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.
2. Solicit submissions
Before you can publish your first issue, you need something to publish! But how can you encourage submissions? The best way is to get listed in printed market guides. Writer’s Digest puts out The Poet’s Market, The Writer’s Market, The Photographer’s Market, and The Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market. You can contact each publication separately to request a questionnaire. Listings are free.
Since you are likely to start out small, you should also attempt to obtain a listing in The International Directory of Little Magazines and Small Presses, published by Dustbooks. Dustbooks also publishes a Small Magazine Review, which has a column in each issue that lists new publications. Additionally, the internet boasts numerous writing forums where you can post a call for submissions.
Finally, you may want to post flyers soliciting submissions at the English and Art departments of nearby colleges, or mail flyers to far off colleges along with a note requesting that they be posted on the call for submissions board.
3. Build your list of subscribers
Most new, small circulation publishers begin to secure subscribers among family and friends. You might want to create a website where interested readers can subscribe to your publication, and be sure to include subscription information in your first issue. Many companies such a geocities and tripod allow you to build inexpensive business websites.
Be aware that you may start with a very small subscription base. It may take two to three issues before you begin to obtain a reasonable number of subscribers. You may have to accept some loss on the first one or two issues, and you may need to send free sample copies to libraries and other individuals to drum up business. Some publishers require that authors subscribe before submitting work for consideration. While this may help to give a boost to your subscription list, it will lower the overall number and quality of submissions. Authors will respect your publication more if you do not require a purchase for submission and if you pay contributors at least one free copy of the publication.
Aside from friends and family, early subscribers will probably be authors who have been published in your magazine or who are interested in getting published in your magazine. This is another reason why it is crucial to obtain a listing in the various market books.
4. Obtain an ISSN
Serial magazines are identified by their International Standard Serial Numbers (ISSN). Although an ISSN may not be required for every small circulation magazine, it does make your publication look official; it costs nothing; and it enables libraries to identify and catalogue your publication.
To obtain an ISSN, complete an ISSN application form, which may be downloaded from at the National Serials Data Program website. You will need to accompany your application with an actual issue if it has already been printed, or a mock-up if it has not. The ISSN should be displayed in a prominent place on your magazine, such as the cover or title page.
5. Design your publication
You can design your publication using any number of software programs, but be sure the program you use is compatible with the capabilities of the printer you choose. You will probably want a title page, and this should be the first page the reader sees when he or she opens your magazine. It may contain artwork or just the title, volume, and issue number of your magazine.
It is helpful to print special information about your magazine somewhere in the publication. This information is usually placed on the back of the title page or toward the end of the publication. Include a copyright notice, contact information, names of editors, subscription rates, submission information, and any additional credits or acknowledgements.
A table of contents usually follows the title page. The contents lists authors’ names (last or first and last), titles of works, and page numbers. You may organize the contents in order of appearance, alphabetical by the authors’ names, or divided into separate sections (i.e. for short stories, poetry, and art).
When designing your magazine, avoid clipart, both because it looks unprofessional and because, if you plan to sell your magazine, you could encounter legal issues. Try to find an illustrator or use art and photography solicited from students at local colleges. Also avoid illegible or inconsistent fonts, and include page numbers for easy reference.
6. Mail your publication
Once you have your printed copies in hand, you will need to mail them to subscribers and published authors and artists. For promotional purposes, you may also wish to mail complimentary copies to editors who review magazines, libraries, or various individuals.
If you have a magazine that weighs less than one pound and you have printed fewer than 250 copies, your best choice for shipping is USPS First-Class mail. If you have more than 250 copies, and you mail your magazine more than once a year, it may be worthwhile to pay for a bulk mail permit, presort your magazines, and mail them at the bulk mail rate. If your magazine weighs more than one pound, you can save money by mailing it via USPS media mail. Another option available for magazines is the periodicals rate, but you have to meet very detailed regulations to qualify for these rates, and you can be subject to postal audits. Most small press publishers will find that researching, understanding, and striving not to violate these regulations (which fill a binder) is hardly worth the savings.
7. Pay your taxes
If you sell individual copies or subscriptions to your magazine, you must include this information on your federal income taxes, either as hobby or business income. Which way should you report it? Because you can only deduct hobby expenses that exceed two percent of your adjusted gross income, you will actually pay lower taxes if you treat your magazine as a business rather than a hobby. But in order to treat it as a business, you must be able to prove that you have a profit motive, and eventually you will need to turn a profit.
In some states, you may have to pay sales tax if you sell your magazine to residents of your own state. Consult your state’s department of taxation for details.
Take the Plunge
Starting your own small circulation magazine may seem daunting at first, but if you follow these seven steps, you’ll be sure to cover all of the major bases.