Starting a new magazine is a fun and rewarding process. However, it is important for the publisher to consider all of the various costs before beginning this venture. Not having enough money to pay the printing bill can cause a promising magazine to fail before it gets off the ground.
Legal Costs for Magazine Publishers
It is a good idea for any publisher working in today's litigious society to think about forming some sort of corporation to protect personal assets. A lawyer is also an excellent idea. Look for a lawyer who specializes in writing and publishing cases and be sure to discuss whether the magazine should be run by a sole proprietor, a limited liability company, or a corporation before beginning the magazine.
- Costs can run from several hundred to several thousand dollars for the incorporation process, depending on whether the business owner can file incorporation or LLC forms himself or whether a lawyer draws up the papers.
- Contracts for writers, advertising staff and contractual positions are all things that should be looked over by a lawyer. Publishers should check to see if a boiler plate contract is available from the lawyer before creating a contract from scratch that may need heavy revisions. Plan to pay for several hours of lawyer fees.
- Liability statements for advertisers are also important for protecting the publisher from lawsuits in case the ads are misprinted or are accidentally excluded. An hour or two should be all that a lawyer needs to check advertising forms for correct wording on these statements.
Magazine Production Costs
Making the actual magazine can be time consuming, which is why most publishers have turned to desktop publishing to help speed up the process.
- Cut and paste still works for people who can't afford publishing software. The big advantage is that it is free. However, it is very time consuming and printers who use modern printing technology may charge a fee for scanning in the pages so they can be printed. This method is really best for people who are producing a photocopied zine.
- Apple originally had such a superior publishing program that a new computer often was a part of desktop publishing costs. Today, many publishers still prefer to buy a Mac with QuarkXPress installed for their layout and publishing work.
- People who own a PC can choose between several programs for magazine publishing, including the open source software known as Scribus, budget friendly Publisher software from Microsoft and Adobe's more costly PageMaker. Prices for desktop publishing software that can handle magazine publishing range from free to $499.
Printing Costs for Publishers
Printing a magazine can be a fairly inexpensive operation or very cost prohibitive. Simple photocopied zines are pretty budget friendly, while full color productions can really cost quite a bit.
- Photocopied zines can cost under $500 for a small print run. Adding a color cover can more than double that cost.
- Local newspapers often offer low cost printing options. A 24 page magazine with 8 pages of color could cost as little as a dollar per copy for a thousand magazine print run.
- Online on demand printers are not the best value for the dollar, although they can produce a beautiful magazine. The costs can be passed on to the consumer, since customers can pay for a single copy before it is printed.
- Camera ready copy is always best, since printers will charge for all services that help the magazine publisher prepare for printing.
Additional Magazine Start Up Costs
Other costs a publisher should keep in mind are staffing and distribution expenses.
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