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Anyone in Magazine publishing or printing? Writers, photographers, artists?

G

gotsmack

Diamond Member
I'm doing a new venture business plan for my Entrepreneur class and have to do a lenghty business plan.

I was wondering if I could get a few quick answers. I got a book from the libvrary but it didn't help much and I went to magazine.org but thats was only a little help. So here are my questions.

1. How much does it cost to print a magazine? (per page?)

2. How does a start-up attract advertisers?

3. How much does advertising space cost for what distribution #s?

4. Any free/cheap software out there I can use to make a little demo magazine for my class?

5. How much do photographers and writers cost? This is a startup so I guess I need both freelance and salaried writers. (pictures of easy things like wine bottles, glasses of wine, and people holding things).

6. How do you advertise for your magazine?


7. How much do they pay artists who do the sketches simular to the ones on the cover of The New Yorker magazine?



Thanks in advance
 
"5. How much do photographers and writers cost? This is a startup so I guess I need bith freelance and salaried writers."



Cant speak for writers but as for photographers it depends on what kind of work you want them to do. If you are paying them on a per-shoot basis, you might pay them 250-1000/day. Perhaps more. If you have a salaried photographer who works only for you, then you might expect to pay 50-80K for a decent photographer.
 
Go to the library and take a look at the most recent Writer's Market. Most libraries I've dealt with won't let you check out the current year - you have to use it there at the library - but you can check out previous years of Writer's Market.

You will be able to read the guidlines posted by both small and large publications which list what they are looking for and what they pay.
 
Okay, here goes. I've been a newsletter publisher forever, not magazines, but I know the basics.

1. Cost is kinda like saying, how much is food? Not enough information. Lots of variables here. Check out something like printingforless.com to get an idea. It isn't priced per page. It's more along the lines of, a certain amount for a "basic" package (cover, # of pages, type of paper, minimum run of copies) and then changes for your specific demands.

2. To "attract" advertisers, you print up a dummy copy of your magazine (complete with dummy ads that you have permission to use), take it around to potential advertisers along with your honed sales pitch including your backing information, your marketing plan, etc. and talk them into taking a gamble. You can also do it without the dummy but the dummy is the easy part.

Your question is worded wrong. Nobody in real life "attracts" advertisers. You SELL advertising. Standard sales practices apply.

3. Again, this is not a real question. The question is, what are your subscribers/readers worth to an advertiser? It varies widely. Teens may be worth a lot, but does your vehicle (magazine) contain the type of information that makes teens go out and buy what your advertisers are selling? The name of the game here is testing. Your advertisers will run an ad, they will track closely how well it does, and then refine it and go on testing. If they find pay dirt, they'll continue. If they don't they'll move on.

BTW, advertisers never pay the actual "stated" advertiser rates. It's kind of like "list price" in a lot of businesses.

If you want to know advertising rates, it's ridiculously simple - you call the magazine and ask. There's a place in the masthead that says who to call.

4. Duh, any word processor. Or publishing package. You have to do a LITTLE work yourself, guy.

5. Why would you pay a writer or photographer? This is a SERIOUS question, not a joke. Businesswise, the goal of your magazine is to make a profit. How do you do that? Many ways. Selling advertising. Selling your mailing list. Selling seminars (MONEY magazine presents "how to get rich"). Getting sponsored. Selling reprints or books. Loss leader for another part of the parent organization. Etc. The target audience you have and the method of making a profit you have, will determine what kind of writers/photographers you need. Many magazines have NO paid writers, they print nothing but press releases from their readers/advertisers and stuff that comes off the wire. Etc.

6. This is called marketing. Depends on your magazine. Normally, magazine startups start out with the marketing. If you can't define and easily reach your market, you start over again.

A market is any group who can be easily reached that will respond to your solicitations. Model train lovers - there are lots of mailing lists, publications, etc that already sell to them, and they love to buy stuff. Baseball lovers - harder to define. Baseball card collectors - easy to find, easy to sell to. Teens - too broad. Teen girls who love makeup - a little hard to reach, but they'll buy lots once you reach them. Got it?

7. A friend of mine does the occasional New Yorker cover. She gets paid something like $200 for the actual cover, but that doesn't really mean anything - something like if she gets paid any more, it will mess up her contract at another magazine. Whatever. For her it's part of a package, she also does a lot of those little drawings inside. Once again, look at Writers Market/Artists Market - much better information there.

Good Luck on your project.


 
thanks a lot you helped me a lot.

I went to the pose office today and got info on mailings.

now I need to find out how much the magazine is going to cost to print.

could you please give me a little more info on it? Like what kind of software I have to use to give my magazine to the printer? Please tell me a little more about these package deals. I couldn't find much directly on the net. I need 120 pages of 8.5*11 gloss paper. 70 pages color 50 pages b+w text





<< 5. Why would you pay a writer or photographer? This is a SERIOUS question, not a joke. Businesswise, the goal of your magazine is to make a profit. How do you do that? Many ways. Selling advertising. Selling your mailing list. Selling seminars (MONEY magazine presents "how to get rich"). Getting sponsored. Selling reprints or books. Loss leader for another part of the parent organization. Etc. The target audience you have and the method of making a profit you have, will determine what kind of writers/photographers you need. Many magazines have NO paid writers, they print nothing but press releases from their readers/advertisers and stuff that comes off the wire. Etc. >>



I need paid writers because this is going to be in the tobacco/wine industry and I need good articles to sell the magazine. This is going to be one of those magazines you buy for the articles.

I'm pretty sure magazines like Cigar Aficionado have paid writers for their magazines.
 
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