magazine publishing business plan pdf

Inside the Plan To Save Denver’s Central Business District

After Mayor Mike Johnston laid out his plan to revitalize downtown Denver, our reporter spent 18 consecutive hours in Union Station to better understand the post-pandemic obstacles the Mile High City still faces.

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As the A-line from Denver International Airport pulls into Union Station, the train’s cars screech and shudder to a stop. The brakes’ sharp hiss echoes off the glass-and-concrete buildings overlooking the platform. Train doors open simultaneously, and a phalanx of passengers step into the sunlight.

It’s 7:04 a.m. on Thursday, June 13, and Union Station is one of downtown Denver’s liveliest spots. Morning travelers and office workers line up at Pigtrain Coffee Co. to order cappuccinos and vanilla lattes. The concierge at the $500-a-night Crawford Hotel waits expectantly at the front desk inside the station’s Great Hall. A security guard holds the door for an elderly couple heading to the trains.

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Bethani Wells walks across the station’s concrete platform with her roller bag. A former Denverite, the 29-year-old left with her now husband for West Palm Beach, Florida, during the pandemic and hadn’t been back for a couple of years. During her time away, she’d heard about the post-COVID-19 troubles in Denver that had also taken hold in so many American cities: rising crime, homelessness, closed businesses, and opioid misuse. Despite then Mayor Michael Hancock’s optimistic outlook for the Mile High City (“ Denver’s reputation is one of never giving up ,” he wrote in the Denver Post in 2022), almost no one would deny that a malaise had overtaken the Mile High City’s downtown.

Wells planned to see friends and visit her old haunts: restaurants and apartments and familiar streets in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. For Wells, like many twentysomethings who settled in Denver after college, this was far more than a place to live—it represented a dream, a lifestyle, a city that would make visiting friends jealous. “It’s impossible not to love Denver,” she says.

I agree with Wells. I was raised in suburban Denver, went to high school here, got married here, and returned to my hometown, Parker, after college and a few jobs in different parts of the country. I’ve raised my children here and, since late 2000, have held jobs at the Denver Post , the Rocky Mountain News , and this magazine. I’ve seen the best and worst the city has to offer.

These days, it’s difficult to put a neat label on Denver. It’s true Denver will never be New York City or Los Angeles, both coastal, 24-hour cities; Denver is a so-called 18-hour city, a lively, midsize town with cultural amenities that rival larger urban centers and that typically runs from sunup until around midnight. Like many post-pandemic American cities today, it has tent encampments, late-night violence, and empty storefronts. On the other hand, the city has Michelin-starred restaurants , a jewel of a ballpark in Coors Field, hip bars , and an inviting anchor in Union Station , all nestled into LoDo, which has fared better than greater downtown since the end of the pandemic.

LoDo wasn’t always a booming part of downtown. The area started to flourish in the late 1990s and early aughts, but it was the redevelopment of Union Station in 2014 that spurred the full blossoming of the neighborhood. That is, in large part, why Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, in May, harked back to the successful overhaul of Union Station and laid out how a revamped Downtown Development Authority (DDA)—which was used to fund the Union Station renovation—could help bring all of downtown Denver out of its post-pandemic doldrums.

The mayor’s plan was met with cautious optimism, but I had a question. Could Union Station and LoDo really be a road map for the rest of the city center? To find out, I wanted to spend 18 hours—from 7 a.m. until 1 a.m.—wandering between Wynkoop and Grant streets to better understand the current state of downtown.

On that June morning, people with backpacks and leather satchels are carrying paper coffee cups as they walk past the fountain in front of the station. As Wells and I chat, she says her visit is a chance to collect some of her past, an opportunity to reacquaint herself with a place that might not be exactly as she remembered it. “This city was a great chapter in my life,” she tells me. She’d met her husband in Capitol Hill during the pandemic’s peak. She paused for a moment. “I hope there’s still something magical about it.”

A century and a half ago, Denver was also looking for a revamp. A frontier city built during Colorado’s gold rush, Denver’s post–Civil War population stagnated at about 4,500 residents as the lack of goldfield success led to hundreds of “gobacks,” as Rocky Mountain News publisher William Byers called those who returned home.

Denver was a dusty, inhospitable place. Homes and businesses periodically washed away in floods. Shanties popped up along streets, creating the city’s first slums. “[T]oo dead to bury,”  Thomas Durant, the Union Pacific Railroad vice president, declared of Denver in the 1860s.

When Cheyenne, Wyoming, was made a primary stop on the east-west rail line nearly a decade before Colorado’s statehood in 1876, Denver’s fate appeared sealed. Fearing financial ruin—and a further exodus that would decimate what remained of the community—residents banded together to fund a rail spur from Wyoming. The spur became a link for Denver and helped turn the city into a viable commercial epicenter at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.

In time, hotels, mills, lumberyards, a brass foundry, and a cracker factory opened in what is now LoDo. Four railroad companies had offices in the city, and each had its own station, forcing travelers to traverse dusty or muddy roads to catch different trains. That began to change in 1880, when the city created plans to consolidate the stations into a single building at the corner of 17th and Wynkoop streets.

Union Depot, as it was called, would cost $525,000 (about $17 million today) and would house trains under a massive structure “of brick, with stone trimmings,” the Rocky Mountain News reported at the time. It would be a grand edifice: 180 feet tall, 500 feet long, and 60 feet wide, constructed in the High Victorian Eclectic style popularized in New York City in the mid- to late 1800s. Leading the development was William E. Taylor, a Kansas City architect. By June 1881, construction was complete: Denver now had the tallest building west of the Mississippi River and a hallmark development that helped legitimize the city.

On a gray morning this past May outside that building—renamed Union Station following a massive remodel in 1914 that created its celebrated central facade—Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, a Democrat, described the aftermath of post-pandemic American cities as a way to explain what had happened to one of the West’s great economic centers. “The COVID-19 pandemic left our downtowns deserted,” said Johnston, a former educator and state representative who’d won the mayoral election in summer 2023 . Work-from-home and hybrid work schedules reduced demands for commercial office space in downtown Denver. A domino effect ensued. Without foot traffic, many businesses struggled, and some closed permanently. Crime increased: Aggravated assaults in the Central Business District jumped 52 percent from 2018 to 2021. Burglaries nearly doubled during the same time period (but saw a substantial decrease in 2022). A “doom loop,” Johnston called it.

Although the city center is home to 40 percent of Denver’s jobs, post-pandemic visitor recovery rates in the urban core are among the lowest of the 26 largest downtowns in the country, according to a study from Philadelphia’s Center City District. Year-to-date sales of commercial properties in Denver are also below that of most major cities across the West. City subleases were up 53.7 percent, year over year, in December 2020—a sign that office tenants were already re-examining the need for physical space for workers.

Early this year, the Denver Post reported commercial vacancies downtown were at 31.5 percent—the highest level since the early 1990s oil bust. Avison Young, a global commercial real estate services firm with an office downtown, reported this summer that vacancy rates in the city continued to climb from previous months, most notably downtown. “I have six or seven tenants downtown, and all of them have given me a mandate that basically says, ‘We want out of here,’ ” says Howard Schmidt, an Avison Young vice president who expected a post-pandemic real estate rebound that has yet to materialize. “Everyone loves Denver,” he adds. “I figured people would be flocking back downtown. But that’s not been the case at all.”

These are strange times for a downtown that had been the envy of so many American cities for the previous decade. Cutting-edge companies such as Ibotta and Palantir Technologies located their headquarters in the city center as technology businesses challenged the oil and gas industry that had dominated downtown Denver development for generations. Construction cranes became fixtures on the skyline. There was arts and culture, locally made craft beer and spirits, banking and finance, professional sports, and outdoor recreation.

Nowhere was the city’s transformation more noticeable than at Union Station, whose $500 million renovation turned a nearly deserted building into a catalyst for development across LoDo. Much of the project’s funding came from the DDA, part of a Colorado statute that authorizes municipalities to collect a portion of incremental taxes within a designated development zone and reinvest that money into economic expansion within the same area.

The DDA that funded Union Station’s renewal began in 2008, becoming one of more than 20 DDAs across the state. In Denver, the DDA financed bonds that paid for part of the Union Station redevelopment, a project that included upgraded rail tracks and platforms, a new Regional Transportation District (RTD) bus depot, and preservation and renovations inside the existing historical building.

This was done through something known as Tax Increment Financing (TIF). A TIF doesn’t raise taxes but rather reallocates tax-revenue increases; in this case, the DDA allowed the city to borrow money to help fund the redevelopment based on the increase in future property and sales taxes the project was expected to generate. In other words, as the revamped Union Station increased economic activity, it generated more tax revenue. That money then was used to pay off the bonds.

The DDA encompassed the station and several blocks surrounding it and was a massive success. Tax revenue ended up being so much higher than projections that the TIF will pay off the $400 million in bonds this year, 14 years earlier than expected.

And so, as Johnston stood outside Union Station on that spring day, he unveiled a new plan for the city—an ambitious project called Vibrant Denver that would expand the original, now expiring DDA to the rest of downtown. From LoDo, through the city’s core, and all the way to the state Capitol, $500 million would be spent over the next 15 years as part of a massive, more-than-85-block transformation.

Using the station’s redevelopment as a road map, Johnston said, the revamped DDA would act as a multiplier of sorts to attract and aid privately funded projects, potentially delivering billions of dollars in additional investment. “Denver refuses to walk away from our downtown as the vibrant center of financial, cultural, social, athletic, and artistic activities,” the mayor said. Downtown Denver has been an economic driver for the rest of the city, which propelled the state’s fortunes and, by extension, helped determine the fate of the Rocky Mountain West. Said Johnston: “The economic recovery of 10 states starts in this neighborhood.”

On this June Thursday, the sidewalks around Union Station are lively and crowded. People in dress pants and button-down shirts brush past each other with their takeout lunches. A group of friends chat on concrete steps in front of the Wynkoop Brewery. The fountain splashes giggling children whose parents record the moment on their phones. Ubers and Lyfts line up along Wynkoop Street. A small party of travelers with suitcases walks up 17th Street to the Oxford Hotel.

As a whole, the city of Denver has relatively low rates of violent crime and one of the lower homicide rates, when compared with similarly sized cities. But since the pandemic, downtown has become notorious for crimes such as car break-ins, assaults, and public drug use. Data prove the reputation is earned. In June and July, there were at least five burglaries with forced entry in LoDo. Eight serious assaults were reported in an eight-day period throughout downtown in late June. There was an armed carjacking during the day on June 30, and two people were shot two blocks from Union Station in early July.

The idea that such a vibrant neighborhood can feel so unmoored at times is a contradiction that’s difficult for even longtime residents to comprehend. “You get a beautiful summer evening when there’s a game at Coors Field and people are on restaurant patios with friends and you can’t think of a better place,” says Lynda “Elle” Baker, 57, a former salon owner who lives in the Ice House Lofts next to Union Station and serves on the homeowners’ association board. “A few nights later, you’re dodging open-air drug users and wondering if anyone’s going to help if you’re attacked. Denver can be amazing and frustrating, sometimes in the same hour.”

Just before noon that day, I meet Andrew Mueller, an assistant professor at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business, for lunch at a restaurant near Track 7, behind Union Station. The area is teeming with activity. Downtown workers wander about. A group of women hug hello outside a newly arrived train, near a man experiencing homelessness who’s shading himself from the heat.

Mueller studies urban environments and development and how people interact within those things. Denver, like most cities, is a complicated place, he says. What’s unique to the Mile High City, however, is that its current predicament can be traced to development decisions that date back nearly 60 years.

