I want to start my own magazine , what procedure i should follow?

Question

I want to start my own magazine , what procedure i should follow?

Answer 1

The Publication Starters

     Who starts new publications, anyway? Of the

publications launched overall, 60 percent are started

by newcomers to publishing. Twenty percent of those

are by non-profit organizations. It's not surprising

that so many new publications are launched by

publishing neophytes. Publishing is a relatively

easy industry to enter. It is also an activity seen

by many as a means for advancing a cause or an

interest. For example, an individual highly

interested in environmental protection might seek to

start a publication in that field.

     But for many of the start-ups, success can be

elusive. Interestingly, of those publications which

fail, 50 percent are started by newcomers, 50

percent by experienced publishers.  

        What, then, is the reason that some succeed

and some fail? Of course there can be many reasons.

Undercapitalization, insufficient demand, poor

management, wrong strategies are among them. These

are some of the pitfalls of the publication start-up

game.

The Secrets of Success      

     In my experience, there are two start-up perils

which are particularly insidious. They are (1) the

lack of a realistic plan, and (2) an insufficient

demand for the new publication.    

     In planning, striking a balance is important.

Somewhere between a slapdash effort and one that's

confounded by excessive concern for detail is a

happy medium: a good workable plan. Just as you

wouldn't want to go off half-****** to start a new

publication, you'd never get one off the ground if you

got caught up in "analysis paralysis." Wasn't it

Alfred E. Newman who said, "What, me worry?" Perhaps

a touch of that wisdom can be helpful.

     Your plan should be practical, methodical and

realistic. But you should not lose sight of the big

picture due to inordinate attention to small

details. Of great importance is committing the plan

to paper. This will allow you to go back at various

steps along the way to look at your original

assumptions and expectations. You may revise your

plan, change directions, or even scuttle the

endeavor. But your performance and decisions will be

greatly aided by having a good written plan.

A Crying Need -- Or a Need for Crying

     Then there's the matter of whether there is a

need for the publication. Be very cautious about

this. Particularly if the subject area in which you

are to publish is dear to you. Many a new publisher

has confused his or her own perception of "need"

(based on a personal interest) for an actual market

demand. The mix-up can cause a disaster.

     Check out the need as best you can. Try focus

groups, personal interviews, conversations with

leaders in the field, with prospective advertisers.

They can all provide help in reality-testing your

perception of need.

     However, don't expect the advice you get from

these sources to be unbiased or 100% accurate. The

real test will come when you bring your publication

to market. There's no sure substitute for actually

selling subscriptions or selling ad space as a means

for determining whether your concept is viable!

The Practical Steps

     Here's how to get started.    

     1. Develop a concept. Flesh out your ideas of

what the publication is all about. What kind of

articles will it include? What is the editorial

position? Will you sell subscriptions? Is

advertising to be included?

     2. Develop a start-up business plan. Outline

the market, take a look at all the expense and

revenue. Plot your cash flow. Analyze profitability.

Figure out how you'll produce and finance the

venture.

     3. Produce the marketing materials. Consider

all the possible audiences to whom you'll be

marketing: readers, advertisers, financial sources.

Each will need a different, targeted marketing

piece. A direct-mail package for the readers, a

media kit for the advertisers, and a

prospectus/business plan for the financial people.

     4. Start the hard work.  

The Start-up Business Plan

     Two publishers I heard of recently put together

business plans. The first had one objective in mind.

He needed a document to present his bank as part of

negotiations for financing. And so the plan was

written with an exclusive emphasis on impressing the

bank. The other publisher wasn't seeking financing.

Her reason for constructing the plan was to optimize

marketing efforts. The approach she used to develop

the plan was to go out and get a ready-made computer

spread-sheet program.

     Both of these well-intentioned entrepreneurs

missed a major point, however. A start-up business

plan is not just a spreadsheet. It also is not just

a boastful, exaggerated write-up intended to impress

your bank or financial backer.

