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MESSAGE BOARD>
Welcome to the Magazine Startup Message Board!!
Magazine layout software
kiki
Guest
Nov 18, 2008
9:17 AM
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Good day,
I am starting up a Magazine and would like some much need advice on what affordable software one can use to acquire a magazine with style and good quality,
Is it ideal to go to a graphic company, or can one who has no knowledge of putting together a magazine really put together a successful magazine providing they have the right tools?
Question 2
How does one get advertisements for there magazines, such as Johnson and Johnson, maybe a car dealer ship, these are just examples. I imagine that the aim would be for companies to post there ad in your magazine for a fee. What is the ideal price that a magazine company charges business to port there ads?
I know my questions are a bit all over the place, but I am really trying to get a better understanding and make sure I am on the right track.
One more question. Can one only pay by Paypal. I was trying to purchase the $10 software guide
Thanks
"Success is a journey not a destination"
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Magazinestartup
2 posts
Nov 24, 2008
10:05 PM
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Hello Keisha:
Thanks for your message and sorry for the delay in responding. Ok, in regard to your first point, what kinds of affordable software are available for magazine layouts? Well, in terms of industry standards, there are basically two heavy weights in the ring: Quark Xpress and Adobe Indesign. Roughly 99.9% of all the magazines that you see on any given magazine rack are created with one or the other. The latest version of Quark Xpress is 8.0 and Adobe Indesign CS4. I invariably get asked the question; which one is better? Well, the answer to this question will depend upon who you ask! The long and short of it is that they are, for all intents and purposes, equally capable programs that operate very similarly.
However, I think that Adobe’s Indesign offers some advantages over Quark Xpress in one aspect. As you may be aware, Adobe not only makes Indesign but it is also the manufacturer of Photoshop, Illustrator, and Go Live. Photoshop is an image manipulation program, Illustrator allows for the creation of advance graphic illustrations, and Go Live is utilized for advanced website creation. If you desire to learn to do your own magazine layout design and have never used either before then I would highly recommend that you consider utilizing Adobe Indesign. Why? Well, the interface (tools palette) of Indesign is similar to Photoshop, Illustrator and Go Live with minor differences. Thus, once you learn Indesign, you will have a substantially less learning curve in regard to the others. This is important since, at the very least, you will have to learn how to use Photoshop, regardless whether you use Indesign or Quark Xpress. Photoshop is the primary tool used in the industry to convert images from RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color space to CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) which is mandatory before utilizing the services of an offset press to print your magazine. In terms of cost, they are both very expensive. Quark 8.0 retails for around $950 to $1,200 US dollars and Indesign CS4 goes for around $800 to $1,000 US dollars. Now, I happen to know a retailer where you can get both for a fraction of the cost!! That’s right! I should add that these are perfectly legal copies that can be registered with Adobe or Quark on their websites!!
In regard to doing your own magazine layout; yes, it is possible for you to do your own layout. There are plenty of “Quick Start” books for Indesign and Quark Xpress at any good bookstore like Boarders, Barnes & Nobles or online at Amazon.com. Learning to do your own layout can save you a considerable amount of money however, a good graphic artist might be instrumental to bring your vision from concept to a concrete magazine.
In regard to your second question; how does one get ads for their magazine? Well Keisha, this is a question that requires such a long answer that it’s deserving of a book! I should state for the record that I’m currently working on one that addresses precisely this issue. In a nutshell, successful advertisement procurement will be predicated upon a number of factors:
1) A lucrative demographic
2) An effective distribution that allows you to precisely reach your demographic
3) An effective marketing/promotion strategy
4) An effective media kit.
I will not elaborate on all of them at the moment since I don’t have the time. However, I will just mention that in my experience consulting with magazine publications, the vast majority of them have a very ineffective media kit and as a consequence, have a difficult time getting advertisers to jump on board!
Lastly, in regard to how one sets ad rates, please read my post for Latryce since her question is along the same line.
Hope this helps.
Shawn
Last Edited on 26-Nov-2008 7:41 PM
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