Learn How You Can Publish a Magazine

Magazines first made an appearance after the printing press was invented and copies could be easily made of a single publication and now have become one way to make information available to a large segment of the public, no matter if it is presented online or as printed material. From a simple printed page to the slick photo pages of today, magazine publishing has come a long way from its humble beginnings.

Magazine publishing encompasses development of material, the acquisition of rights, copyediting, graphic design, layout and production. Production may be printing hardcopy magazines or uploading webpages. Marketing and distribution are also part of the job. Magazine publishing also involves a lot of detailed, tedious work before it reaches the public, it is not just developing a concept and printing.

Most magazines include content that is commercial, informational, entertaining and some editorial as well. To develop and provide all this content takes hard work and money to pay those who work so hard to write this content. In publishing, the better your talent, the more it costs. This is also reflected in your finished product. The better quality publication you create, the more money it costs to buy it.

Publishers of all kinds spend a lot of time and money buying the rights to publish copy. They also commission some writers to provide specific copy that they want. The quality of this copy helps build the reputation of the publisher. For a small publisher, you can rely on commissioned work until business increases. At that point, you may need to subscribe to syndicated news and other content, or outsource some of your jobs so you don't overwork your writers.

You will need to solicit some of your material, so it fits the concept you have for your magazine. You may also get unsolicited proposals and submissions from authors who may or may not be published. Unsolicited manuscripts often wait in what is known as a "slush pile." This is a place where editors sift through material to find quality work or content that may fit the needs of the moment. Established writers may have a literary agent to represent them. These agents market the writer's work to publishers and negotiate contracts for their clients.

When a piece is accepted for publication, commissioning editors negotiate the purchase of publishing rights and agree on any royalties that may be offered for books or copyright licensing for a magazine article. After the material is acquired, the editorial process begins. Authors may be asked to make changes or do rewriting. The editors then edit the content for the needs of the publication. This also happens to syndicated materials.

Magazine publishers often develop their own "house style" which is a layout that immediately lets the reader know this magazine is published by "XYZ Publishing". The content is edited by the editorial staff so it matches the styles required by various markets the publisher works with. Editors may also request structural changes in the work and more information for some portions.

Finally, the last step in magazine publishing is marketing and distribution. This puts the final product before the public in stores and newsstands, and sent out to subscribers everywhere.