising space. Make sure you advertise in a way that your target audience will see you. For example, if your magazine appeals to children, make a commercial that will run with Saturday morning cartoons. Whether you advertise by having your magazine plastered on billboards or simply tape fliers to telephone poles, get your name and your image out there for people to see.
Website


Many people have access to the Internet these days, and oftentimes when they find out about an interesting product, they look for more information on the web. Having a website that is tied to your magazine will provide potential new customers with that info. Your website can include anything from what's in your current issue, teasers about featured articles, past issues or subscription information. Even games that have nothing to do with your magazine can appeal to some, prompting them to remember how much fun they had at your website the next time they see your magazine on the store shelf.
Meet Your Readers


Getting to know your customers will give you insight into what they like; and don't like, about your magazine. Make sure you listen to your customers' opinions. They ultimately make the choice to pay for and read your magazine, so you should do them the courtesy of hearing them out. If your magazine starts to struggle and you cannot figure out how to right the ship, an "expert" opinion from your clientele can help solve the problem for you.
Social Networking


Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook have become popular places to promote anything and everything. When you have a Facebook group or readers following you on Twitter, quick messages will give your readers updates about your new issue and what readers can expect to find inside. If you have a video camera, making videos and posting them on YouTube can also help market your magazine. The best part about social networking, it will not cost you a dime.

response from the design conspiricy

My response :

Response from Peepshow collective

peepshow collective

Peepshow collective are a collective of artists/illustrators/animators and designers based in London.  I love their work and am interested in visiting them because of the nature of my own design direction which is becoming more and more image driven. This could be the kind of place that I might aim to work at. However, I think due to the nature of how the company works; each designer works fairly independently, I think that they will only be able to offer a visit and not a placement. I still think it would be valuable to go and see how it works. This is what I sent them :

self branding

Leeds loves creativity competition brief

PDF Portfolio

research into setting up a magazine

Creating a Magazine

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  There are many people who have a gift to write and would just love to start their own magazine. Creating and launching a magazine of one's own can prove to be a very rewarding and fun adventure. However it can also involve a lot of hard work, commitment and money to accomplish the venturous dream. Because of this, it is important for new publishers to count the costs before venturing out. There are many decisions to make when creating a magazine such as what type of magazine will be published, what major topic or topics will be talked about and how the final product will be advertised and distributed.

The Various Forms of Magazine Publications

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  A magazine publisher has to decide in what form the magazine will be presented. Free publications, for example, are funded by advertising costs and they typically extend to many regions. Zine publications are small publications. They are photocopied and sold to subscription audiences. Newsletters are publications that are similar to magazines; however, they are typically connected to some sort of business entity. Newsletters are often provided to people with memberships. Online magazines have become very popular over the years. They are reasonably lower in price. They also have a greater capacity to reach a much larger audience than print magazines.

Choosing a Magazine Topic

• For magazine creators, one of the first steps, in addition to deciding on the form of the magazine, will be to decide on the topic for the magazine. In deciding on the topic, publishers generally do research to find whether another publisher is already filling the need. However, just because there may be another publisher with the same topic already, it does not necessarily mean that the new, up-and-coming publisher would not be successful with the topic as well. If the publisher is a very large and successful one, however, the new publisher would more than likely consider moving forward with a different topic. The next step will be to discover how many people are interested in the topic of choice. The new publisher must make sure that there is an audience that is interested enough in the topic for the magazine to be successful. However, if the new publisher is more concerned about making a profit and cannot come up with a specific topic, it may be a good idea for the publisher to go with regional magazines. Whatever the publisher decides, it is important to be committed to the task and to understand the risks involved because magazine publishing is considered to be a very risky business.

Designing the Magazine

• In the process of establishing the magazine, the publisher will choose a good style and design for the magazine. He may contract others to assist him with this process. A good style and design will include a good layout, page size, number of pages and a nice type face to fit the magazine style. In addition, whether the magazine will be in black and white, part color or in full color must be decided upon.

Advertising and Promoting the Magazine

• Before the very first issue is made, a new publisher will begin advertising and promoting the magazine. Getting the consumers ready and excited about the magazine is very important. Publishers will generally begin sending mock pages of their magazine to several businesses so that the businesses can get an idea about the new magazine. Often these pages are also included in the publisher's media kits. By doing this, it is a way to recruit and get advertisers to become encouraged and excited about promoting and advertising the new magazine because they can see, first hand, what they are investing in.

Getting Licensed

• All businesses, whether they are operated out of the home or some where else, will need to have a license or permit to operate. This also applies to magazine publishers. The publisher must fill out an application in her county to see if she can use the name she has chosen for the magazine. However, if the publisher is publishing the magazine by using her own name, typically no applications need to be filed.

new pics rephotographed for portfolio

layout experiments for pdf portfolio

winkreative

Winkreative are primarilly involved in branding but also some other image driven design. They are based all over the world so I have emailed the New york office to see if they take placements as well as their London office.

email to London office :

email to NY office :

nb studio

Nb Studio are an image driven studio based in London. I like their use of mixed media illustration but brought into a graphic design context. This is what I have sent them...

analogue - leeds

Analogue is the only Leeds based design company I have written to. I have mainly written to London based companies because I have found more suitable companies for what I want to do in London, as well as the fact that I would ideally like to move to London when I graduate. The reason I have decided to contact them as well is that I really like the work they do and the experience would be easy to get to while I live in Leeds. This is the email I have sent -

the point - creative advertising agency

Ian Mckinnon-Evans is the creative director of The Point and is an old bandmate of my dads. The point is situated in Norwich which is 40minutes from my Mums house and I have a lot of old friends in Norwich that I could stay with were I to get some experience. I have sent this less formal e-mail....