by Rachelle de Bretagne

Created on: August 02, 2008   Last Updated: August 06, 2008

While the individual would never be able to take on the professionals in the glossy magazine market unless having substantial funding available and access to editorial staff and printing facilities, there is the possibility to start a magazine with minimal outlay. This article gives information about the planning procedures which are needed to start your own magazine. It is easier than most imagine and is achieveable.

*Choosing your theme and target readership.
*Profit or non profit making magazines.
*ISSN and other registration.
*Planning your initial lay-out.
*Seeking printing quotations.
*Estimating costs of production.
*Seeking sponsorship to keep the magazine viable.

Theme and target readership.

Before spending money or investment in the idea of a magazine, the purpose of the magazine should be established. If you have found a niche where you think you have an original idea for a magazine of interest to a certain sector, establishing its viability is essential. Perhaps a community magazine would be a great start, or one based on specialist interests. Once you have decided the type of magazine you want to produce and the target area of customers, you have begun the process of setting up the magazine itself. There are so many possibilities, and reaching as wide an audience as possible really does help the success of the project.

Profit versus Non Profit.

Decide whether the magazine will be a profit making venture or is one for non profit. This will matter since costs will determine the viability of the project. Often with a profit making publication, the price of production can be covered by the prices attached to advertising within the magazine. For a non profit making magazine, the magazine would have to show in its records that there was no gain, and that the outgoings equaled income.

Registrations.

Local registration may be involved depending upon where you live, though your magazine can be registered with an ISSN number which will be displayed on the back cover of the magazine itself when it appears on the shop shelves, and it is this which will have a bar code attached to it. These can be applied for at this website. Www.issn.org. The registration process is quite simple and the full concept of registration explained clearly.

Planning your initial layout.

Planning is the fun part. The initial launch will need to be tempting to readers. Contacting different possible sponsors at this stage may be difficult, since people are loathe to advertise in a magazine without

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