In 1967, Denver voters overwhelmingly approved the Skyline Urban Renewal Project, a plan that demolished 120 acres of prime downtown real estate in favor of office towers and vast parking lots that accommodated workers who’d taken part in the flight to the suburbs over the previous decade. “The en vogue planning at the time was all about building skyscrapers and creating a city of the future,” Mueller says. More than 1,500 mostly poor downtown residents were displaced during the teardown, and many of those people ultimately found homes in public housing outside the city center. “Denver had these beautiful, old, five-story buildings everywhere, high density and good mixed-use,” Mueller says. “And then the city turned that into parking lots.”

Despite Union Station’s much-heralded 2014 renovation, other, more recent redevelopment projects haven’t gone particularly well. The 16th Street Mall—now undergoing a $170 million overhaul that has faced multiple delays—has been reimagined twice in the past two decades, but neither project has proved successful. Downtown’s Skyline Park, a modernist icon built in the early 1970s, fell into neglect and was remodeled in 2004 but continues to be a hub for drug use and people without housing. Part of the park today is cordoned off.

The idea behind the mayor’s DDA expansion proposal follows an emerging consensus around the United States that major cities can reinvent themselves by taking a page out of the old playbook—essentially, turning the city center back into a neighborhood where people want to spend time, regardless of where they might work. Case in point is LoDo. The neighborhood encapsulates the concept of the “work, live, play” ethos Johnston wants to expand to the rest of downtown, a sentiment repeated by nearly every politician, developer, and resident I spoke with for this story. “If you create a cool, safe, welcoming place people want to visit, then you’re creating a place where people are going to want to work, and then they’re going to start looking for a home,” says Susan Chong, a real estate agent who sells properties downtown and lives three blocks from Union Station. “It’s a pretty obvious solution.”

As the theory goes, a city center should have affordable residences filled with families, which then attract businesses like restaurants, daycare centers, and grocers. “If that can be the norm again in a place like Denver, then that’s a really exciting road map for the rest of the country,” Mueller says. In essence, the concept is a throwback to a time when store owners could live above their businesses, shop for daily staples, and go out to dinner all within a few blocks of home.

The question today is whether Denver can accomplish that vision. “We have to be optimistic about the possibilities,” Walter Isenberg, the president and CEO of the Sage Hospitality Group, told me later on that warm June day at the Oxford Hotel. Isenberg operates more than 90 hotels across the country, including four in LoDo. The Oxford—his crown jewel—has returned to its pre-pandemic numbers, he says, as have Sage’s three other hotels nearby. That Sage properties have lagged elsewhere is proof, Isenberg says, that the DDA that funded Union Station’s revitalization worked and can succeed as an expanded entity to drive other development in the city center. “People want to be in LoDo because there’s a high quality of life, there’s always something going on,” says Isenberg, who also helped create projects for both McGregor Square and the Dairy Block—two developments that are examples of modern, dense, mixed-use gathering spots in LoDo.

As part of a downtown revamp, he says, there needs to be an expansion and yet another remodel of Skyline Park. Abandoned ground-floor retail spaces throughout the city center need to be reoccupied. “And that’s going to take time, but it’s absolutely important. Energize the ground floors downtown, and you’re going to get residents and office tenants and visitors,” Isenberg says. “We need to look at this downturn as an opportunity to dig in and roll up our sleeves and say, ‘What should downtown be?’  ”

From his third-floor office at the City and County Building, the mayor can see the terminus of the future DDA, across East Colfax Avenue from Civic Center Park. Right now, it’s the yin to Union Station’s yang, an imperfect bookend. “Some cities are looking at these issues and saying the idea of downtowns is dead; it’s a 20th-century notion, and don’t try to revive it,” Johnston tells me. “We feel the opposite. We’re doubling down on the idea that downtowns can be vibrant and are a must for cities to survive.”

Along a wall near the mayor’s desk is an eight-foot-long map of the renovations along the 16th Street Mall. Before Union Station’s rebirth, the mall had been the centerpiece of a downtown that didn’t have much to offer residents, office workers, or visitors. It was, in many ways, downtown’s most distressed—and disappointing—asset. With the mall now scheduled to reopen next summer, Johnston believes it can be a lively spine that will link LoDo to the rest of downtown, a renewed commercial district where boutiques and big-box retailers and restaurants co-exist within a walkable 15-block stretch.

This is all critical to Johnston, who took office more than a year ago on a platform that emphasized safe streets and a promise to pull Denver out of its post-pandemic listlessness. In the first 10 months of his administration, more than 1,000 people previously experiencing homelessness in the city were moved to residences away from LoDo and the city center. “It’s like someone flipped the ‘on’ switch and gave us back part of the city,” says Chong, the real estate agent.

Johnston has now turned his attention to the DDA. Under Colorado statute, each of the state’s cities is allowed only one authority. “Downtown needs to be the economic priority for the city,” the mayor says. As Johnston tells it, Gretchen Hollrah, the city’s former deputy chief operating officer, brought the DDA expansion idea up in a meeting shortly after he took office. “I said, ‘This is brilliant,’ ” Johnston says. “Exactly what we’ve done for Union Station, we can do for all of downtown. This is our chance.”

The City Council could approve the DDA expansion as early as this fall. After that, the Denver Economic Development & Opportunity office will create guidelines for projects. The first funding tranche would follow, perhaps as early as next summer, though there are no concrete plans for spending the $500 million over the next 15 years. Johnston and others have mentioned the need to restructure Skyline Park and have visited Boston to study the ways it uses Boston Common to activate the neighborhoods surrounding the 50-acre public park.

Denver Councilman Chris Hinds, whose district encompasses the entirety of the proposed DDA, says there’s been zero opposition to the plan so far. “There’s a lot of excitement for this,” he says, adding that the biggest debates will center on which projects get funding. Hinds has already advocated for a 5.280-mile walking and biking path—dubbed the 5280 Trail—that connects Union Station, the Auraria Campus, the Golden Triangle, Capitol Hill, and other neighborhoods. The city has also extensively researched commercial-to-residential conversions on multiple buildings, paying for a study last year that singled out 16 structures downtown that have potential for residential conversions, most of them mid-rises that can offer enough interior natural light to make the projects viable.

This spring, members from the nonprofit Downtown Denver Partnership traveled to Calgary, which used a $200 million startup fund to offer developers sped-up approvals and square-footage incentives to convert empty offices into residential apartments. Thirteen conversion projects are active, and four others are in the pipeline—a project that will convert roughly 2.3 million square feet of space. Ultimately, the Canadian city wants its fund to spur another $1 billion in private investment.

Johnston believes an even larger multiplier could happen in Denver. “I think it’s very reasonable to say we can get two times, five times what the city’s going to put in it if we do this the right way,” he says. “We can help make the math work” for private investors. Johnston adds: “In a lot of these projects, we can be the placemaker. We can help create a public space that attracts commerce and business and residents. We can be a co-investor in a residential unit or in a new development. We can be a partner and make public dollars go further to give a broader sense of ownership.”

Schmidt, the Avison Young vice president who worries about the future of commercial space in the Central Business District, says he favors the DDA expansion, as do developers in the area. But, Schmidt adds, “I would like to know the details behind it, time frames, who’s accountable, who’s paying, and the benefits of doing it. So far, little has been shared.”

For the mayor’s part, he says the city’s urban core can’t survive with a bunch of one-bedroom apartments that cost $2,000 or more a month. Johnston envisions a downtown replete with living spaces for working-class families, not just dual-income couples without kids and wealthy retirees looking to downsize.

With a diverse crop of residents, the mayor says, demand for grocery stores and daycares will become inevitable. Denver “can’t just be the place where you work from 9 to 5 and then go home,” he says. “We need people living there, walking their dogs there, taking their kids to school there. And all that is predicated on saying everyone should have a stake in the future of downtown, because it will always be the heart of this city.”

It’s nearing midnight, Denver’s final wind-down. Cars make their way up East Colfax Avenue, along the far edge of the proposed DDA, near the state Capitol. Lightning flashes to the west. Storm clouds pull a gray canopy over downtown.

Two men are stretched out in a bus shelter near the Capitol. A man sleeps on the sidewalk. Two blocks up, near Grant Street, a couple of men are slumped against each other on a concrete stoop. Another man is screaming into a cell phone. Make a left and there’s a pile of feces on the sidewalk. A light rain begins to fall.

Seventeen blocks away, the Union Station fountain shuts off for the night. The building is illuminated in blue light and casts dark shadows across the sidewalks. Groups of men and women in T-shirts and shorts head for a bar across the street. A security guard aggressively follows a man who hustles along the walkway between the station and the Ice House Lofts.

Inside the station, empty glasses clink at the Terminal Bar near the Wynkoop Street entrance to the Great Hall. A server sits on a bench and wraps newly cleaned silverware in black cloth napkins. A guard pulls back trash cans and checks hideaway corners for overnight sleepers. Outside, on the train platform, the 12:27 a.m. A-Line rolls into the station. The passengers getting off the train ignore a man dancing on the concrete. “Jesus Christ is in my bloodline!” he sings repeatedly.

Above the underground bus terminal, three RTD police officers pass through the glass-encased entrance and take the escalator downstairs. Men and women are scattered about, resting upright in chairs or staring out darkened windows toward the empty docks where buses load. Signs on flat-screen monitors affixed to the walls flash warnings: “No Trespassing, No Loitering, No Lying Down.”

During the pandemic, the underground passage was a microcosm of the city’s ills. Three years ago, the RTD union president called Union Station a “lawless hellhole.” In 2022, RTD hired Joel Fitzgerald Sr., a former suburban police chief in Texas, as the district’s chief and head of emergency management. More security was brought to Union Station, and people began getting arrested.

Tonight, at least, things are quiet. “Two years ago, there was no control,” says Ian Galgano, 32, who’s been on the RTD force since the beginning of this year. “These days, I feel like this is a real policing win.” He walks with his partners tonight—sergeant Kris Stevenson and a trainee, officer Rebecca Sinclair. It’s the trio’s second time down here in the past half hour, a small show of force, they say, that results in less aggression, fewer drug-related crimes, and an overall safer environment.

“Presence is 90 percent of the job, and we’re showing, night after night, that we’re here,” deputy chief Glyn Horn Jr., who helps oversee the bus terminal patrol, told me later. The terminal, he says, needed to become a bunker to protect. “We took back the hub, and then we deploy outward from that,” Horn says. “We’ve taken back our base.”

In the underground terminal, officers are both police and social workers. “It’s rewarding, because you’re a problem-solver in this job,” says Galgano, who’s originally from Long Island. “Maybe I get to direct someone to a place that’s going to help them with an addiction issue. Maybe I’m going to be able to offer them a safe place to sleep.”

Galgano points to a man in a seat near one of the windows. The last bus pulled out of the station about 15 minutes ago. “The station’s closed,” the officer says, and the man gets up and leaves.

No one puts up a fight tonight. As LoDo nears the end of this 18-hour day, there are no conflicts inside the RTD terminal, no calls for backup, no arrests. The officers head topside. At the glass doors that lead outside, a security guard stops a man with some bags who tries to enter. “Closed,” the guard says in a firm voice.

The guard locks the glass doors while the man watches. The RTD police officers know the man, who sets his bags on the ground and smiles at the trio from behind the glass. Officer Galgano gives a smile and a little wave. The man waves back and nods his head. He turns away from Union Station and disappears into the night.

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Magazine Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Magazine Business Plan

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their magazine companies. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through a magazine business plan step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What is a Magazine Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your business as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your business plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for a Magazine Business

If you’re looking to start a new magazine business, or grow your existing magazine publishing company, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the revenue growth of your business in order to improve your chances of success. Your business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for Magazine Companies

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a magazine business are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to confirm that your financial projections are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business.

Personal savings is the other most common form of funding for a new magazine business. Venture capitalists will usually not fund a magazine business, but they might consider funding a one with a national presence, but never an individual location. This is because most venture capitalists are looking for millions of dollars in return when they make an investment, and an individual location could never achieve such results.  With that said, using a savings account and bank loans are the most common funding paths for magazine businesses.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

How to write an effective business plan for a magazine business.

