I often hear people talking about the virtues of online this and cyberspace that, social networking and web mags. In the 20+ years of working in the creative industry and watching as new technology emerges in it’s various and clunky forms, from dial up (one page on the whole web), walled gardens, peer to peer local forums, IRC chat facilities, social networking, phone apps to name but a few. Throughout all this exciting growth the words “this will be the death of the press” have always resonated, in part at the time I agreed, but there was always something missing.
In time I understood what was missing, it’s the tangible asset factor. What was missing from cyber tech was the need we have to hold something that is tactile, being connected through the medium. Newspapers, Magazines, and media of the printed form may have been impacted but they are still there, and in some cases more and stronger than ever. Take a walk through any supermarket and look at the shear range of magazines and publications that adorn the shelves – there’s countless magazines on countless topics. Simple truth is there’s nothing quite beats a good book, magazine or news paper, portable, no need for electricity, batteries, no real worries about loosing them and they are tactile and interactive in the simplest of ways. I reckon Johannes Gutenberg would still be very proud of his legacy.
What technology really has brought us, is the ability to produce magazines a lot quicker and easier than before for instance WN6 do the pre-press production for Local Life, and turn the whole magazine round in a very short space of time in terms of work hours. This means the economies of scale and the point of access to produce a professional looking magazines are far far lower than they ever where.
So what are you interested in, do you have a club, a hobby, a community that would like to read and enjoy the news and views in a tangible form, can you become a micro publisher? If you would like to try your hand at magazine publishing, you could always give it a go on your own. Start with a something small and ‘lo-fi’, use packages such as Word and Publisher, or even the open source applications out there. Sell a little advertising and have a go – it could be the start of something big, who knows at very least you may become self employed.
Did you know – the first business venture Richard Branson started was a magazine called Student! Described as being a poor academic and having dyslexia to boot, this didnt stop the now world known entrepreneur.
So if your little magazine becomes a success and you would like to make it more professional, there are many many companies out there that can help. WN6 being just one. WN6 have a unique formula backed by 20+ years in the industry, project management experience of over 75 published UK education titles, hundreds of local magazines created, a background in local content development, advertising sales experience and business management to boot (all wrapped up in one person). There may be many others with similar and greater experience – but the background I have is a decent enough recipe to at very least help in your publishing success.
Rest assured – no matter what you decide what your magazine should be about, the golden rule today is the same as it ever was – CONTENT IS KING!
Good luck.
