how hard is it to start a magazine?

[dvtimes]

is it all that hard?

bit of softwear, then pdf the file to a printers.

a day or two later a magazine.

i meabn is there any licenses or anything you need?

also how much is it to print a magazine?

[adultbusiness]

Its very expensive, distribution is a nightmare... returns are minimal unless you hit the big time but its a highly competitive market and odds are it will fail.... apart from that go for it! :)

[Damian]

get idea that will sell
put together team of journalists and ad sales people and marketing people
get distribution through comag
create editorial
sell all the ad space as cover sales will not allow it to break even
find reliable printers
create layouts
send layouts
distribute
market




realise that print media is dead, sack all your staff, and go home having lost a small fortune

[dvtimes]

so who are a good printer?

[dvtimes]

also what is the most basic softwear you can use?

[Damian]

so who are a good printer?

Depends what you are printing and the volume. There are loads.

[Damian]

also what is the most basic softwear you can use?

You need InDesign really. It has replaced Quark more or less as the industry standard.

Lovely bit of software it is too. MILES easier to use than Quark ever was.

[MelnAdam]

We looked at doing a contacts type mag a little while ago and it was a nightmare. Getting the content was no problem as it was all generated in house and even getting the advertising wasn't that hard but the distribution was a nightmare.

Adam

[adultbusiness]

distribution was a nightmare
:agree:

[dvtimes]

Hi

If you can pm me some printer firm contacts, that would be great.

[JT]

Hi

If you can pm me some printer firm contacts, that would be great.

asking for people to PM you some printer firms while you are thinking of starting a magazine, is like asking people to send you some sheet metal workers because you fancy building cars.

[psl]

is it all that hard?

bit of softwear, then pdf the file to a printers.

a day or two later a magazine.

i meabn is there any licenses or anything you need?

also how much is it to print a magazine?

You need to decide how many pages you mag will be, 64,96,124 etc.
Mags run in multiples of 4 pages, cuts down the cost print.
Decide the size of the mag, A4 or A5/C5.
Decide on the paper weight, 80gsm,100gsm, then the cover
150gsm, 200 gsm, and then the page finish matt or gloss, the
cover finish glossed or varnish.
Is the mag saddle stiched(stapled) or glued (used for 124+ pages) and takes longer to get the finished product from the printers.

Producing the content for mag should be easy if you are good with a computer. Always send the mag to the printers on a disc and view the layout before it goes to print so you can check the layout and bleeds. Most printing now is done computer to plate.

Priniting of a mag can vary dependant on the print run and format, 10k saddle stitched 7days+delivery.

You will need to register the mag title with the British Libary who will issu you with an ISSN number, this protect the title in the market place.
Adult mags cannot have graphic pic on the cover.
Distribution is a minefield. Wholesalers will want a 55%-65% discount on the cover price and you have to deliver the mag into their warehouse. They then pay you for the mags sold on average 90 days after the on sale date and you have to dispose of the unsolds.
Normally the usolds of adult mags will go to the guys who provid the shops with bulk mag packs, 4 adult mags for a £10, but they will only pay you
£0.10p per unit.WH Smith will not stock adult mags and taken that they are one of the bigget maga wholesalers as well make it a bit tricky.
McFarlanes in Leeds and Odyssey in the East End of London are good with adult mags.
The price of the print of a 64 page mag, 80gsm page weight, gloss finish with a 150 gsm varnished cover saddle stitched should be around £0.75p per unit, minimum 10k units, but don't quote me as I have not been in the industry for about 4-5 years.
You need to work out your ad revenue and what discounts you will give or you culd just fill it with your own PRS numbers,SMS services and webiste ads.
So I guess you where nearly right.
Why not try producing and digital mag, quicker to distribute, no unsolds, and all subscription, based $2 a mag, you get to build a niceopt-in data base and you are helping save the rainforests....
:cheers2:

[Damian]

Why not try producing and digital mag, quicker to distribute, no unsolds, and all subscription, based $2 a mag, you get to build a niceopt-in data base and you are helping save the rainforests....
:cheers2:

Agreed

[Geezer]

I thought this is what this thread was going to be about, might be worth a look DVT:

http://deadline.itv.com/page.asp?partid=1

[Thursby]

I worked for a pretty big fringe mag group before going solo and the points made here are bang on. Getting a mag together is straightforward these days, but getiing it distributed and sold, handling returns, people using the classifieds to distribute nasty stuff and just the general admin is horrendous. I'd also say that getting a bunch of hot content together for the first one can seem a breeze but doing that whilst managing all the other stuff I've mentioned - month after month - is a total pain in the arse.

[mOBSCENE]

DVTimes first mag out Tuesday? :

http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/1283/jellyroll8lx1iv.jpg

[Scottybuzz]

i heard on the dragons den that the magazine industry is one of the hardest to make it work.

[SGS]

Used to own a magazine back in the 80s and even then it was a nightmare. First you need to get distribution sorted and then you have to get people to actually buy it. AT worst its a way of losing a huge amount of money and at best its a 24/7 hobby.

The web lets everyone be a publisher at a fraction of the cost and a fraction of the speed.

