HOW TO START A MAGAZINE: The Basics By Claire Pfeiffer Magazine publishing is an art, a craft, a science and a trade, as well

as it is a business. If you are thinking of starting a magazine, you are about to embark on a dynamic project requiring knowledge and fortitude. Tomes could be written on magazine publishingand Magazines Canada does publish a variety of materials to support magazine publishersbut sometimes when youre just setting out, all you need are the basics to get you started. Here, then, is a brief overview of what magazine publishing involves. If you like what you read here, visit the Cultural Magazines section of our website to order the Small Magazine Handbooks. For more information, please contact our Membership Office at membership@magazinescanada.ca. Frequently Asked Questions by New and Would-Be Publishers Management 1. I have a great idea for a magazine. How can I find a publisher? Ideas are good. The magazine publishing industry eats, sleeps and breathes ideas. A lot of the best magazines fill a niche that no one even knew existed before the magazine was invented to serve it. If youve got the concept, you have two options: you can sell your idea or you can publish the magazine yourself. Nearly all small magazines in Canada are published by the same people who dream them upat least until the reins can be handed over once the business is up and running. You will only be able to sell your idea to a publishing company if you can guarantee that it will make vast amounts of money, that it fits with the rest of the companys titles, and that it will thrive by garnering steady and appropriate advertising over the long term. Basically, its got to nearly publish itself, and its got to be unique and saleable. Very, very few magazine concepts begin this way. Publishing your own magazine means you get to maintain control of the vision of your publication, and you are its main spokesperson and financier. You may balk at the prospect of devoting yourself to the start-up of a new magazinethis is a good indication of whether youre committed to your idea. Dont be frightened. When you decide to publish, you join the ranks of a collegial, ingenious and diverse cultural industry. 2. Whats a business plan? Why do I need one? A business plan is like a compass. It identifies the boundaries of your magazine and helps you find your way as you move forward. It pays to create one from Day One, even before your magazine is launched, as a way of identifying your mission and priorities, your potential for longevity, and your prospects as a business. Also, it is a nice, concise document to be able to hand to the bank manager who youre asking for financing. Even though your business plan will be based on projections and assumptions, it will be your ultimate rationale. As an overview of your entire business, it should contain information that describes your venture, your management structure, your market and audience, your targets and plans for editorial, circulation and advertising, your distribution strategy, production costs and cash flow projections. You may also include your financing plans, your design aesthetic, detailed information on your company and personnel, your partnerships and anything else you deem important. Dont forget to include an Executive Summary at the beginning. 3. As a magazine publisher, do I need to register my business in any special way?

No. Magazine publishers are required to register their business in the same way as everyone: by contacting Industry Canada or the Business Service Centre run by the government in the province where your business is located (for instance in Ontario, contact Ontario Business Connects), paying a small fee, and waiting for your licence in the mail. This is incidentally the same way you apply for things like vendor permits, Employer Health Tax, et cetera. 4. Where can I find someone to invest in my magazine? You know better than anyone to whom your business will appeal. Unfortunately there is no cache of Canadian magazine enthusiasts whose pockets are bursting with money, who are just waiting for you to call. What you must do is think broadly and creatively in your pursuit of potential investors, and develop a concerted strategy for your fundraising. If your magazine is issue-based, brush up on your venture philanthropy knowledge (try reading articles on Charityvillage.com and contacting the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy.) If you have charitable status, there are online resources available that list philanthropic organizations across Canada. Are you associated with a specific group of people that holds membership in other organizations? Does your magazine speak to any particular industry? Seeing your magazine in the broader marketplace is a helpful place to start. Networking is your best tool in approaching potential investors with an attractive proposal. 5. How can I find out if anyone else is publishing the same type of magazine? Head to a few well-stocked newsstands, perform a search at the National Library and Archives, search the names of registered businesses in Canada, use Google, contact Magazines Canada and/or the Canadian Business Press. 6. How many staff should I have? How much should I be paying personnel? There are no standards here, except for the legislated standards of minimum wage. Many magazines in Canada have functioned for years with a staff of fewer than 5 people. Most small magazines (those with circulation under 10,000) do not exceed 10 members of personnel. You need the basic minimum number of staff persons to perform the tasks laid out by your business plan. As for payment, Masthead conducts regular salary surveys; contact Masthead to view their most recent results. It is widely known that small magazine publishing is a little like archaeology: its a prestigious, adventurous, hands-on, cultural and independent enterprise but very few people in the world make any kind of serious money doing it. In this sense, magazine publishing is a craft. Expect low salaries. PWYC. 7. How do I get an ISSN? How do I get a barcode? Obtaining an ISSN (an International Standard Serial Number) is simple, and free of charge. Visit the National Library and Archives Canada website at http://www.collectionscanada.ca/issn/indexe.html. Once you receive an ISSN, the Library will also send you information about how to go about getting a barcode. Incidentally, Magazines Canada has a barcode machine that can issue barcodes to member magazines in our distribution program. Contact the Membership Office for more information on how to become a member of Magazines Canada. 8. How can I get grants? There exist in Canada several granting agencies that fund magazine publishing. The Department of Canadian Heritage runs the Canada Periodical Fund, which currently has three different types of grants available to publishers (namely Aid to Publishers, Business Innovation and Collective Initiatives.) The Canada Council funds small arts and literary magazines, as do many of the

