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Producing a Magazine

A quick overview
Starting a magazine is an "interesting" - and daunting - task, yet it is also an exciting venture. A couple of thoughts to consider before you begin:

• Be sure of your content.
• Decide on your layout, magazine size and format, as these influences costs while also forming an integral part of your brand.
• Consider how you will sell advertising space, and to whom. If you have limited resources, you may consider using an agency to sell advertising.
• Investigate printers and a distribution platform (both areas are costly). The relationship with your printer and distributor is vital to the quality of the printed magazine and the sales it may achieve.
• Be sure what market you are targeting as this will influence how you reach them and how they respond. Also, give serious consideration to other platforms such as website, digizine and web-letter in addition to print, as you may reach audiences more quickly at a reduced cost. These platforms are sometimes more easily measured.
• Editorial, art and production staff also need to be considered. When starting out, these roles are often fulfilled by a single person.

Gathering information
A magazine is like a good friend. It talks to you about the things you are interested in and keeps you informed. Unlike a newspaper, which is merely a daily dose of information, a magazine has to be thoroughly researched, trustworthy and conversational. Anything less and it will lose readers - and advertising revenue.

A good magazine depends on many factors: the quality and abilities of the people who work for it, the passion and vision of those who guide it and the technical excellence of its production; its ability to target a niche market to attract advertisers and readers and its successful distribution. 

The editorial content of a magazine begins with the editor and the journalists: they are its eyes and ears. Thorough planning on an annual basis and for each issue forms the cornerstone for content that is both relevant and appealing.  Within each editorial department, crucial decisions are made about what to cover (where to send journalists), how to write the feature (angle, themes and tone of writing), which photographs best illustrate the feature and which set of elements (photos, graphics, info boxes, lists and columns) make up a good read.  Most importantly, journalists need to know what their readers like and where to find it. 

Of course, they also need to be excellent writers and generally good photographers as well.  Their features are written on personal computers and stored in the company's editorial file server for access by sub-editors and art departments of each magazine.

Gathering advertising

A magazine cannot survive without revenue from advertisements.  They also provide useful information for readers: for example, in CAR and Getaway the classified sections are important drawcards for readers looking for new products or somewhere to holiday. 

The task of selling the benefits of advertising in a magazine is the job of the advertising sales team.  It is their responsibility to keep the magazine top of mind as a media choice in order to maintain existing advertisers and attract new ones.  This involves ongoing communication with advertising agencies, long-standing clients and prospective clients.  It requires sound knowledge of the magazine's editorial environment and reader profile, convincing and creative selling skills, together with a fair degree of confidence and persistence. The revenue brought in by advertising pages determines the extent to which the magazine is able to develop and grow to meet the changing needs of readers.  But the degree to which the magazine is able to attract advertisers is dependent on the number of readers it is able to attract.  RamsayMedia's particular strength is that it aims at niche markets and its writers generally have specialist skills in these areas. 

Advertising is supplied fully digital as print-ready PDFs. This ensures that the ads are made up to the correct specs for each magazine and are preflighted and checked for errors before being transferred to the publishers using specialised software. The ads are then renamed, giving page numbers for a particular issue and uploaded via FTP to the printers for electronic imposition.  Each month the digital ads supplied are archived for possible future use.

The art departments of the various magazines are the frontline of the production process, providing design facilities for the editorial teams. Their job is to package words, pictures and illustrations effectively in a style particular to each magazine. This requires ongoing discussion between the graphic artists, writers and editor to get the emphasis just right.  Each studio is generally headed by an art director, assisted by a team of layout artists or designers who collaborate to produce a magazine that is a pleasure to read and to look at.

These days most artwork and typesetting is mostly fully digitally and done on sophisticated Apple Mac computers using software such as Adobe InDesign for text layouts, Adobe Photoshop for picture manipulation and special effects, and Adobe Illustrator for vector-based graphics, maps and computer-generated illustrations.  Hand-drawn cartoons, illustrations, paintings and maps are also created by the artists to enhance their layouts and give a special feel to features.

The job of the production department is to ensure the orderly assembly of the magazine by combining advertising and editorial pages in a pleasing fashion and ensuring that the whole fits comfortably into the most cost effective number of pages.  These days all editorial and advertising pages are digitally produced and supplied electronically.

After the ads have been booked and the sections have been finalized, the subbed text is set and the footlines (page numbers) are added according to the forme sheet or electronic make-up. 

For printing, the documents are made up as CMYK process colours by electronically separating layers into cyan (blue), magenta (red), yellow and black. This is known in the industry as CMYK colour separations for digital transfer to the printing works.  The process is geared to go direct from computer to plate at the printers.

Back at the production department, the advertising colourproofs and digital files, also supplied as PDF X1a files, are checked, numbered and collated.  The editorial page proofs are also sorted into sections for the printers. All proofs are cleared to the printers. Here the digital material is imposed in sections of 24, 32, 40, 48, 60 or 72 pages and electronic booklet proofs are generated for checking.