If you want to start a magazine business or expand your current one, you need a business plan. Each of the key components of a magazine publishing business plan are detailed below:

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of business you are operating and the status. For example, are you a startup, do you have a digital magazine business that you would like to grow, or are you starting an online magazine business?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the magazine industry. Discuss the type of business you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target audience. Provide a snapshot of your marketing strategy. Identify the key members of your team. And offer an overview of your financial plan.  

Company Analysis

In your company analysis, you will detail the type of business you are operating.

For example, you might operate one of the following types of magazine businesses:

• Entertainment magazine : this type of magazine business focuses on topics such as arts, culture, fashion and leisure
• Academic and professional magazine: this type of magazine business focuses on subjects like finance, health, or science
• Home and living magazine: this type of magazine is devoted to cooking, home decorating, etc.
• Business magazine: this type of magazine typically focuses on business people, companies, emerging business or technology trends, etc.
• Digital magazine: this type of magazine is accessible via an electronic device, whether it be a smartphone, tablet, or computer. An internet connection is required to access or download the content, but once downloaded, it is available for viewing offline.
• Online magazine: this type of electronic magazine is similar to a digital magazine, but typically comes with fewer features. An internet connection is required to access the content.

In addition to explaining the type of magazine startup you will operate, the Company Analysis section of your business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to question such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of customers served, number of positive reviews, number of annual subscriptions, etc.
• Your legal business structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry analysis, you need to provide an overview of the magazine industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the magazine industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your strategy, particularly if your research identifies market trends.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section:

• How big is the magazine industry (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential market for your magazine business? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: advertisers, consumers of varying ages and with varying interests, and authors.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of magazine business you operate. Clearly, business people would respond to different marketing promotions than teens, for example.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, include a discussion of the ages, genders, locations and income levels of the customers you seek to serve. Because most magazine businesses primarily serve customers living in their same city or town, such demographic information is easy to find on government websites.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

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With Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template you can finish your plan in just 8 hours or less!

Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other magazine businesses.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t direct competitors. This includes social media platforms, other reading material, or alternative leisure activities. You need to mention such competition as well.

With regards to direct competition, you want to describe the other magazine businesses with which you compete. Most likely, your direct competitors will be house flippers located very close to your location.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their businesses and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as:

• What interest or niche do they specialize in?
• What formats are their publications available in?
• How often is the magazine published?
• What is their pricing strategy (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you provide better articles, features, and/or photos?
• Will you provide more opportunities for guest authors?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.  

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a magazine business plan, your marketing strategy should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type of magazine company that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific products you will be offering. For example, in addition to printed magazines, will you offer a digital version?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your marketing plan, you are presenting the services you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the location of your magazine company. Document your location and mention how the location will impact your success. For example, is your magazine business located near a distribution center, or in an area known as a “hub” for the content you specialize in, etc. Discuss how your location might be ideal for attracting and retaining customers.

Promotions : The final part of your magazine marketing plan is the promotions section. Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Advertising in local papers and magazines
• Reaching out to local websites
• Social media marketing
• Local radio advertising

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your magazine business, including selling ad space, creating quality content, finding contributors, designing each issue, etc.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to land your 10 th major magazine advertising account, or when you expect to have 5,000 subscribers, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your magazine distribution to a new city.  

Management Team

To demonstrate your magazine business’ ability to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally you and/or your team members have direct experience in managing magazine businesses. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act like mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in publication or marketing or successfully running small businesses.  

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements.

Income Statement : an income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenues and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you publish one issue per month or four? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets : Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your magazine business, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement : Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and make sure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt.

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a magazine business:

• Location build-out including design fees, construction, etc.
• Cost of equipment and supplies
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Taxes and permits
• Legal expenses

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your office location lease or the wireframe for your digital publication.  

Putting together a business plan for your magazine business is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will really understand the magazine industry, your competition, and your customers. You will have developed a marketing plan and will really understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful magazine business.

Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your Magazine business plan?

OR, Let Us Develop Your Plan For You

Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.   Click here to see how Growthink’s professional business plan consulting services can create your business plan for you.

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Magazine Publishing Business Plan Sample

Published May.08, 2018

Updated Apr.23, 2024

By: Jakub Babkins

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Table of Content

Do you want to start magazine publishing business?

Do you want to start a magazine publishing business? Although this business requires a lot of initial capital, the rate of return which it yields on investment is extremely high. Magazine companies generate incomes from various sources such as from the advertisements which are featured in them, from the people who sign in online, and of course, from their sales in newsstands. But starting a magazine isn’t an easy job and you will have to effectively plan everything. In the United States, 9 out of 10 magazine businesses fail due to poor planning. That’s why before you consider how to start your own magazine , you will have to prepare a comprehensive business plan. If you are wondering how to write one, here we are providing you the business plan of a magazine publishing business startup named ‘The Reader Monthly’.

Executive Summary

2.1 the business.

The Reader Monthly will be a lifestyle magazine owned by Martha Martin, a passionate writer. The company’s main office will be located in Dallas.

2.2 Management

The success of a startup heavily depends on its staff and management that’s why Martha planned it before considering how to start a magazine business on your own . The main management of the company will comprise of sales executives, graphic artists, and journalists. The staff will be hired one month before the launch of startup and will be trained by Martha.

2.3 Customers

We will target the young adults, adults and senior citizens of the United States. Our readers can read our magazine either in printed form or in digital form on any device.

2.4 Business Target

Our business targets, as outlined by our publishing company business plan , are as follows:

Company Summary

3.1 company owner.

The Reader Monthly will be owned by Martha Martin, a passionate writer. Martha has been associated with some of the biggest international magazines including TIME and PEOPLE for more than 13 years.

3.2 Why the Business is being started

The business is being started due to two reasons. The first one is to make profits in this industry. The second one is Martha’s passion for writing and her desire to add something better to the society. Martha herself described the reason for starting her venture in the book launch ceremony of her latest book The Dying Angel as, “ starting my own magazine is something I am born for.”

3.3 How the Business will be started

The company will be started in an abandoned press office in Dallas which ceased to function a few months before. The company will initially procure following things for the startup.

• Office furniture including filing cabinets, work desks, roundtables, couches and chairs for the meeting area
• Computers with color printers and scanners
• Press machines
• Graphic designing software including Illustrator, Freehand, and Photoshop
• A strong internet connection and office telecom systems
• Assorted office stationary and brochures

The financial experts have forecasted following costs for the startup:

The detailed startup requirements are given below:

Services for customers

Before you start a publishing business or even think about how to start a publishing business , you must decide what type of magazine will you be publishing and which niches will it cover. You must also plan what other services for business will you offer, for instance, sending magazines to subscribers by mail. The Reader Monthly will be a lifestyle magazine but it will also contain a few sections featuring health, entertainment, and technology. We will offer following services to our customers/readers:

• Magazine Retail Sales: Our readers can get our latest magazines from any newsstand or bookshops located across the United States. Retail sales will be the biggest generator of our revenue in our annual sales from the magazine readers.
• Magazine Subscription: Our readers can also subscribe us to get the latest magazine delivered to their doorstep in printed form.
• Magazine Online Subscription: Our readers can also subscribe us to get a copy of the electronic magazine which can be read on any electronic device.
• Advertisements: We will offer advertisement services to the various companies and businesses located across the United States. Advertisements will be our biggest source of revenue.

Marketing Analysis of magazine publishing business

The most important component of successful magazines business plan is its accurate marketing analysis that’s why Martha acquired the services of marketing experts to help her through this phase. It is only after this stage that a good magazine business plan could have been developed. If you are starting a magazine on a smaller scale, say an online magazine, you can just take help from this magazine business plan sample or the other magazine business plans available online. Marketing analysis is an extremely important component of all publishing business plans , therefore, it must be considered before starting a magazine business plan .

5.1 Market Trends

The American magazine industry contributes $28 billion in revenue every year and the magazine advertising are alone responsible for generating more than $15.2 billion. There are more than 21,000 publishing businesses in the United States that employ more than 117,000 people across the country. However, the magazine industry declined rapidly with the increasing popularity of the internet and the smartphones which completely eliminated the need for printed magazines. The industry nowadays is truly struggling for surviving in America as well as in other countries. A 2012 survey revealed that only 3 percent of Americans read magazines on a regular basis. Statistics has it that in 1985, there were more than 1,676 dailies in America but in 2011, the number dropped to below 1,400 and is still dropping. While the popularity of printed magazines keeps falling, people are paying more attention to electronic magazines which can be read on any device like laptops, mobile phones, kindles. You also need to create a magazine in a mobile application that will allow users to quickly learn about the release of new materials, but for this, you will have to write a business plan for mobile applications . After identifying these trends, it is clearly evident that it is not easy for a startup to survive in the magazine industry unless it is properly planned and adds value to its readers.

5.2 Marketing Segmentation

It is very important to analyze the market segmentation of the readers which will be buying your magazine because a successful and efficient magazine marketing plan can only be developed after we completely know our potential customers. Our experts have identified the following type of audience which we will be targeting:

The detailed marketing segmentation of our target audience is as follows:

5.2.1 Young Adults:

Our first target group will be the young adults in the United States who are between 18 to 25 years of age. This group mostly comprises of college or university students who like to read magazines in their free time. According to a recent survey by Statista, young adults read more magazines than any other age group in the United States that’s why this group will have the biggest contribution in our revenue from the magazine’s sales.

5.2.2 Adults:

Our second target group comprises of adults from 25 to 60 years of age. These people lead a busy life due to their employment and other engagements that’s why they don’t read as many magazines as the young adults or the senior citizens.

5.2.3 Senior Citizens:

Our third group comprises of senior citizens aged above 60. These people are usually retired and have a lot of spare time that’s why they also read magazines. The detailed market analysis of our potential customers is given in the following table:

5.3 Business Target

We aim to see ourselves among the top ten lifestyle magazines of the United States within next six years of our launch. Our main business targets to be achieved as milestones over the course of next three years are as follows:

• To achieve the net profit margin of $10k per month by the end of the first year, $15k per month by the end of the second year, and $25k per month by the end of the third year
• To balance the initial cost of the startup with earned profits by the end of the first year
• To have around 99,000 subscribers through direct sampling and marketing by the end of the first year

5.4 Product Pricing

Our pricing strategy is as follows:

• Single issue: $0.65 per issue
• Yearly print subscription: $7.0 per 12 issues
• Yearly e-magazine subscription: $1.49 per 12 e-issues

We have strategically priced our e-magazines in extremely cheaper range due to two reasons. Most of the people prefer electronic magazines to print magazines, and it is costlier to send print magazines to the readers as compared to providing them the digital ones.

Sales strategy is also an important component of an effective magazine business plan so make sure to plan it before you consider how to start a magazine business .

6.1 Competitive Analysis

We have a really tough competition because we will be competing with magazines some of which have been around for decades. Our biggest competitors are US Weekly, The New Yorker, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Vanity Fair, Harper’s BAZAAR and GQ. Our competitive advantage will be our lower prices combined with quality content which will be no less than that of the top magazines.

6.2 Sales Strategy

After carrying out a detailed analysis, our experts came up with the following brilliant ideas to advertise and sell ourselves.

• Google search ranking is one of the most important factors in deciding the success of online magazines, that’s why we will put special emphasis on it. We would do our best to get higher rankings in Google search results.
• We will give away 3 free magazines copies to our readers upon subscription.
• We will carry out a large-scale social media campaign and will interact with our readers to promote their interest.

6.3 Sales Monthly

6.4 Sales Yearly

6.5 Sales Forecast

Our forecasted sales on a yearly basis are summarized in the following column charts:

The detailed information about sales forecast is given in the following table:

Personnel plan

Personnel plan, like all other plans, is an important component of an effective business plan so it must be planned before you think about how to start my own magazine .

