If you’re considering starting your own small-circulation print literary magazine, then you need to know how to accomplish your goals. Numerous factors are involved in publishing a magazine: choosing a title, format, frequency, and printer; soliciting submissions; building a list of subscribers; obtaining an ISSN; designing and mailing your publication; and, finally, paying your taxes.
Do you love the arts and want to give writers a new forum for their literature? Do you have a special interest in a particular theme and desire to build a magazine around it? Do you want the opportunity to read a variety of literature, select your favorites, and honor them in print? A myriad of reasons inspire individuals to start their own small circulation literary magazines. If you’re considering taking the creative plunge, there are seven steps you need to follow to bring your magazine to the marketplace.
1. Choose your title, format, frequency, and printer
Before you can begin to solicit submissions or sell subscriptions, you need to decide upon, at a minimum, a title, format, and frequency for your magazine. Remember that entries in market listings will generally be alphabetized, so your title will affect your placement. You may receive more notice if your listing appears toward the very beginning or the end. You will also want to type potential titles into an internet search engine to avoid duplicating another magazine’s title.
Choose a format and length for your magazine. Most small press literary magazines are digest sized and are printed with cardstock covers. The magazines are either side-stapled or perfect bound (like a book). You may want a full-size literary magazine (8.5 X 11) or an odd-sized one. Be aware that your formatting choice will affect your printing costs.
You may wish to use the local copy shop to print your publication, but you may save money if you have the magazines prepared by a printer who specializes in small print runs. The magazines can then be shipped to you, and although you will have to pay shipping, your overall costs might be lower. E-mail several printers with a description of your planned publication to obtain printing estimates. This will also help you to set a cover price and subscription rate for your publication.
Finally, decide how often you will publish—yearly, monthly, semiannually, etc. You will need to include this information when soliciting submissions or applying for an ISSN.