provincial arts councils. The Ontario Media Development Corporation awards project funding to Ontario-based publications. In Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch of the B.C. government, there is the Direct Access Grant Program. If youre located in Quebec, contact SODEP (Socit de dvelopment des priodiques culturels qubecois). Lastly, if your organization has charitable status, you may research cultural philanthropic and private foundations to try and find a partner that fits well with your niche. 9. How much money do I need to start a magazine? This is a tricky question to answer, but the general rule is: more than you reckon. Different types of magazines will require quite different amounts of funding. It is a good idea to have money enough to last through three years of starting up; a break-even analysis can help you figure out how many years it will be until your circulation and advertising plans start earning the revenues you need to match your expenses. Some would-be publishers want to start right away with a lavish glossy, or a differently sized book that they think will garner instant praise and newsstand sales because of its obvious looks and appeal. This is not always the safest way to goindeed it is a sure route into debt unless you have millions in seed money. The best way to figure out how much money you will need is to create a business plan that includes fair estimations of your expenses and realistic projections of revenue. Dont forget when you are building your business plan to focus heavily on your circulation plan, as magazines in Canada rely heavily on subscriptions to build stable revenue. Be aware that many banks are shy of financing magazine ventures because magazine publishing is known as a tenuous business, and that if you do approach a bank for a loan, you will need to provide a guarantee of the stability of your future business. A solid circulation plan is an effective way of showing this. 10. Are there courses I can take in magazine publishing? Yes. Search for magazine or publishing on the websites of Simon Fraser University, Langara College, Centennial College, Mohawk College, Humber College and Ryerson University (including Ryerson Continuing Education). Magazines Canada runs a number of professional development programs every year that are open to non-members: two Schools for Advertising Sales and Circulation, Magazine Intensives, Magazines Canada Workshops and MagNet, the annual conference in June. 11. How long does it take before most magazines make money? It can be quite a while. It depends on your business model, and how well your projections pan out. Lets just say that only some magazines are instant successes, and that it is important to focus on your magazines overall health than it is on its profit margin. 12. Do I have to join a magazine association? No, you arent obliged to join any association, but there are benefits available if you do. Your local or national magazine association is only as strong as its membership. The unofficial motto of Magazines Canada is In Unitate Veres. Read the Membership section of our website to discover what this is all about. Editorial 1. How do I find writers? Good question. The best way to find writers, if you are in need of them, is to become as visible and approachable as possible. Attend industry events (ex. Word On the Street), place a listing in the annual Writers Market, place advertisements (for instance in other magazines), consult