Printing

Most major printers now offer computer-to-plate technology. Publishers need to create a digital workflow to ensure a smoother, more efficient production line and prepare print files correctly incorporating specific print profiles and appropriate file formats. A PDF (portable document format) - a compressed, closed file which has fonts and other vital information embedded and all extraneous elements removed - is the most commonly acceptable and a PDF X1a is now the industry standard. It is this digital information that is etched or engraved directly onto plates and cylinders ready for printing.

Once printed, the different printed sections are cut, folded and collated before heading off to the bindery.  Here the different sections are gathered together, the folds along the spine are ground off, hot glue is swabbed on and the cover is drawn on.  This is the square back (perfect binding) method.  Other magazines may be staple bound with two wires.  After a brief trip down a conveyor belt to dry, the magazines are trimmed by three vertical blades, then loose inserts are slipped in by machine before the subscriber copies head for the wrapping section.  As magazines roll in from one direction, plastic wrapping is fed in from another.  What emerges  is a stream of magazines wrapped and individually addressed, ready for transport to the post office. Retail copies are plastic wrapped in bundles, which are lifted onto pallets and await trucks for point of distribution sale nationwide.

Producing a Magazine

A quick overview
Starting a magazine is an "interesting" - and daunting - task, yet it is also an exciting venture. A couple of thoughts to consider before you begin:

• Be sure of your content.
• Decide on your layout, magazine size and format, as these influences costs while also forming an integral part of your brand.
• Consider how you will sell advertising space, and to whom. If you have limited resources, you may consider using an agency to sell advertising.
• Investigate printers and a distribution platform (both areas are costly). The relationship with your printer and distributor is vital to the quality of the printed magazine and the sales it may achieve.
• Be sure what market you are targeting as this will influence how you reach them and how they respond. Also, give serious consideration to other platforms such as website, digizine and web-letter in addition to print, as you may reach audiences more quickly at a reduced cost. These platforms are sometimes more easily measured.
• Editorial, art and production staff also need to be considered. When starting out, these roles are often fulfilled by a single person.

Gathering information
A magazine is like a good friend. It talks to you about the things you are interested in and keeps you informed. Unlike a newspaper, which is merely a daily dose of information, a magazine has to be thoroughly researched, trustworthy and conversational. Anything less and it will lose readers - and advertising revenue.

A good magazine depends on many factors: the quality and abilities of the people who work for it, the passion and vision of those who guide it and the technical excellence of its production; its ability to target a niche market to attract advertisers and readers and its successful distribution. 

The editorial content of a magazine begins with the editor and the journalists: they are its eyes and ears. Thorough planning on an annual basis and for each issue forms the cornerstone for content that is both relevant and appealing.  Within each editorial department, crucial decisions are made about what to cover (where to send journalists), how to write the feature (angle, themes and tone of writing), which photographs best illustrate the feature and which set of elements (photos, graphics, info boxes, lists and columns) make up a good read.  Most importantly, journalists need to know what their readers like and where to find it. 

Of course, they also need to be excellent writers and generally good photographers as well.  Their features are written on personal computers and stored in the company's editorial file server for access by sub-editors and art departments of each magazine.

Gathering advertising

A magazine cannot survive without revenue from advertisements.  They also provide useful information for readers: for example, in CAR and Getaway the classified sections are important drawcards for readers looking for new products or somewhere to holiday. 

The task of selling the benefits of advertising in a magazine is the job of the advertising sales team.  It is their responsibility to keep the magazine top of mind as a media choice in order to maintain existing advertisers and attract new ones.  This involves ongoing communication with advertising agencies, long-standing clients and prospective clients.  It requires sound knowledge of the magazine's editorial environment and reader profile, convincing and creative selling skills, together with a fair degree of confidence and persistence. The revenue brought in by advertising pages determines the extent to which the magazine is able to develop and grow to meet the changing needs of readers.  But the degree to which the magazine is able to attract advertisers is dependent on the number of readers it is able to attract.  RamsayMedia's particular strength is that it aims at niche markets and its writers generally have specialist skills in these areas. 

Advertising is supplied fully digital as print-ready PDFs. This ensures that the ads are made up to the correct specs for each magazine and are preflighted and checked for errors before being transferred to the publishers using specialised software. The ads are then renamed, giving page numbers for a particular issue and uploaded via FTP to the printers for electronic imposition.  Each month the digital ads supplied are archived for possible future use.

The art departments of the various magazines are the frontline of the production process, providing design facilities for the editorial teams. Their job is to package words, pictures and illustrations effectively in a style particular to each magazine. This requires ongoing discussion between the graphic artists, writers and editor to get the emphasis just right.  Each studio is generally headed by an art director, assisted by a team of layout artists or designers who collaborate to produce a magazine that is a pleasure to read and to look at.

