Recently, I read an article in The New York Times about thriving online shelter magazines. Now the term 'shelter magazine' is fairly new to me. Well, its really new. So I looked it up. The term 'shelter' refers to interior design, home furnishings or architecture. It also can refer to home gardening. The article focused mostly on the success of a fairly new online publication and the keys to it's success.
One feature I took note of was the software that many online publications are using. According to the article, Issuu is a popular software that companies are using online to replicate the familiarity of turning the pages of a magazine.
So... I looked that up. After a quick check I noticed that turning a page was as simple as clicking an arrow that in turn simulated the page turning. This was somewhat of a disappointment as I have been on sites where the user is able to 'grab' the corner of a page and 'turn' it with full control. Minor technicalities maybe, but a feature that I think is worthy of noting for my business.
As far as the financials for incorporating this sort of software in my online publication I have yet to do any thorough research. I really have yet to do any sort of major research in how much it may cost to publish the magazine online. From personal experience, a rough estimate for a site like the one I plan to launch would possibly be 20,000 per year to host and maintain. Most of the costs would be incurred by biweekly or monthly updates. Also, responses to reader feedback/comments could add to the cost.
I did a little research on publishing a hard copy of the magazine recently. Early estimates put production of 50,000 12x12 56 page magazines can cost upwards of $72,000. That puts the cost per unit at $1.44. My early (Additional features were also added to enhance the overall quality and look of the magazine.)
Shipping costs have not yet been estimated, although the magazine printer has a shipping option where they will ship the magazines for their customers, I'm sure at an additional cost tbd. I also have to look into the publication costs for a hard cover magazine. This would only be a quarterly release, but still it would be an added expense to the company. More research needs to be done.
http://www.foliomag.com/2010/shelter-magazines-good-bad-and-survivors
http://www.printpelican.com/
Project V is dedicated to bringing knowledge of world issues through creative and high quality photographs, articles and personal experiences of those of us at Project V as well as those that become part of our community.
No comments:
Post a Comment