[SmithsMedia]

is it all that hard?

bit of softwear, then pdf the file to a printers.

a day or two later a magazine.

i meabn is there any licenses or anything you need?

also how much is it to print a magazine?

I know a comopany who will set up a mamgazine for you and distribute it, all you need to do is provide the content.

The cost is not that high - I will get it and let you know :)

[SmithsMedia]

18K mate to have your own mag mate :)

[dvtimes]

i am looking at a budget of £100.

[SmithsMedia]

i am looking at a budget of £100.

gutter press!

[mOBSCENE]

i am looking at a budget of £100.

:lmao2:

[Damian]

i am looking at a budget of £100.

Do some drawings with your crayons and photocopy it then.

[daveydude]

£100? You're talking about a fanzine then. Me & my mate used to do one before either of us got a computer with a word processor - it was typewriters, scissors, tipp-ex and pritt-stik, then down to the photocopy shop. Actually I think issue #1 cost us about £30 for 100 copies.

[JT]

i am looking at a budget of £100.

LOL

[xcite-tv]

i am looking at a budget of £100.

EMAP should start worrying :lmao2:

[dvtimes]

my idea is a lifstyle magazine.

it will have attractive nude women and stuff about cars and sport.

i shall call it PlayBat due to its sports theme, with the second a made to look slightly like an o.

of course it is nothing to do with playboy and the similarities will be just a coensidence. in fact i have never heard of playboy before.

[daveydude]

my idea is a lifstyle magazine.

it will have attractive nude women and stuff about cars and sport.

i shall call it PlayBat due to its sports theme, with the second a made to look slightly like an o.

of course it is nothing to do with playboy and the similarities will be just a coensidence. in fact i have never heard of playboy before.

Sounds good. How much of the £100 are you setting aside for a legal battle?

[dvtimes]

Sounds good. How much of the £100 are you setting aside for a legal battle?

think smart.

if playboy takes me to court all i have is £60 (just filled the car with petrol and got a sandwich). So they will have that after a 6 month intense legall battle (i watched crown court when i was little, so i am well prepared).

but when it goes on, my magazine will be bought like crazy worldwide. thus i will make millions.

[daveydude]

think smart.

if playboy takes me to court all i have is £60 (just filled the car with petrol and got a sandwich). So they will have that after a 6 month intense legall battle (i watched crown court when i was little, so i am well prepared).

but when it goes on, my magazine will be bought like crazy worldwide. thus i will make millions.

so they'll get millions +£60 plus a sandwich :D

[JT]

think smart.

if playboy takes me to court all i have is £60 (just filled the car with petrol and got a sandwich). So they will have that after a 6 month intense legall battle (i watched crown court when i was little, so i am well prepared).

but when it goes on, my magazine will be bought like crazy worldwide. thus i will make millions.

Ah you see, this is where I see the tiny little fault in what has been so far a faultless business plan, as Im sure we all agree.

After you have been to the public library photocopying facility with your pocket full of 5 pence pieces ready to publish your lifestyle magazine and then returned home with the magazines, you will need more petrol and presumably another sandwich to get you to the place of distribution otherwise playboy will never see it and so you wont get sued.

[Simon]

Why not try producing and digital mag, quicker to distribute, no unsolds, and all subscription, based $2 a mag, you get to build a niceopt-in data base and you are helping save the rainforests....
:cheers2:A digital mag, hmmm, thats got me thinking. How about doing a website instead of a magazine? Its just a thought.

[JT]

A digital mag, hmmm, thats got me thinking. How about doing a website instead of a magazine? Its just a thought.

Now you are going to far. pffft that'll never take off

[Simon]

Now you are going to far. pffft that'll never take offStill, I did think of it first so if any of you buggers try to do a website featuring nekkid lay-dees I'll see you court!

[dvtimes]

some of you are real dumb dumbs.

i have now a tank full of petroll.

playboy takes me to court. i pay them £60 or whatever i have on me.

meanwhile i make millions from the magazine.

meanwhile playboy have spent millions to sue me and so goes bust.

i do not colect the money for the magazines for a few months later (not daft).

when i do, i buy playboy out and give myself the £60 back as i know own playboy.

i then live in playboy mation with lots of foxy playboy girls.

then i have enough money to buy a privte army and invade all the small crappy countries that have no defence such as malta. then i inslave everyone to create a super army and invade the rest of the countries.

then i rule the world.

rather simple idea, but affective i think you will agree.

[daveydude]

playboy takes me to court. i pay them £60 or whatever i have on me.

Genius. someone should have told Ronnie Biggs that one - "yeah i done the blag, here's £10, it's all i've got on me".

[dvtimes]

Genius. someone should have told Ronnie Biggs that one - "yeah i done the blag, here's £10, it's all i've got on me".thank you

it does take a great person as me to think of these things

[-HF]

someone's working hard on their next AVN 'forum quotes' entry.

[S.D.]

http://images.usatoday.com/life/_photos/2006/08/08/hefner.jpg

"I'll See You In Cout D.V.T"

[Damian]

Heads up. Playboy ain't got much left in the war chest after the DirectTV fiasco. So I reckon they would let it drop for a settlement from DVT of - say - half a sarnie and a bit of his petrol syphoned out of the car.

You'll be laughing dvt!