How to Launch a Magazine

Your dream is to start a magazine...perhaps even a publishing empire. To make that dream a reality, it will take fortitude and hard work. In the end, however, all that sweat equity could pay off in the form of the magazine and job of your dreams!

Things You'll Need

• Publishing software

Instructions

1. Decide what type of magazine you want to create. Make sure it is something you are passionate about and know a lot about.

2. Research your demographic. A magazine will look different and have a different feel depending on the demographic you are trying to reach. Be sure that you understand your demographic and design your magazine based on that demographic.

3. Register your business name. How you go about this will depend on your state, but this is an important part of the process.

4. Purchase and register your domain name. An important aspect of any magazine these days is an online presence. Populate your website and you have a better chance at success.

5. Design the magazine. Most magazine publishers utilize Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress. You can either do the design yourself if you know how to use the programs, or you can hire a graphic designer to do the work for you.

6. Write the magazine articles. The type of articles you write will depend on the type of magazine you have. You can either write the magazine articles yourself or hire a writer to do the writing for you, depending on your experience and desires.

7. Sell ads. Decide what type of advertisers might be interested in your magazine and then approach them to sell ads. You can find a lot of information on how to go about ad sales via the forums at Magazine Launch (see Resources below).

8. Get printing quotes. For this, you might check local printers or larger commercial printers. The cost for printing will depend on page numbers (hint: print in quantities of 16 pages--16,32,48, etc.--for better rates), paper weight and coating, number of issues printed, shipping costs, and other factors. You will definitely want to do your homework in this area.

9. Decide how you will distribute your magazine. Whether you are going to place them at local businesses for free, make it a subscription-based magazine, or sell it from local stores, you will want to do your research into this area, as well.

Resources

• Magazine Launch