7.1 Company Staff

Martha will act as the Chief Editor of the magazine and will initially hire following people:

• 1 Accountant for maintaining financial and other records
• 2 Sales Executives responsible for marketing and discovering new ventures
• 6 Graphic Artists for designing the magazines
• 10 Journalists for creating the content for the magazines
• 4 Technical Assistants for handling the company’s web and social media pages
• 20 Print Press Workers for publishing the magazine
• 10 Distributors for distributing the magazines to various outlets across the United States

7.2 Average Salary of Employees

Financial Plan

As the last step for preparing a magazine publishing business plan , you have to prepare a detailed financial plan. The financial plan should craft a detailed map of all the expenses needed for the startup and how these expenses will be met by the earned profits. It is recommended that you hire a financial expert for guiding you through all financial aspects needed for starting a magazine business .

8.1 Important Assumptions

8.2 Brake-even Analysis

8.3 Projected Profit and Loss

8.3.1 Profit Monthly

8.3.2 Profit Yearly

8.3.3 Gross Margin Monthly

8.3.4 Gross Margin Yearly

8.4 Projected Cash Flow

8.5 Projected Balance Sheet

8.6 Business Ratios

Download Magazine Publishing Business Plan Sample in pdf

Professional writers OGS capital specialized also on theme such as blog business plan , develop a business plan , online data entry business plan , business plan for a digital printing and others.

OGSCapital’s team has assisted thousands of entrepreneurs with top-rate business plan development, consultancy and analysis. They’ve helped thousands of SME owners secure more than $1.5 billion in funding, and they can do the same for you.

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Publishing Company Business Plan

Soaring high demands, a wide target audience, and attractive revenue sources make the publishing business a lucrative and rewarding opportunity.

Anyone can start a publishing company. But if one wants to achieve revenue and growth goals with their reputed publishing business, they need a detailed business plan in action.

Need help writing a business plan for your publishing company business? You’re at the right place. Our publishing company business plan template will help you get started.

Free Business Plan Template

Download our free publishing company business plan template now and pave the way to success. Let’s turn your vision into an actionable strategy!

• Fill in the blanks – Outline
• Financial Tables

How to Write A Publishing Company Business Plan?

Writing a publishing company business plan is a crucial step toward the success of your business. Here are the key steps to consider when writing a business plan:

1. Executive Summary

An executive summary is the first section planned to offer an overview of the entire business plan. However, it is written after the entire business plan is ready and summarizes each section of your plan.

Here are a few key components to include in your executive summary:

• Introduce your Business: Start your executive summary by briefly introducing your business to your readers.This section may include the name of your publishing company business, its location, when it was founded, the type of publishing company business (E.g., trade publishing, educational publishing, self-publishing, boutique, digital publishing ), etc.
• Market Opportunity: Summarize your market research, including market size, growth potential, and marketing trends. Highlight the opportunities in the market and how your business will fit in to fill the gap.
• Products and Services: Highlight the publishing services you offer your clients. The USPs and differentiators you offer are always a plus.For instance, you may include editing, production, marketing, literary agent services, licensing and permission services, support services, consultation, etc as some of your USPs.
• Marketing & Sales Strategies: Outline your sales and marketing strategies—what marketing platforms you use, how you plan on acquiring customers, etc.
• Financial Highlights: Briefly summarize your financial projections for the initial years of business operations. Include any capital or investment requirements, associated startup costs, projected revenues, and profit forecasts.
• Call to Action: Summarize your executive summary section with a clear CTA, for example, inviting angel investors to discuss the potential business investment.

Ensure your executive summary is clear, concise, easy to understand, and jargon-free.

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2. Business Overview

The business overview section of your business plan offers detailed information about your company. The details you add will depend on how important they are to your business. Yet, business name, location, business history, and future goals are some of the foundational elements you must consider adding to this section:

• Trade Publishing: They publish content that is meant for wider audience consumption. Fiction/Non-fiction, Magazines, children’s books, etc are covered within this.
• Educational and Academic Publishing: They publish scholarly articles, research papers, textbooks, journals, and everything educational for professionals, students, experts, and researchers in different industries.
• Boutique Publishing: They focus on niche markets and niche content. Thriller fiction, books for autism, books on the cultural history of small local towns, etc. The target market here is niche.
• Digital Publishing: They offer digital publishing solutions in the form of EBooks, audiobooks, podcasts, interactive games, etc.
• Describe the legal structure of your publishing company, whether it is a sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership, or others.Explain where your business is located and why you selected the place.
• Owners: List the names of your publishing company’s founders or owners. Describe what shares they own and their responsibilities for efficiently managing the business.
• Future Goals: It’s crucial to convey your aspirations and vision. Mention your short-term and long-term goals; they can be specific targets for revenue, market share, or expanding your services.

This section should provide a thorough understanding of your business, its history, and its future plans. Keep this section engaging, precise, and to the point.

3. Market Analysis

The market analysis section of your business plan should offer a thorough understanding of the industry with the target market, competitors, and growth opportunities. You should include the following components in this section.

• Target market: Start this section by describing your target market. Define your ideal customer and explain what types of services they prefer. Creating a buyer persona will help you easily define your target market to your readers.For instance, academic and educational institutions, children in age groups 6-14, and kid stores would be an ideal audience for a trade publishing company that is launching kids’ storybooks.
• Market size and growth potential: Describe your market size and growth potential and whether you will target a niche or a much broader market.
• Competitive Analysis: Identify and analyze your direct and indirect competitors. Identify their strengths and weaknesses, and describe what differentiates your publishing company’s services from them. Point out how you have a competitive edge in the market.
• Market Trends: Analyze emerging trends in the industry, such as digitization, interactive media like AR and VR, etc. Explain how your business will cope with all the trends.For instance, the market for audiobooks and podcasts is immense for digital publishers. Explain how you plan on dealing with this potential growth opportunity.
• Regulatory Environment: List regulations and licensing requirements that may affect your publishing company, such as business licensing, getting ISBN, copyright and intellectual property rights, contracts and legal agreements, consumer protection laws, privacy, and data protection, and content regulation.

Here are a few tips for writing the market analysis section of your publishing company business plan:

• Conduct market research, industry reports, and surveys to gather data.
• Provide specific and detailed information whenever possible.
• Illustrate your points with charts and graphs.
• Write your business plan keeping your target audience in mind.

4. Products And Services

The product and services section should describe the specific services and products that will be offered to customers. To write this section should include the following:

• Books, academic papers, magazines, etc.
• Video games
• Reviewing and Editing
• Printing and Production
• Marketing and Promotion
• Consultation
• Quality measures: This section should explain how you maintain quality standards and consistently provide the highest quality service.This may include strict work evaluation criteria, top-notch editing, in-house publishing press, and use of advanced tools for market research that allows you to stay at the top.
• Additional Services: Mention if your publishing company offers any additional services. You may include services like print-on-demand, warehousing and distribution services, literary agent services, etc.

In short, this section of your publishing company plan must be informative, precise, and client-focused. By providing a clear and compelling description of your offerings, you can help potential investors and readers understand the value of your business.

5. Sales And Marketing Strategies

Writing the sales and marketing strategies section means a list of strategies you will use to attract and retain your clients. Here are some key elements to include in your sales & marketing plan:

• Unique Selling Proposition (USP): Define your business’s USPs depending on the market you serve, the equipment you use, and the unique services you provide. Identifying USPs will help you plan your marketing strategies.For example, creating audiobooks, planning virtual launch events, etc could be some of the great USPs for a digital publishing company.
• Retail pricing
• Dynamic pricing
• Subscription models
• Freemium pricing
• Tiered pricing
• Marketing Strategies: Discuss your marketing strategies to market your services. You may include some of these marketing strategies in your business plan—social media marketing, Google ads, brochures, email marketing, content marketing, print marketing, influencer marketing, media outreach programs, collaboration with bookstores and retailers, etc.
• Sales Strategies: Outline the strategies you’ll implement to maximize your sales. Your sales strategies may include direct website sales, third-party platforms, media and music companies, sales through physical outlets like bookstores, retailers, wholesalers, and much more.
• Customer Retention: Describe your customer retention strategies and how you plan to execute them. For instance, publishing best work consistently, introducing loyalty programs, discounts on annual membership, early priority access, birthday discounts, etc could be some ways for you to get customer retention.

Overall, this section of your publishing company business plan should focus on customer acquisition and retention.

Have a specific, realistic, and data-driven approach while planning sales and marketing strategies for your publishing company business, and be prepared to adapt or make strategic changes in your strategies based on feedback and results.

6. Operations Plan

The operations plan section of your business plan should outline the processes and procedures involved in your business operations, such as staffing requirements and operational processes. Here are a few components to add to your operations plan:

• Staffing & Training: Mention your publishing business’s staffing requirements, including the number of employees needed. Include their qualifications, the training required, and the duties they will perform.A publishing company requires an editorial team, a production team, legal and contract specialists, marketing heroes, and a financial team to keep functioning at its best.
• Operational Process: Outline the processes and procedures you will use to run your publishing company business. Your operational processes may include acquiring new work for publishing, editing and reviewing, production processes, packaging and warehousing functions, forming and signing agreements, etc.
• Equipment & Machinery: Include the list of equipment and machinery required for the publishing company, such as printing machinery, scanners and digital imaging equipment, storage systems, etc.Explain how these technologies help you maintain quality standards and improve the efficiency of your business operations.

Adding these components to your operations plan will help you lay out your business operations, which will eventually help you manage your business effectively.

7. Management Team

The management team section provides an overview of your publishing company business’s management team. This section should provide a detailed description of each manager’s experience and qualifications, as well as their responsibilities and roles.

• Founders/CEO: Mention the founders and CEO of your publishing company, and describe their roles and responsibilities in successfully running the business.
• Key managers: Introduce your management and key team members, and explain their roles and responsibilities.It should include, key executives(e.g. COO, CMO.), senior management, and other department managers (e.g. editorial head, production manager, logistics manager, voice and sound head.) involved in the publishing company business operations, including their education, professional background, and any relevant experience in the publishing industry.
• Organizational structure: Explain the organizational structure of your management team. Include the reporting line and decision-making hierarchy.
• Compensation Plan: Describe your compensation plan for the management and staff. Include their salaries, incentives, and other benefits.
• Advisors/Consultants: Mentioning advisors or consultants in your business plans adds credibility to your business idea.So, if you have any advisors or consultants, include them with their names and brief information consisting of roles and years of experience.

This section should describe the key personnel for your publishing company services, highlighting how you have the perfect team to succeed.

8. Financial Plan

Your financial plan section should provide a summary of your business’s financial projections for the first few years. Here are some key elements to include in your financial plan:

• Profit & loss statement: Describe details such as projected revenue, operational costs, and service costs in your projected profit and loss statement . Make sure to include your business’s expected net profit or loss.
• Cash flow statement: The cash flow for the first few years of your operation should be estimated and described in this section. This may include billing invoices, payment receipts, loan payments, and any other cash flow statements.
• Balance Sheet: Create a projected balance sheet documenting your publishing company business’s assets, liabilities, and equity.
• Break-even point: Determine and mention your business’s break-even point—the point at which your business costs and revenue will be equal.This exercise will help you understand how much revenue you need to generate to sustain or be profitable.
• Financing Needs: Calculate costs associated with starting a publishing company business, and estimate your financing needs and how much capital you need to raise to operate your business. Be specific about your short-term and long-term financing requirements, such as investment capital or loans.

Be realistic with your financial projections, and make sure you offer relevant information and evidence to support your estimates.

9. Appendix

The appendix section of your plan should include any additional information supporting your business plan’s main content, such as market research, legal documentation, financial statements, and other relevant information.

