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Welcome to Magazinestartup! If you desire to start a magazine but have had trouble finding information on the subject, then you’re in the right place. Unlike self-publishing a book, the resources available on magazine publishing are next to none. One need only take a minute to do a cursory search on Amazon.com to discover that there are currently only 4 books on the subject; only two of which that are specifically related to magazine publishing as opposed to starting a newsletter. Due to the paucity of resources on the subject, I felt the urge to create a venue where aspiring magazine publishers could obtain the information they need to launch their own magazine. The mission of magshoestring.com is two-fold; 1) to provide pertinent and practical information on the most important aspects of starting a magazine. 2) to provide cost cutting strategies and tips to substantially reduce the overall amount of startup capital needed to launch a magazine in the US market.
In regard to the first point, unlike the books currently available on Amazon that assume you have a sizeable staff and millions of dollars in startup capital to launch your magazine, I presuppose that you know nothing at all about the process and, in addition, are literally on a shoestring budget. Why? Simply because 40% to 60% of new magazine launches in the US are what I like to call “Mom and Pop” publications. These are small circulation magazines started by people who typically have very little or no experience at all in magazine publishing and, quite unfortunately, it is precisely these aspiring neophyte entrepreneurs who are completely overlooked by books on the subject. Furthermore, all the books that I’ve read on magazine publishing have many glaring omissions. For example, none of the books currently available on the subject explain the process for obtaining a barcode—which is mandatory if you intend to have a cover price and utilize the services of a paid distributor. None explain how to write an effective printing quote; a necessary document that’s a precursor to you getting a good price on your printing job at an offset press. And perhaps the most egregious oversight of all is the fact that none outline the fundamentals of creating a media kit. You should never underestimate the power of your media kit since it’s inextricably linked to the success of your magazine and will play an indispensable role in helping you obtain the necessary advertising revenue to keep your magazine solvent. These are just a few of the most obvious oversights but they certainly call into question the practicality of such “authoritative” books.
In respect to the second point, most people assume that you need millions of dollars to launch a magazine. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth! There are plenty of techniques and strategies that can be implemented to dramatically cut your startup costs. These areas include but are not limited to:
§ Page count
§ Paper stock
§ Binding
§ Cover coatings
§ Print Run
§ Demographics
§ Distribution
In addition to providing pragmatic information on magazine publishing, I also wanted to make sure that all the information available on this site was reasonably priced. It just doesn’t make sense to me to instruct individuals on how they can start a magazine on a shoestring and then turn around and charge an arm and a leg for the very information they need to do just that! I am a firm believer that information should be easily accessible and readily available to the masses so that we can all maximize our human potential.
On that note, I will be constantly adding more content, such as articles related to various aspects on magazine publishing, startup tips and additional instructional CDs to add to the wealth of information already available. I hope you will take the opportunity to peruse this site to get all the information that’s applicable to your magazine launch plans. I’m confident that you will find magshoestring.com an invaluable co-partner that will greatly assist in your pursuits to realize your dream of starting a magazine. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions related to this site. I look forward to hearing from you and wish you much success!
Respectfully,
Shawn Lindsey
magazinestartup@aol.com
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