writers associations (such as PWAC), and network. Read widely for writing that you enjoy and dont discount the power of CARD (Canadian Advertising Rates and Data) as a resource that writers consult. 2. What does a Managing Editor do, anyway? According to a compilation of roles by Masthead, a Managing Editor is responsible for the magazine's day-to-day operations. He or she sets schedules and coordinates the editorial, art and production departments to makes sure the magazine gets out on time. Also supervises the copy department. Reports to the editor. 3. Content isnt a problem. Ive got tons. How do I start? A caution to those who think that publishing a magazine depends entirely on having great content: editorial is but one of the three pillars of publishing, the other two being circulation and advertising. This is not to say that editorial isnt hugely important, because it is. But the project of publishing is actually the practice of making content widely available, and this takes finesse. That said, there are ways to use your editorial wisely, and successful magazines always build an editorial plan. Make sure you dont just send out your tons of content willy-nilly. Think about what kind of editorial fits together thematically, what suits different seasons and times in the year, and soon enough you will have created a framework for all your editorial that will be pertinent and comprehensive to your readers. 4. How do I reprint things from other sources? Knowledge of rights and permissions is important in publishing. Contact Access Copyright to learn the fundamentals. Dont reprint anything without permission. 5. What is a good editorial-to-advertising ratio? If youre not what is called a magalogue (magazine/catalogue) then youll want to keep your editorial and advertising in careful balance. Most mainstream consumer magazines contain about 50 to 60 percent advertising, calculated in terms of space. Arts and literary titles often differ quite a bit, and some contain no advertising at all. How much advertising your magazine carries depends on your publishing strategy. Under our membership criteria, Magazines Canada writes, There must be a clear distinction between advertising and editorial content, and advertising must not be tied to editorial. An average of no more than 70% of the magazine, calculated over a yearly publishing cycle, may be devoted to advertising. Advertising supplements must be clearly marked as advertisement or advertising supplement in compliance with the Canadian Magazine Industry Advertising-Editorial Guidelines. For more information on the guidelines, consult the Advertising section of the Magazines Canada website. The guidelines can provide a good departure point for understanding why maintaining a good ad/ed ratio is highly important to your magazines credibility and readership base. 6. Do I need insurance against libel? You dont necessarily need libel insurance. A good rule of thumb is to avoid publishing libellous material. Libel insurance is expensive and is almost always sold in tandem with other kinds of special insurance, for instance errors & omissions. Instead of buying libel insurance, familiarize yourself with the legal aspects of publishing, and if youre really concerned about the potentially libellous nature of your material, retain a lawyer who can give you advice. 7. Do I need to make a prototype of my magazine?

Why not? A few mock-ups of your new publication will look nice in your business plan, and furthermore, seeing your magazine as an actual product will doubtlessly be educational. 8. I have tons of really important content. How do I find readers? In a nutshell, you need to learn about circulation, the science of finding readers. Keep reading. Circulation 1. What is circulation? Circulation refers to the process of reaching readers, and is often overlooked by new and wouldbe publishers, as it isnt an obvious component of magazine publishing to the average reader or consumer. While it is little known by the layperson, circulation is hugely significant in the project of publishing. There are different models of circulation, a fact that you may be able to intuit. Readers can be reached through subscriptions, the newsstand, and in other venues, and a magazine can either have paid circulation or free circulation. The difference lies in whether people pay to read your magazine or whether they pick it up or have it delivered to them for free. There are a few basic truths to circulation that can be mentioned: Canadian magazines are driven by subscription revenues; renewals are cheaper to attain than new readers from the newsstand, and circulation is immensely useful in researching and understanding your readers and hence is vastly beneficial to your advertising ventures. Circulation is an involved and somewhat tricky discipline within magazine publishing. To learn more about circulation, the best course available is Magazines Canadas School for Circulation. This is simply the only course in Canada that deals with circulation in depth. 2. How do I get a business reply envelope or card? Business Reply Mail is handled through Canada Post. 3. Can I estimate the circulation size of my new magazine? You can rent one or several lists from other magazines, organizations or brokers, do a targeted direct mail campaign, and judge your potential circulation size (roughly) from your response rates. You can launch your magazine in tandem with another publication, and use that controlled number as your circulation base, to start. Compare your title to others already in existence that may share certain characteristics. Do market researchif yours is a consumer title, find out about consumer habits (including media habits) using the Print Measurement Bureaus data. These are all good ways of coming up with ballpark numbers. 4. How much should my subscriptions cost? Youve seen it beforesubscriptions that cost dramatically less per issue than the cover price. This isnt required but customary. Most magazines set their subscription prices at a reduced rate from newsstand prices. More than this, they set a whole range of different subscription prices to correlate to different campaign offers. Take a survey of subscription cards that fall out of magazines on the rack. Calculate the discounts that magazines are offering. Set your subscription rates accordingly, higher or lower based on your circulation strategy. 5. Lots of people tell me they love my magazine, but I only have 12 subscribers. Why?