• Add a table of contents for the appendix section to help readers easily find specific information or sections.
• In addition to your financial statements, provide additional financial documents like tax returns, a list of assets within the business, credit history, and more. These statements must be the latest and offer financial projections for at least the first three or five years of business operations.
• Provide data derived from market research, including stats about the publishing company industry, user demographics, and industry trends.
• Include any legal documents such as permits, licenses, and contracts.
• Include any additional documentation related to your business plan, such as product brochures, marketing materials, operational procedures, etc.

Use clear headings and labels for each section of the appendix so that readers can easily find the necessary information.

Remember, the appendix section of your publishing house business plan should only include relevant and important information supporting your plan’s main content.

The Quickest Way to turn a Business Idea into a Business Plan

Fill-in-the-blanks and automatic financials make it easy.

This sample publishing company business plan will provide an idea for writing a successful publishing company plan, including all the essential components of your business.

After this, if you still need clarification about writing an investment-ready business plan to impress your audience, download our publishing company business plan pdf .

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Frequently asked questions, why do you need a publishing company business plan.

A business plan is an essential tool for anyone looking to start or run a successful publishing company business. It helps to get clarity in your business, secures funding, and identifies potential challenges while starting and growing your business.

Overall, a well-written plan can help you make informed decisions, which can contribute to the long-term success of your publishing company.

How to get funding for your publishing company business?

There are several ways to get funding for your publishing company business, but self-funding is one of the most efficient and speedy funding options. Other options for funding are

Small Business Administration (SBA) loan

Crowdfunding, angel investors.

Apart from all these options, there are small business grants available, check for the same in your location and you can apply for it.

Where to find business plan writers for your publishing company business?

There are many business plan writers available, but no one knows your business and ideas better than you, so we recommend you write your publishing company business plan and outline your vision as you have in your mind.

What is the easiest way to write your publishing company business plan?

A lot of research is necessary for writing a business plan, but you can write your plan most efficiently with the help of any publishing company business plan example and edit it as per your need. You can also quickly finish your plan in just a few hours or less with the help of our business plan software .

How do I write a good market analysis in a publishing company business plan?

Market analysis is one of the key components of your business plan that requires deep research and a thorough understanding of your industry. We can categorize the process of writing a good market analysis section into the following steps:

• Stating the objective of your market analysis—e.g., investor funding.
• Industry study—market size, growth potential, market trends, etc.
• Identifying target market—based on user behavior and demographics.
• Analyzing direct and indirect competitors.
• Calculating market share—understanding TAM, SAM, and SOM.
• Knowing regulations and restrictions
• Organizing data and writing the first draft.

Writing a marketing analysis section can be overwhelming, but using ChatGPT for market research can make things easier.

What's the importance of a marketing strategy in a publishing company business plan?

Marketing strategy is a key component of your publishing company business plan. Whether it is about achieving certain business goals or helping your investors understand your plan to maximize their return on investment—an impactful marketing strategy is the way to do it!

Here are a few pointers to help you understand the importance of having an impactful marketing strategy:

• It provides your business an edge over your competitors.
• It helps investors better understand your business and growth potential.
• It helps you develop products with the best profit potential.
• It helps you set accurate pricing for your products or services.

About the Author

Vinay Kevadiya

Vinay Kevadiya is the founder and CEO of Upmetrics, the #1 business planning software. His ultimate goal with Upmetrics is to revolutionize how entrepreneurs create, manage, and execute their business plans. He enjoys sharing his insights on business planning and other relevant topics through his articles and blog posts. Read more

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Magazine Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Magazine Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your Magazine business plan.

We have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their Magazine businesses.

Below is a template to help you create each section of your Magazine business plan.

Executive Summary

Business overview.

Happy Trails Magazine is a startup magazine company located in New York City, New York. The company is founded by Lawrence MacGuire, who has experience in traveling and offering podcasts from around the world. Now, with the expertise of knowledge and business acumen, he has determined he can confidently start and effectively grow a successful magazine company. He believes his experience of strategic planning, marketing skills, financial capabilities, and wide and deep knowledge of traveling practices will provide everything needed for long-term growth and profitability.

Happy Trails Magazine will provide a comprehensive array of articles of interest for a wide variety of travel-loving customers. The Happy Trails Magazine will be the premiere travel magazine, providing services and products to each customer, while supporting the strategic goals of the company. Happy Trails Magazine will be the ultimate choice in tourist travel for customers to ensure that every need and desire of all travelers is fully and completely met.

Product Offering

The following are the services and products that Happy Trails Magazine will provide:

• Unique and exclusive content creation
• Experienced writers who provide superior journalism and reporting
• Photography from around the world
• Art and illustrations that support the travel articles
• Special offers of travel and related products for publication subscribers
• Online magazine offered in addition to hard copy publication
• Fun quiz and explorer’s facts for readers
• On-time delivery every month

Customer Focus

Adults within the New York City region. Customers who love to travel. Global customers who want to read about travel and enjoy excellent magazine articles. Advertisers who will purchase space and positions in the monthly magazine release. Collaborators who partner with Happy Trails Magazine to effectively market products and services.

Management Team

Happy Trails Magazine is owned and operated by Lawrence MacGuire. He recruited managers from his former place of employment at a nationally-known magazine company, including Derek Flanagan, as his Operations Manager, and Sherry Culver, as the Senior Administrative Manager.

Lawrence MacGuire is a graduate of Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, where he earned a degree in the Art of Hospitality and Travel. He has been employed by a global resort chain with over 500 hotels for the past ten years.

Tracey Newthorn is a graduate of University of Ohio, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in business in the hospitality industry. She has spent the past two summer sessions in international travel and is an accomplished photographer. She will be the Artistic & Photographic Manager of Happy Trails Magazine.

Alex Hawkins, an experienced magazine editor, will be the Executive Manager & Senior Editor of the Happy Trails Magazine. His former position was as the Senior Manager of Horizons Over Hawaii Magazine for over 20 years. His experience with travel and journalism leads to the new position of executive management.

Success Factors

Happy Trails Magazine will be able to achieve success by offering the following competitive advantages:

• Friendly, knowledgeable, and highly-qualified team of Happy Trails Magazine
• Comprehensive menu of accurate and complete travel-related stories, as well as multiple photographic demonstrations of places to visit and things to see.
• Additional value added with each subscription via a number of special offers found in Happy Trails Magazine labeled, “For Subscribers Only!”
• Outstanding photography and illustrations that highlight the beauty of world travel
• Happy Trails Magazine offers the best pricing in town. Their pricing structure is the most cost effective compared to the competition.

Financial Highlights

Happy Trails Magazine is seeking $200,000 in debt financing to launch its magazine. The funding will be dedicated toward securing the office space and purchasing office equipment and supplies. Funding will also be dedicated toward three months of overhead costs to include payroll of the staff, rent, and marketing costs for the print ads and marketing costs. The breakout of the funding is below:

• Office space build-out: $20,000
• Office equipment, supplies, and materials: $10,000
• Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, rent, utilities): $150,000
• Marketing costs: $10,000
• Working capital: $10,000

The following graph outlines the financial projections for Happy Trails Magazine.

Company Overview

Who is happy trails magazine.

Happy Trails Magazine is a newly established, full-service consumer magazine published in New York City, New York. Happy Trails Magazine will be the most beautiful, consumer-relatable, and cost-effective choice for a global reading and subscribing community. Happy Trails Magazine will provide a comprehensive menu of editorial articles, In-Style pictorials, Go-To suggestions for hotel/travel bargains and special discounts for any reader to enjoy. Their full-service approach includes a comprehensive website with multiple gateways to information and related services.

  Happy Trails Magazine will be the premier travel magazine in the publications industry. Led by the team of experienced professionals, the magazine will entice travelers to explore the world, while advertisers and interested parties will enjoy purchasing ads, placing click through ads and offering specials throughout the hard copy and digital magazine. Happy Trails Magazine removes all headaches and issues of traveling globally and ensures all travel negatives are addressed and diminished, while delivering the best customer service.

Happy Trails Magazine History

Lawrence MacGuire is a graduate of Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, where he earned a degree in the Art of Hospitality and Travel. He has been employed by a global resort chain with over 500 hotels for the past ten years. During his prior employment, he recognized that many of the world’s finest destinations have been passed over in favor of traditional, favored locations. After much research and industry information-gathering, he started the Happy Trails Magazine to appeal to youthful travelers and old alike as they traveled the world.

Since incorporation, Happy Trails Magazine has achieved the following milestones:

• Registered magazine, Happy Trails Magazine, LLC to transact business in the state of New York.
• Has a contract in place for a 10,000 square foot office at one of the midtown buildings
• Reached out to numerous contacts to include Happy Trails as a source for advertising.
• Began recruiting a staff of 3 and 2 office personnel to work at Happy Trails Magazine.

Happy Trails Magazine Services

The following will be the services and products the Happy Trails Magazine will provide:

Industry Analysis

The travel magazine industry is expected to grow over the next five years to over $24684 billion. The growth will be driven by an exponential interest in travel exhibited during the recent pandemic years, as most consumers were sequestered with no ability to travel. The industry is also expected to grow now as people begin to explore once again, looking for places off the beaten path. While travel costs remain high due to shipping and supply line issues and the economy, consumers find delight in exploring travel magazines and the pleasure of escape they offer.

Costs will likely be reduced as the process of production and print continue to fall due to technology advancements. The software that drives the consumer-provider relationships will also change, as most redundant or fairly simple administrative tasks will be given software solutions rather than handed over to a live publication agent.

Customer Analysis

Demographic profile of target market.

Customer Segmentation

Happy Trails Magazine will primarily target those young adults and adults who live within the New York City region. They will also target customers who love to travel, including global customers who want to read about travel and enjoy excellent magazine articles. Advertisers who will purchase space and positions in the monthly magazine release will be welcomed. Collaborators who partner with Happy Trails Magazine to effectively market products and services.

• Young adults through seniors
• Those who love to travel
• Those who want to travel to exotic, almost unknown destinations
• Those who enjoy viewing beautiful photography
• Those who like to read magazine articles about travel
• Advertisers and interested parties who want to sell through or collaborate with Happy Trails Magazine

Competitive Analysis

Direct and indirect competitors.

Happy Trails Magazine will face competition from other companies with similar business profiles. A description of each competitor company is below.

Sunset Magazine

Sunset Magazine, started in 1953 by a married couple, Ernest and Columbine Trentom, who were experienced global travelers. They began the magazine in a home office and quickly built their subscriber base to over fifteen million at the height of popularity. In recent years, the popularity of Sunset Magazine has waned, due to the loss of advertisers and poor construction of the magazine during production. The subscriber base has moved to new, more trendy, travel accommodations and travel styles.

Sports Illuminated

Sports Illuminated was founded by Cissy Travers, an ardent sportswoman and enthusiast of global sports events. With distribution to over 10 million readers, Ms Travers maintains complete control of the magazine and related ventures, which include sporting goods sales, sports apparel sales and global sports items.

The magazine was founded in 2001, when Cissy Travers took a medium-grade local magazine in upstate New York, and began to manage the content within. During the following five years, she single handedly engaged sports writers of the highest caliber and photographers who traveled the world on behalf of the magazine to shoot pivotal sporting events. Since that time, the magazine has continued to grow as new sporting events are added globally every year.

Taft & Hanson

Taft & Hanson Magazine was established in 2003 by Rogert Taft and Renee Hanson, a couple who traveled throughout the United States in their luxury recreational vehicle. The magazine is dedicated to the ultra-expensive and luxurious recreational vehicles manufactured and on the roads of America, with each monthly edition highlighting both the features of the vehicles and the features of traveler’s retreats around the nation.

The magazine is published once each quarter and is available by subscription only. Each edition is priced at $125 per copy. Designed to entice readers to purchase new recreational vehicles as they are released from manufacturing, the magazine makes it’s return on investment by selling to manufacturers and consumers alike.

