Those who aspire to start a magazine often contact us to take their idea to the next stage. Many paint a wonderful picture, but Dean Cook finds in some cases that the easel appears to be missing.

As with any business, it carries risk. A magazine more than most, with typically eight out of 10 magazines failing by the fourth issue. However, with over two decades' experience, we can identify the patterns that cause magazines to fail and therefore welcome a chat at the beginning of their journey. Here we will evaluate the actual time and financial implications and any perceived difficulties any publisher is likely to encounter. 

Quite frequently, the contact we receive is generally a desire to publish a magazine focusing on content and its look rather than how it will be adequately financed or distributed. Although content is important, it is also essential to assess its viability. 

Advertisers ultimately pay for a service that enables its message to reach an audience via a quality publication. Therefore, the money it invests must be effective.

Before contemplating whether to publish a magazine, an established route to your readers/market should be ready to share quality content. If there is no route to a quality readership, advertisers will not be interested; without advertisers, there is no money; and without money, a magazine cannot survive. 

Before you contact us, here are our five top tips to help you build the basis of your business model:

1. Has your route to market been identified? If not, how would you find your readers? 
2. How is your magazine to be distributed? Multi-point pickup, door-to-door, mailed direct to doors (subscription), retail sales, or distributed at events; what method would work best?
3. Are the quantities of sufficient amounts to satisfy advertisers' spend? What would their cost per reader be?
4. Will your magazine contain unique and quality written content? If so, how would that be supplied to you? 
5. How are the first several issues to be funded? Can you find ways to increase the longevity of the initial budget?

It would be straightforward to take on new business without engaging in a viability assessment with our clients. However, we aim to build quality, long-term business relationships. Not only that, we hate saying goodbye before we've reached the fourth issue.

If we think your publication has potential but believe you're not quite ready to launch, we would be more than happy to provide objective advice and guidance and hope ideas can be developed and brought to fruition later. Why not contact us via our form? Click here.