     Rather, your business plan must be a well

thought-out blueprint of how you are going to start

and operate your new publication. It provides a time

for you to test assumptions, uncover pitfalls and to

develop strategies that can guide you toward

success.

     There are seven essential elements that should

be included in every plan. They are, (1) market

description, (2) competition survey, (3) product

concept, (4) organization, (5) marketing strategies,

(6) production plan, and (7) financial plan.

Following is a description of each element.

Market Description

     Who will be the readers? Define the industry,

profession, etc. Who are the component groups? How

many are in each group? What are their interests?

Are the prospective readers accessible, are lists

available? Or how will you develop your own list?

What is your total circulation potential?

Conventional wisdom is that you can achieve a

subscriber level of about 10 percent of those in a

given market.

     Who will be the advertisers? Who are they

specifically? Is a list available? Whom are the

advertisers trying to reach with their marketing

messages? How much money are they spending on ads

aimed at the field in which you will be publishing?

What About Competition?

     Identify other publications serving the field

exclusively. Also check those which cover the field

in part. Who owns them? What are their frequency and

circulation? What are their rates?

     Are they profitable? Estimate their revenues

and expenses to answer that question. For

subscription revenue, multiply their claimed

circulation figure by the subscription rate. (If

they're mailed as "Periodicals Mail," you might want

to get a copy of their Form 3541 Statement of Mailing

from the Postal Service as verification.)

     To estimate ad revenue, count up ad pages in

their book. Exclude house ads, donated ads, etc.

Then multiply the total by their rate card figures.

However, in these days of selling off-card, it might

be wise to probe the issue of whether they are

selling discounted ads. Finally, estimate their

expenses based on your knowledge of what things

cost. This procedure should lead you to a fairly

good idea of your competition's profitability.

Product Concept

     Compared to the competition, will your

editorial product be noticeably different or better?

     Consider the publication's appearance. Its

frequency? Ad/editorial ratio? Means of

distribution? What will it cover editorially? Give a

detailed list of the kinds of articles, features and

columns. An annotated table of contents planned for

the first issue offers a good way of describing

content.

Organization

     How much staff will be needed? Who will do

what? Who will work for whom? Should you hire new

people or use existing staff? What type of person

will best fit into your start-up plan: are you

looking for someone with an entrepreneurial zeal or

with the steady hand of a seasoned line manager?

Will start-up team members' styles be complementary

or in conflict?

Marketing Strategies

     "That's how you can tell what's good in

America. It costs a lot." --Archie Bunker

     How will you price subscriptions to your new

publication? Will you undercut the competition? Or

price your publication higher to bolster its perceived

value? Will you offer introductory rates or

subscription bonuses?

     Consider whether distribution will be free or

by subscription. Profitability from subscription

revenue usually takes around three years. Can you

meet your objectives better by distributing the

publication free to a selected audience which

advertisers will value?

     Contemplate the timing of the first issue. Will

you be coming out at a time that's favorable for

selling ads and subscriptions? Don't try to sell

against seasonal trends in your field. To do so can

be like selling Christmas trees in July!

     Are you going to buy mailing lists for

promotion -- or will you compile your own?

     In terms of advertising, it is important that

the first issue look healthy, with lots of ads.

Nothing will build advertiser confidence more than

that.  How will you handle sales? Will you use

commissioned reps? Or use an in-house staff? How

much of your sales efforts should be made out in the

field vs. by telephone selling? Which method is best

suited to the geographical distribution of the

advertisers and their customary business practices?

Production Plan

     How will you handle typesetting, layout,

printing and binding, mailing and other forms of

distribution? How will the schedule for the new

publication mesh with your (and your staff's)

existing responsibilities? What vendors will you be

working with?

Financial Plan

     Start with projections. Base them o

Answer 2

Get a bleeding good theme and illustrator and make a sample.. Pretty wide question there... You would probaly wanna work at a magazine before u start ur own.