Rogert Taft and Renee Hanson travel extensively throughout the nation, each reporting and writing about various aspects of living the “luxurious recreational vehicle life,” and the accommodations in which they choose to stay, which is used by the magazine publishers as another form of revenue in advertising. The magazine has earned a five-star rating by the Travelers Trailers International and has a following of over 100,000 subscribers.

Competitive Advantage

Happy Trails Magazine will be able to offer the following advantages over their competition:

Marketing Plan

Brand & value proposition.

Happy Trails Magazine will offer the unique value proposition to its clientele:

• Highly-qualified team of skilled employees who are able to provide a comprehensive travel experience via the magazine and website.
• Additional value added with each subscription via a number of special offers found in Happy Trails Magazine labeled, “For Subscribers Only!”
• Unbeatable pricing for customers; subscribers are offered the lowest pricing of any travel magazine on the market.

Promotions Strategy

The promotions strategy for magazine is as follows:

Word of Mouth/Referrals

Happy Trails Magazine has built up an extensive list of contacts over the years by providing exceptional service and expertise to hospitality and lodging clients. The contacts and clients will follow them to this new company and help spread the word of Happy Trails Magazine.

Professional Associations and Networking

Trade Associations for travel and travel accommodations will be joined and actively pursued by the Happy Trails Magazine staff. Professional Networking in the New York City region will also be conducted to increase visibility and engage additional subscribers and advertisers.

Print Advertising

Limited print advertising will be offered within travel magazines and news periodicals. The bulk of the advertising will be found on the internet within various social network channels.

Website/SEO Marketing

Happy Trails Magazine will fully utilize their website. The website will be well organized, informative, and list all the services and products that the magazine provides. The website will also list their contact information and list their top-rated travel spots and special discounts for subscribers. The website will engage in SEO marketing tactics so that anytime someone types in the Google or Bing search engine “travel magazine” or “travel reading near me,” magazine will be listed at the top of the search results.

The pricing of the magazine will be moderate and on par with competitors so customers feel they receive excellent value when purchasing their services.

Operations Plan

The following will be the operations plan for the Happy Trails Magazine. Operation Functions:

• Happy Trails Magazine is owned and operated by Lawrence MacGuire. He recruited managers from his former place of employment at a nationally-known magazine company.
• Lawrence MacGuire is a graduate of Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, where he earned a degree in the Art of Hospitality and Travel. He has been employed by a global resort travel magazine affiliated with over 500 hotels for the past ten years.
• Derek Flanagan will take on the position of Operations Manager, with a professional background of several years in management within the travel magazine world.
• Tracey Newthorn is the Artistic & Photographic Manager of Happy Trails Magazine. She is a graduate of University of Ohio, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in business in the hospitality industry. She has spent the past two summer sessions in international travel and is an accomplished photographer.

Milestones:

Happy Trails Magazine will have the following milestones completed in the next six months.

• 5/1/202X – Finalize contract to lease office space
• 5/15/202X – Finalize personnel and staff employment contracts for the magazine
• 6/1/202X – Finalize contracts for magazine advertisers
• 6/15/202X – Begin networking at industry events
• 6/22/202X – Begin moving into magazine office
• 7/1/202X – magazine opens its doors for business

Financial Plan

Key revenue & costs.

The revenue drivers for Happy Trails Magazine are the fees they will charge to subscribers for their services, in addition to charges they solicit from advertisers who place ads in their publications. .

The cost drivers will be the overhead costs required in order to staff the magazine. The expenses will be the payroll cost, rent, utilities, office supplies, and marketing materials.

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

Happy Trails Magazine is seeking $200,000 in debt financing to launch its travel magazine. The funding will be dedicated toward securing the office space and purchasing office equipment and supplies. Funding will also be dedicated toward three months of overhead costs to include payroll of the staff, rent, and marketing costs for the print ads and association memberships. The breakout of the funding is below:

Key Assumptions

The following outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and in order to pay off the startup business loan.

• Number of Subscribers Per Month: 750
• Number of Advertising Accounts Per Month: 50
• Average Revenue per Month: $550,000
• Office Lease per Year: $100,000

Financial Projections

Income statement.

Balance Sheet

Cash Flow Statement

Magazine Business Plan FAQs

What is a magazine business plan.

A magazine business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your magazine business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections. You can easily complete your Magazine business plan using our Magazine Business Plan Template here .

What are the Main Types of Magazine Businesses?

There are a number of different kinds of magazine businesses, some examples include: Entertainment magazine, Home and living magazine, Business magazine, Digital magazine, and Online magazine.

How Do You Get Funding for Your Magazine Business Plan?

Magazine businesses are often funded through small business loans. Personal savings, credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding.

What are the Steps To Start a Magazine Business?

Starting a magazine business can be an exciting endeavor. Having a clear roadmap of the steps to start a business will help you stay focused on your goals and get started faster. 1. Develop A Magazine Business Plan - The first step in starting a business is to create a detailed magazine business plan that outlines all aspects of the venture. This should include potential market size and target customers, the services or products you will offer, pricing strategies and a detailed financial forecast. 2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your magazine business. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your magazine business is in compliance with local laws. 3. Register Your Magazine Business - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your magazine business with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws. 4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to start your magazine business, so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms. 5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations. 6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events. 7. Acquire Necessary Magazine Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your magazine business, you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation. 8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your magazine business. This includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising.

Learn more about how to start a successful magazine business:

• How to Start a Magazine Company

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Every business benefits from smart business planning. Check out these sample business plans for magazine publishers, newsletter publishing, video television production, magazine journalists, music recording producers, theatrical music producers, and other publishing and production related business. Then use what you learn to write a business plan of your own.

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Online Magazine Business Plan [Sample Template]

By: Author Tony Martins Ajaero

Home » Business Plans » Media Sector

Are you about starting a magazine publishing company ? If YES, here is a complete sample online magazine business plan template & feasibility study you can use for FREE .

There are several niches and loads of well – known magazines that are sold all over the world. Magazines are generally published on a regular schedule; it can be weekly or monthly or even quarterly and they usually contain a variety of content based on the market the magazine is designed for.

When it comes to generating incomes, magazine companies exploit the sale of their magazines in newsstands, from advertisement from stakeholders and of course from those who sign – on to prepaid subscriptions and when it comes to distributing magazines, most magazines publisher make use of the mailing system, bookshops, strategic news – stands, through registered vendors and selected pick – up locations et al.

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There is no restriction to the numbers of publications house that can engage in magazines publications, sales and distribution. As a matter of fact, students can start their own magazines publications right from their campuses and distribute it within the campus community.

A Sample Online Magazine Business Plan Template

1. industry overview.

In the united states of America, a total number of 152 magazines closed shop In 2011 and also a total number of 82 magazines ceased operations in 2012 due to inability to make profits and of course generate enough money to continue publications.

In 2013, statistics has it that subscription levels for 22 out of the top 25 magazines in the United States of America dropped from 2012 to 2013. As a matter of fact, the only few magazines that experienced increase within the said period are Time magazine, Glamour magazine and ESPN magazine.

The United States’ magazine industry generates combined revenue of over 27.29 Billion U.S. dollars with magazine advertising alone generating over 15.2 Billion U.S. dollars.

History has it that a U.K. publication; The Gentleman’s Magazine which was first published in 1731, in London was the first ever general interest magazine to be published. It is on record that the oldest consumer magazine which was first published in 1739; The Scots Magazine is still in print till this days.

The print industry is currently experiencing some challenges; investment in magazines is experiencing decline. It is on record that there is a steady decline in total numbers of magazines that are sold in the United States daily. Statistics has it that in 1985, there were about 1,676 dailies in the United States but in 2011, the number dropped to 1,382 and of course it is still dropping.

It has been projected by market experts that the magazine industry will generate combined revenue of 16.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2016, which is over 4 billion U.S. dollars less than the combined revenue generated in 2011. It is also projected that corporate organizations who advertise in magazines will also cut their magazine advertising spending much less than their newspaper advertising spending.

The magazine industry is truly struggling to survive in the United States of America and in other countries of the world. A survey that was conducted revealed that in 2012, only about 3 percent of Americans stated that they regularly read magazines; and 9 percent stated that they read magazines sometimes.

It is good enough that the magazine industry is extremely well-organized in its data collection and presentation; which is why new publication firms who are interested in coming into the industry choose niche groups that attracts a wide range of readership.

Despite the fact that the magazine industry appears to be saturated in the United States, there is still a positive outlook for the industry especially when it comes to leveraging on the internet. People are encouraged to go into magazine publications because it is now easier to gain wider readership with the aid of the internet and couple with the fact that it will cost little or nothing to launch an online magazine publication.

2. Executive Summary

Boston Weekly®, Inc. is a new but standard magazine publishing and distribution company that will be based in Boston – Massachusetts, USA. Our niche as a magazine publishing company covers News, Entertainment, Business and Sport.

Our state of the art in – house printing press is located in a standard corner piece facility that is centrally located in the heart of Boston and few minutes drive to Harvard University Community.

We have put plans and robust distribution network in place to enable us effectively distribute our weekly magazine to key cities throughout the United States of America and also to the rest part of the world via our online platform and mobile apps.

Boston Weekly®, Inc. is established by the Massachusetts awarding winning journalist – Dr. Campbell Washington and other like mind investors. Dr. Washington has B.A. in English Language, Advance Diploma in Journalism and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Harvard Business School.

He has robust experience in print journalism having worked for over 15 years with some of the leading magazine publishing companies in the United States of America prior to starting his own business. We are in the Magazine Publication and Distribution Industry to favorably compete with other leading brands in the industry such as Time Magazine, ESPN Magazine and New York Times et al.

Our corporate business goal is to be among the top 10 magazine publishing and distribution brand in the United States of America. As a company, we are willing to go the extra mile to invest in some of the finest professionals we can find and also we have set plans in place to setup a standard and start of the art printing press and distribution network.

Boston Weekly®, Inc. will at all times demonstrate her commitment to sustainability, both individually and as a firm, by actively participating in our communities and integrating sustainable business practices wherever possible.

We will ensure that we hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards by meeting our customers’ needs precisely and completely whenever they patronize our magazine either hardcopies or subscribing on our online portal. We will cultivate a working environment that provides a human, sustainable approach to earning a living, and living in our world, for our partners, employees and for our customers.

Our plan is to position Boston Weekly®, Inc. to become the leading brand in the magazine publishing and distribution industry in the whole of Massachusetts, and also to be amongst the top 10 magazine brand in the United States of America within the first 10 years of starting our business.

This might look too tall a dream but we are optimistic that this will surely come to pass because we have done our research and feasibility studies and we are enthusiastic and confident that Boston – Massachusetts is the right place to launch this type of business before spreading to other cities all across The United States of America.

3. Our Products and Services

At Boston Weekly®, Inc. we will ensure that we maximize all the services and products that are associated with a magazine publishing and distribution business. As part our strategy to create multiple sources of income in line with our core business concept, we will encourage our clients to subscribe to our magazines as against buying from the newsstands.

This is so because we are aware that it is easier to get huge discount from post office services as against transporting your magazines to newsstands that are scattered all around the United States. Another key factor that we will leverage on is to create a strong online presence and also to push our electronic magazine far and wide within the online community.

If we can successful gain appreciable numbers of online subscription and adverts, then we are likely not going to struggle to manage and finance your magazine publication company. Here are some of our products and services;

• Distribution of Hardcopies Magazines Nationwide
• Availability of online subscription for our e – Magazine
• Create Large Platforms for Publicity and Advertising for both individual and corporate clients
• Operate a standard printing press open to the general public
• Run a consultancy and Advisory services as it relates to magazine publications and journalism.