These days most artwork and typesetting is mostly fully digitally and done on sophisticated Apple Mac computers using software such as Adobe InDesign for text layouts, Adobe Photoshop for picture manipulation and special effects, and Adobe Illustrator for vector-based graphics, maps and computer-generated illustrations.  Hand-drawn cartoons, illustrations, paintings and maps are also created by the artists to enhance their layouts and give a special feel to features.

The job of the production department is to ensure the orderly assembly of the magazine by combining advertising and editorial pages in a pleasing fashion and ensuring that the whole fits comfortably into the most cost effective number of pages.  These days all editorial and advertising pages are digitally produced and supplied electronically.

After the ads have been booked and the sections have been finalized, the subbed text is set and the footlines (page numbers) are added according to the forme sheet or electronic make-up. 

For printing, the documents are made up as CMYK process colours by electronically separating layers into cyan (blue), magenta (red), yellow and black. This is known in the industry as CMYK colour separations for digital transfer to the printing works.  The process is geared to go direct from computer to plate at the printers.

Back at the production department, the advertising colourproofs and digital files, also supplied as PDF X1a files, are checked, numbered and collated.  The editorial page proofs are also sorted into sections for the printers. All proofs are cleared to the printers. Here the digital material is imposed in sections of 24, 32, 40, 48, 60 or 72 pages and electronic booklet proofs are generated for checking.

Printing

Most major printers now offer computer-to-plate technology. Publishers need to create a digital workflow to ensure a smoother, more efficient production line and prepare print files correctly incorporating specific print profiles and appropriate file formats. A PDF (portable document format) - a compressed, closed file which has fonts and other vital information embedded and all extraneous elements removed - is the most commonly acceptable and a PDF X1a is now the industry standard. It is this digital information that is etched or engraved directly onto plates and cylinders ready for printing.

Once printed, the different printed sections are cut, folded and collated before heading off to the bindery.  Here the different sections are gathered together, the folds along the spine are ground off, hot glue is swabbed on and the cover is drawn on.  This is the square back (perfect binding) method.  Other magazines may be staple bound with two wires.  After a brief trip down a conveyor belt to dry, the magazines are trimmed by three vertical blades, then loose inserts are slipped in by machine before the subscriber copies head for the wrapping section.  As magazines roll in from one direction, plastic wrapping is fed in from another.  What emerges  is a stream of magazines wrapped and individually addressed, ready for transport to the post office. Retail copies are plastic wrapped in bundles, which are lifted onto pallets and await trucks for point of distribution sale nationwide.

Distribution

Distribution is a vital part of the marketing function.  Counter sales are dispatched from the printers to the distributors, who have a massive fleet of trucks to distribute magazines to outlets throughout Southern Africa.

Based on previous issue sales, the sales potential of each outlet is calculated to determine the supply for each outlet and region.  Each magazine has a unique distribution made up of cafés, supermarkets, newsagents, and retail stores. Once the magazines are ‘in store', it is vital that they are merchandised correctly. Titles must be in the right position and have good visibility on the shelf. The total supply, known as the print order, is added to the subscription quantity for the month.  Other sales are made up as bulk orders, corporates and foreign copies.

Subscriptions

Subscriptions are sold on the basis of an advance payment, which then entitles the subscriber to a certain number of issues.  The subscription rate is inclusive of packaging and postage.  New subscribers are acquired by special offers in the magazine, at promotional events, by direct mail and online.  Keeping existing subscribers is a vital part of subscription management.  This is done by ensuring delivery of quality magazines, providing good customer service and by developing an ongoing relationship with the subscribers.  To this end a Contact Centre, which embraces a subscriber help-line, answers queries quickly and efficiently, and takes orders for gifts, books, gear and subscriptions. It also assists sales and marketing with telesales and SMS reminders about subscription renewals.

The marketing team is responsible for conceptualizing, organizing and executing promotions for our magazines in the most cost-effective manner.

Promotions should at all times create brand awareness and stimulate subscriptions and counter sales.  This includes point-of-sale promotions in stores selling the magazines (for example Clicks or CNA); exhibitions and shows where the magazines are represented at a stand, and long-term projects where a magazine becomes associated with an ongoing events such as the Getaway Shows, PGA Golf Show and Auto Africa. Advertising is created at an agency for both TV and for radio.  The promotions team also assists in monitoring magazine merchandising on the shelves.

Of course everything has to be paid for and the hub of the company is the admin team which is mainly concerned with the accounting side of the business.  But there are many other tasks this team undertakes which ensure the smooth running of the company: computer services (IT), equipment, motor vehicles, properties, personnel records (HR),  pension fund, medical aid membership and other essential administration tasks.  Not least among these is the switchboard and reception area - the company's public face - as well as tasks such as office cleaning and delivering parcels.