Unless lots of people refers to your immediate friends and family, you can trust that your editorial is working well. Editorial, however, does not often sell itself. What you need to do is better support your circulation, and run a concerted campaign including marketing and promotions. Start thinking of ways you can get the word out about your magazine, and capture the people who enjoy it in your subscriber list (note operative words highlighted in italics.) 6. Why do some magazines come with my newspaper? Magazines that come with your daily newspaper are circulated based on a controlled circulation model. The publishers of these magazines have struck a distribution deal with the newspaper that offers the magazine access to the newspapers subscribers, and the newspaper with revenue. While newspapers do not think of other peoples magazines as their own reader bonuses, it is generally accepted that magazines in controlled distribution have to match fairly well the newspapers editorial, as the general public will see the two publications as connected. Marketing and Advertising 1. I want to hire an advertising representative, but I cant find one. Help? Finding a great advertising representative is difficult for many small magazines. Advertising agencies often dont want to work with magazines that have relatively low circulation, because their commissions wont be significant enough to make the effort worth their while. You need to find someone who is friendly, quick-witted and who doesnt quit. It doesnt necessarily matter if this person is already a salespersonthey are equipped with the right personality, and you can always send them to the Magazines Canada School for Advertising Sales, a program so good it can turn any misanthropic introvert into an expert sales rep. Or you can always train them yourself. 2. How come so many literary magazines carry ads for each other? Many magazines swap advertising space with one another. Its a great way to gain exposure. 3. What is a standard price for an advertisement? There is no standard price, but publishers do set their prices competitively. The cost of advertising is set based on CPM, which means cost per thousand. Youll want to set a base rate that youll multiply by however many thousand readers you can claim legitimately. (Make note that this number is not to reflect your readers per copyif you charge your advertisers based on your number of readers per copy, you could be sued.) Magazines all have different CPMs. You can calculate these easily by obtaining a copy of CARD (Canadian Advertising Rates and Data), for instance at your local library, where you will find listings of magazines circulation and advertising rates. 4. I dont want ads in my magazine, but how will I make money? Magazines that do not carry advertising will have to make up for this revenue stream another way, either through circulation (i.e. subscription prices), fundraising (for example parties and events), or potentially selling other goods. It isnt easy to do, because the expenses involved in the making and shipping magazines are not incidental to the business, but it can be done. However you must ask yourself why you are not interested in carrying advertisingis it a design concern, some sort of ethical stance, or are you afraid of selling advertisingand ponder whether this is really a necessary choice to make for your readers. Distribution

1. How do I get my magazine into stores? You can try and strike a deal directly with retailers, which would entail you dropping off and picking up your own magazine in the stores and making all of the calculations of returns, draw and sell-through, or you can get a distributor. 2. Can I use more than one distributor? Technically yes, you can, but make sure that your distributors know of this. Using two distributors is a sure-fire way to encourage double shipments to retailers, which is not the best way to achieve newsstand sales, or friends in the retail world. 3. How do I get my magazine into libraries? Promotion to libraries is difficult. Unless your magazine is carried by EBSCO or CANEBSCO, the subscription services used almost exclusively by librarians, you will have to promote your magazine to libraries yourself. The other option is joining Magazines Canada, as our organization regularly markets to libraries and sends librarians its Retailer Catalogue. Production 1. What computer layout programs do designers use? Call it what you willlayout, typesetting, page designthe people who do this kind of work mostly use Adobe InDesign to do their layout. Other applications that are sometimes still used are Quark Xpress, Adobe PageMaker, Corel Ventura and Adobe FrameMaker, which are practical for certain kinds of projects, but never for magazines that are rich in images. There are desktop publishing programs (for example Microsoft Publisher) that sometimes people use, but these are not appropriate for professional magazine publishing. 2. Is it a crime to copy other magazine design? Youve probably heard the adage: design amateurs borrow; design professionals steal. It is always fun to get a sense of what other designers in the magazine industry are doing with their books in terms of fonts, colour, layout, ad placement et cetera and to use these ideas in your own design. But be careful when updating your own magazines lookit is possible to stray too far into homage and infringe on other designers work. Always make your work your own. 3. How do I print my magazine? To print your magazine, you must contract a printer. Finding a good printer and developing a business relationship makes life working on a magazine so much nicer. If youre having trouble knowing where to start looking, call a few publishers whose books you admire and ask them what printer they use. (If youre calling a big publishing company like Transcontinental, though, you might receive a short reply, as they print their own books.) You dont necessarily need to work with a printer in your area; you can send your print-ready files to printers anywhere via email or an FTP site. Quality and price should be your first concerns, proximity a distant second. 4. Can you tell me where to find a good printer? As a member-based organization, Magazines Canada cannot recommend or suggest any commercial services for risk of giving preferential treatment to competing businesses. To find out what printers other publishers use to their advantage, youll have to network and shop around.

5. Can I use photos I find online in my magazine? To print anything in your magazine legally, you must obtain permission from the primary rights owner. The simple answer to this question is no.