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

• To be amongst the top 10leading magazine publishing and distribution companies in the United States of America before our 10 th anniversary.
• Our mission is to build a world – class magazine publishing and distribution business whose magazines can be find in all nooks and crannies of the United States of America; a magazine company with a very strong online presence with active subscribers from all over the world.

Our Business Structure

As part of our plan to build a standard Magazine Publishing and Distribution Company in Boston – Massachusetts, we have perfected plans to get it right from the beginning which is why we are going the extra mile to ensure that we have competent and hardworking employees to occupy all the available positions in our company.

The picture of the kind of Magazine Publishing and Distribution Company we intend building and the business goals we want to achieve is what informed the amount we are ready to pay for the best hands available in the Magazine Publishing and Distribution industry as long as they are willing and ready to work with us to achieve our business goals and objectives.

Below is the business structure that we will build Boston Weekly®, Inc.;

• Chief Executive Officer / Editor in Chief

Human Resources and Admin Manager

• Journalist / Content Creators / Photo Journalist

Graphic Artist

• Sales and Marketing Officer
• Accountants / Cashiers
• Printing Press Workers (Printing Machine Operators)
• Dispatch Riders and Van Drivers
• Customer Service Executives

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

Chief Executive Officer / Editor in Chief:

• Increases management’s effectiveness by recruiting, selecting, orienting, training, coaching, counseling, and disciplining managers; communicating values, strategies, and objectives; assigning accountabilities; planning, monitoring, and appraising job results; developing incentives; developing a climate for offering information and opinions; providing educational opportunities.
• Creating, communicating, and implementing the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy.
• Responsible for fixing prices and signing business deals
• Responsible for providing direction for the business
• Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
• Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of the magazine production and distribution process
• Evaluates the success of the organization
• Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for the organization
• Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; maintaining personal networks; participating in professional organizations.
• Enhances department and organization reputation by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests; exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments.
• Defining job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
• Carrying out staff induction for new team members
• Responsible for training, evaluation and assessment of employees
• Oversee the smooth running of the daily office and shop activities.

Journalist / Content Creator / PhotoJournalist

• Conduct research, determine the number of pages, screen the content, stories, photographs, features, Ads, the style of the magazine in the magazine and the design and layout of Magazine et al.
• Responsible for creating contents for our magazine
• Assist the editorial team in editing contents
• Responsible for conducting interviews.
• Liaising with management to determine their requirement and budget
• Responsible for developing concepts, graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and websites
• Responsible for managing the magazine production process from typesetting through to design, print and production
• Responsible for reviewing final layout and suggesting improvement if necessary
• Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and font style and size
• Responsible for liaising with external printers on a regular basis to ensure deadlines are met and material is printed to the highest quality
• Responsible for preparing drafts or material based on an agreement brief.
• Research and advice the organization on style, genre and other trendy info as it relates to graphic design.

Sales and Marketing Manager

• Manage external research and coordinate all the internal sources of information to retain the organizations’ best customers and attract new ones
• Model demographic information and analyze the volumes of transactional data generated by customer purchases
• Identify, prioritize, and reach out to new partners, and business opportunities et al
• Responsible for supervising implementation, advocate for the customer’s needs, and communicate with clients
• Develop, execute and evaluate new plans for expanding increase sales and distribution network
• Document all customer contact and information
• Represent the company in strategic meetings
• Help increase sales and growth for the company

Print Press Workers (Printing Machine Operators)

• Operate the printing machines
• Responsible for carrying out all casual or unskilled jobs in the printing press
• Responsible for packaging magazines meant for delivery
• Handles any other duty as assigned by the line manager / supervisor

Accountant / Cashier

• Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
• Provides managements with financial analyses, development budgets, and accounting reports; analyzes financial feasibility for the most complex proposed projects; conducts market research to forecast trends and business conditions.
• Responsible for financial forecasting and risks analysis.
• Performs cash management, general ledger accounting, and financial reporting
• Responsible for developing and managing financial systems and policies
• Responsible for administering payrolls
• Ensuring compliance with taxation legislation
• Handles all financial transactions for the organization
• Serves as internal auditor for the organization

Distribution Van Drivers/ Dispatch Riders:

• Responsible for distributing magazines across our distribution network and news stands
• Delivers customer’s orders promptly (customers on subscription plans)
• Runs errand for the organization
• Any other duty as assigned by the sales and marketing executive

Client Service Executive

• Responsible for taking orders from clients when the call or email the organization
• Ensures that all contacts with customer (e-mail, walk-In center, SMS or phone) provides the client with a personalized customer service experience of the highest level
• Through interaction with customers on the phone, uses every opportunity to build client’s interest in the company’s products and services
• Manages administrative duties assigned by the shop manager in an effective and timely manner
• Consistently stays abreast of any new information on Papilloma House of Pizzas products, promotional campaigns etc. to ensure accurate and helpful information is supplied to customers when they make enquiries
• Responsible for cleaning the entire printing press facility at all times
• Ensure that toiletries and supplies don’t run out of stock
• Any other duty as assigned by the Human Resource and Admin manager.

6. SWOT Analysis

Due to our desire and drive for excellence when it comes to running a magazine publication and distribution company, we were able to engage some of the finest business consultants in Boston – Massachusetts to look through our business concept and together we were able to critically examine the prospect of the business to be sure we have what it takes to run a standard magazine publication and distribution company that can compete favorably compete with other leading brands in the industry such.

In view of that, we were able to take stock of our strengths, our weakness, the opportunities available to us and also the threats that we are likely going to be exposed to if we launch our magazine publication and distribution business in Boston – Massachusetts and even in the United States of America as a whole.

Here is a of what we got from the critically conducted SWOT Analysis for Boston Weekly®, Inc.;

Our core strength lies in the power of our team; our workforce. We have a team of creative and highly proficient, editors, journalist, and graphic designers; a team with excellent qualifications and experience various niche areas in the magazine and printing press industry.

Aside from the synergy that exist in our carefully selected team; the contents in our magazine and the quality of the magazine will be guided by best practices in the industry.

As a new magazine publishing and distribution company in Boston – Massachusetts, it might take some time for our organization to break into the market and gain acceptance in the already saturated and highly competitive magazine publishing and distribution industry; that is perhaps our major weakness. Another weakness is that we may not have the required cash to promote our business the way we would want to.

• Opportunities:

The opportunities available to us are unlimited. Loads of people consume buys, subscribe and read magazine on a daily basis and all what we are going to do all we can to push our magazine to our target market. So also, there are loads of organizations and individual who would want to place paid adverts in magazines to promote their brands.

The possible threat and challenges that we are likely going to face when we start our own magazine publication business are the ability to consistently attract adverts from corporate organizations.

The truth is that there are several options when it comes to choosing advertising platforms hence most corporate organizations would rather go with trusted and tested platforms as against trying out new magazine that they aren’t sure can break into the market and gain prominence.

Another threat and challenges that we are likely going to be confronted with when we start our magazine publication business is to be able to effectively find a cheaper distribution options. Most magazine publications companies spend more when it comes to transporting their magazines to different newsstands scattered within the locations they intend selling their magazines.

7. MARKET ANALYSIS

• Market Trends

In setting up a magazine publication company, you have two options; you either run a full magazine publication company with a printing press or you can contract the printing of your magazines to a standard and reliable printing press.

If you choose to choose to run the whole publication process within the same facility, it means that you would have to set – up a printing press with standard printing machines, binders, cutting machines et al. If you are considering starting a magazine publication company, then your concern should not be limited to the cost of setting up the business and gaining readership but also on your distribution network.

The truth is that most magazines companies run into loss simply because they spend more in distributing their magazines to various newsstands across the country. It will pay you if you encourage your clients to subscribe to your magazines as against buying from the newsstands.

It is easier to get huge discount from post office services as against transporting your magazines to newsstands that are scattered all around the United States. Another key factor that you can leverage on is to create a strong online presence and also to push your electronic magazine far and wide within the online community.

As a magazine publisher, if you can successfully gain appreciable numbers of online subscription and adverts, then you are likely not going to struggle to manage and finance your magazine publication company and that is exactly what we plan to do.

8. Our Target Market

When it comes to news, entertainment and sports magazine, there is indeed a wide range of available customers (readership). In essence, our target market can’t be restricted to just a group of people, but all those who love to get the latest updates on news, entertainment and sports et al.

In view of that, we have conducted our market research and we have ideas of what our target market would be expecting from us. These are the groups of people we intend marketing our magazines to;

• Corporate Executives
• Government Officials
• Business People
• Celebrities
• Military Men and Women
• Sports Men and Women
• Everyone who resides in our target locations.

Our Competitive Advantage

Beyond every reasonable doubt, the competition in the magazine industry is high but one thing is certain, if you are able to set a standard in the industry, you are sure going to get committed and faithful readers who would not mind paying annual subscription fee upfront.

Although you can experience less competitions if you choose to carve a niche for yourself and also exploit the internet and perhaps a book / reader’s club.

We are quite aware that to be highly competitive in the magazine publishing and distribution industry means that you are not only expected to be able to deliver consistent and robust contents at all time, but you must be able to meet set targets.

No one would want to continue to subscribe to your magazine if they are not sure they are likely going to get the magazines deliver to them as at when due.

Our competitive advantage lies in the power of our team; our workforce. We have a team of creative and highly proficient, editors, journalist, and graphic designers; a team with excellent qualifications and experience various niche areas in the magazine and printing press industry.

Lastly, all our employees will be well taken care of, and their welfare package will be among the best within our category (startups magazine publishing and distribution businesses in the United States) in the industry. It will enable them to be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our set goals and achieve all our business aims and objectives.

9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

• Sources of Income

Boston Weekly®, Inc. is established with the aim of maximizing profits in the magazine publishing and distribution industry in the United States of America and we are going to go all the way to ensure that we do all it takes to achieve our corporate goal of generating enough income to run the business and pay our staff members as at when due.

Boston Weekly®, Inc. will generate income by offering the following products and services;

10. Sales Forecast

It is important to state that our sales forecast is based on the data gathered during our feasibility studies, market survey and also some of the assumptions readily available on the field. Below are the sales projections that we were able to come up with for the first three years of operations;

• First Year-: $250,000
• Second Year-: $450,000
• Third Year-: $800,000

N.B : This projection is done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any major economic meltdown and the arrival of a competitor in same location as ours within the period stated above. Please note that the above projection might be lower and at the same time it might be higher.

• Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy

We are mindful of the fact that there are stiffer competition in the magazine publishing and distribution industry; hence we have been able to hire some of the best marketing experts to handle our sales and marketing.

Our sales and marketing team will be recruited based on their vast experience in the magazine publishing and distribution industry and they will be trained on a regular basis so as to be well equipped to meet their targets and the overall business goal of Boston Weekly®, Inc.

Our goal is to grow Boston Weekly®, Inc. to become one of the top 10 magazine publishing and distribution company in the United States of America which is why we have mapped out strategy that will help us take advantage of the available market and grow to become a major force to reckon with not only in the United States of America but also in other parts of the world (online magazine).

Boston Weekly®, Inc. is set to make use of the following marketing and sales strategies to attract clients;

• Introduce our magazine publishing and distribution company by sending introductory letters alongside copy of our magazine to corporate organizations, advertising agencies and key stake holders.
• Promptness in bidding for advert contracts from the government and other cooperate organizations
• Advertise our business cum magazine in relevant business TV stations, and radio station.
• List our business cum magazine on yellow pages ads (local directories)
• Attend relevant international and local expos, seminars, and business fairs et al
• Create different subscription packages for different category of clients in order to work with their budgets and still supply them with copies of our magazine
• Leverage on the internet to promote the sale and distribution of our magazine
• Engage direct marketing approach
• Encourage word of mouth marketing from loyal and satisfied clients

11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy

We have been able to work with our in house brand and publicity consultants to help us map out publicity and advertising strategies that will help us walk our way into the heart of our target market.

We are set to become the number one choice for both corporate clients and individual clients in the whole of the United States and beyond which is why we have made provisions for effective publicity and advertisement of our magazine publishing and distribution company. Below are the platforms we intend to leverage on to promote and advertise Boston Weekly®, Inc.;

• Place adverts on both print (newspapers and magazines) and electronic media platforms
• Sponsor relevant community based events / programs
• Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Facebook , twitter, YouTube, Google + et al to promote our services
• Install our Bill Boards on strategic locations all around key cities in the United States of America
• Engage in road show from time to time in targeted neighborhoods
• Distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas
• Contact corporate organizations by calling them up and informing them of Boston Weekly®, Inc. and how they can subscribe
• List our magazine publishing and distribution company in local directories / yellow pages
• Advertise our magazine publishing and distribution company in our official website and employ strategies that will help us pull traffic to the site.
• Ensure that all our staff members wear our branded shirts and all our vehicles and bikes are well branded with our company logo et al.

12. Our Pricing Strategy

When it comes to pricing for products such as magazine, there are no hard and fast rules; the price depends on the size and packaging. Generally, the prices for magazine and similar products like pamphlets, newspapers and journals et al are affordable hence there is no need to employ any detailed strategies when it comes to pricing.

In view of that, our prices will conform to what is obtainable in the industry but will ensure that within the first 6 to 12 months our magazine are sold a little bit below the average prices of various magazine brands in the United States of America.

We have put in place business strategies that will help us run on low profit margin for a period of 6 months; it is a way of encouraging people to buy into our brands.

• Payment Options

At Boston Weekly®, Inc., our payment policy is all inclusive because we are quite aware that different people prefer different payment options as it suits them. Here are the payment options that will be available in every of our outlets;

• Payment by cash
• Payment via Point of Sale (POS) Machine
• Payment via online bank transfer (online payment portal)
• Payment via Mobile money

In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will help us achieve our payment plans without any itches.

13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)

When it comes to starting a standard magazine publishing and distribution business, one is expected to spend the bulk of the start – up capital on building a standard and well – equipped printing press. Aside from that, you are not expected to spend much except for purchasing distribution vans, paying of your employees and utility bills.

This is the key areas where we will spend our start – up capital;

• The Total Fee for Registering the Business in Boston – Massachusetts – $750.
• Legal expenses for obtaining licenses and permits as well as the accounting services (software, P.O.S machines and other software) – $1,300.
• Cost for hiring Business Consultant – $2,500.
• Insurance (general liability, workers’ compensation and property casualty) coverage at a total premium – $2,400.
• Cost for payment of rent for 12 month at $1.76 per square feet in the total amount of $105,600.
• Other start-up expenses including stationery ($500) and phone and utility deposits ($2,500).
• The cost of printing the first set of your magazines – $50,000
• The cost for distributing the magazines – $10,000
• Operational cost for the first 3 months (salaries of employees, payments of bills et al) – $100,000
• Cost for store equipment (cash register, security, ventilation, signage) – $13,750
• Cost of purchase of distribution vans – $50,000
• The cost for the purchase of furniture and gadgets (Computers, Printers, Telephone, TVs, Sound System, tables and chairs et al) – $4,000.
• The cost of Launching a Website – $600
• The cost for our opening party – $10,000
• Miscellaneous – $10,000

We would need an estimate of $500,000 to successfully set up our magazine publishing and distribution company in Boston – Massachusetts. Please note that this amount includes the salaries of the entire staff member for the first month of operation.

Generating Funding / Startup Capital for Boston Weekly®, Inc.

Boston Weekly®, Inc. is a business that is owned and financed by Dr. Campbell Washington and other like mind investors. They do not intend to welcome any external business partner, which is why he has decided to restrict the sourcing of the start – up capital to 3 major sources.

These are the areas we intend generating our start – up capital;

• Generate part of the start – up capital from personal savings and sell of stocks
• Source for soft loans from family members and friends
• Apply for loan from my Bank

N.B: We have been able to generate about $100,000 (Personal savings $80,000 and soft loan from family members $20,000) and we are at the final stages of obtaining a loan facility of $400,000 from our bank. All the papers and document have been signed and submitted, the loan has been approved and any moment from now our account will be credited with the amount.

14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

The future of a business lies in the numbers of loyal customers that they have the capacity and competence of the employees, their investment strategy and the business structure. If all of these factors are missing from a business (company), then it won’t be too long before the business close shop.

One of our major goals of starting Boston Weekly®, Inc. is to build a business that will survive off its own cash flow without the need for injecting finance from external sources once the business is officially running. We know that one of the ways of gaining approval and winning customers over is to sell our magazine a little bit cheaper than what is obtainable in the market and we are well prepared to survive on lower profit margin for a while.

Boston Weekly®, Inc. will make sure that the right foundation, structures and processes are put in place to ensure that our staff welfare are well taken of. Our company’s corporate culture is designed to drive our business to greater heights and training and re – training of our workforce is at the top burner of our business strategy.

As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of three years or more as determined by the board of the organization. We know that if that is put in place, we will be able to successfully hire and retain the best hands we can get in the industry; they will be more committed to help us build the business of our dreams.

Check List / Milestone

• Business Name Availability Check:>Completed
• Business Registration: Completed
• Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts: Completed
• Securing Point of Sales (POS) Machines: Completed
• Opening Mobile Money Accounts: Completed
• Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
• Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
• Application for business license and permit: Completed
• Purchase of Insurance for the Business: Completed
• Leasing of facility and construction of standard Bakery: In Progress
• Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
• Generating capital from business partners: Completed
• Applications for Loan from the bank: In Progress
• Writing of Business Plan: Completed
• Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
• Drafting of Contract Documents and other relevant Legal Documents: In Progress
• Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
• Graphic Designs and Printing of Packaging Marketing / Promotional Materials: In Progress
• Recruitment of employees: In Progress
• Purchase of the Needed furniture, racks, shelves, computers, electronic appliances, office appliances and CCTV: In progress
• Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
• Creating Awareness for the business both online and around the community: In Progress
• Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement (License): Secured
• Opening party / launching party planning: In Progress
• Establishing business relationship with vendors – wholesale suppliers / merchants (papers, and inks et al): In Progress
• Purchase of delivery vans and bikes: Completed

The Definitive Guide to Publishing Digital Magazines

March 28, 2023.

Looking to publish a digital magazine?

Maybe you’re creating a digital edition for the very first time. Or, maybe you need to revamp your digital edition to make it easier to read. (If your readers have to pinch and zoom their way through your digital magazine, you’re not providing the best possible experience.)

This guide shows you how to create mobile-optimized magazine content with single columns that look great on any device—so your content is always legible.

Plus, we offer a list of publishing platforms that will work for any media company, creator, or enterprise.

The benefits of publishing a digital magazine

There are many reasons why your media company might be considering going digital.

But when it comes down to it, the motivation is usually to…

• Reach readers outside of your geographical distribution
• Cater to readers looking for content instantly (can be purchased on the go from anywhere)
• Scale your readership at a low cost
• Appeal to digital-first readers

How to publish a digital magazine

To publish a digital magazine with a top-notch reader experience, follow these steps:

Step 1. Upload a PDF, HTML, or other supported file

The first step is to upload a supported file type to your digital magazine publishing platform. PDF is most commonly used. You’ll want to make sure you’re using a platform that reflows the PDF into a mobile optimized reading experience rather than just embedding it in a viewing widget (see our list of software below).

Step 2. Review and adjust the styling

Next, the platform will automatically convert your PDF into single-column content that is legible on any device. Here’s an example of what this looks like in eMagazines:

You should review every article to check the styling. eMagazines will automatically use the branding in your pdf, including fonts and colors for headlines, bylines, copy, and more. Your job is to check for brand alignment, and adjust anything at a global scale. You should also review the articles for any errors or quality issues.

Step 3. Test out the table of contents

The table of contents will also be automatically generated. This allows readers to easily hop around your digital edition and select the article they want to read instead of just flipping through.

All you need to do is check the headlines, bylines, and descriptions.

Step 4. Add deep links to your cover page

One of the awesome things about digital magazines is interlinking. Not only can readers click on articles from the table of contents, but they can also click on articles in the cover page.

You can create a link for an article featured in your cover page and then draw a square on the area where you want the link to go. Do this for all of your cover articles.

Step 5. Preview the magazine on multiple devices

The final step is to preview your magazine as a reader.

Test it out using a mobile phone, tablet, and computer.

Now your magazine is ready to be distributed. Scroll to the bottom of this article for tips on delivery and distribution.

For more details (including how to automatically add article audio to your digital magazine), check out this tutorial on PDF to digital magazine conversion .

Top 5 digital magazine publishing software

Check out these top tools for publishing digital magazines:

1. eMagazines

eMagazines is a software and service provider for converting print magazines to digital magazines. Unlike basic PDF magazine conversion tools , which embed your PDF in an online viewer , eMagazines completely reflows your content so that it’s easy to read on any device. Readers never have to pinch and zoom in an unoptimized PDF. Instead, they can scroll and flip through single-column content. In addition to a superior reading experience, eMagazines also offers services to help you sell, deliver, and distribute your digital magazine.

Best for : Magazine publishers (national, regional, and niche)

Top features :

• Mobile-optimized magazine reader
• White labeled experience
• No need for passwords or content downloads
• Custom services for production and delivery
• Automated article audio
• Subscriber back issue access
• Delivery to Apple News+
• Native app building and maintenance
• Customer acquisition partnerships
• Analytics and custom reporting

Issuu is a simple tool for publishing digital magazines. In addition to publishing digital flipbooks, you can also use Issuu for SEO blog posts, social media posts, and gifs. Keep in mind that this solution is best for content marketing and small business use cases, but it’s not a fit for distributing quality digital magazines to subscribers because the reading experience is too complex.

Best for : One-off publications

• Works for digital magazines and catalogs
• Project management features
• SEO optimization
• Fullscreen viewing
• Sales and subscriptions management
• Payment processing

3. Flipsnack

Flipsnack is similar to Issuu in that it’s a simple online software for creating digital flipbooks. If you want to publish a digital magazine, you can either upload a PDF that you designed using adobe or Canva, or you can use Flipsnack’s online design editor to create a digital magazine from scratch.

• Converts PDFs to digital magazines
• Catalog design software
• QR code generator
• Custom subdomains
• Team collaboration and project management
• Content viewing analytics

Heyzine offers a free plan that will appeal to small businesses and creators. You can use it for magazines, catalogs, brochures, reports, restaurant menus, and more. Heyzine does not offer a magazine design program, so you must have a PDF to upload. PDF content will then be embedded in a mobile viewer, however, readers will have to pinch and zoom because PDF content usually appears quite small when not in print.

• Mobile responsive
• Interlinking from one flipbook or page to another
• Supports videos, audio, and pictures

Foleon is a different sort of digital magazine software because it’s designed for enterprises rather than media companies. It offers content marketing features and integrations so that you can deliver digital magazine content at scale to both customers and internal contacts. The program can be used for marketing and employee communications campaigns.

Best for : Enterprises and marketing teams

• Content editor
• Drag and drop magazine design
• White labeled branding
• Templates for magazines, ebooks, and catalogs
• Integrations with marketing analytics software

Tips for publishing a digital magazine

Publishers have much to consider when creating a digital version for the first time or revamping their current digital edition process. Follow these tips for reader experience and growth.

1. Make sure the reading experience is mobile optimized (PDFs don’t cut it)

For small creators, PDF conversion tools might do the trick. But readers expect more from media companies.

Here’s an example of a digital magazine made with Heyzine (as you can see the font comes up quite small on a laptop).

And here’s an example of how easy it is to read single-column content created with eMagazines (from People):

As you can see, it’s a lot more legible! This mobile optimized content looks great in tablets, phones, and computers. And you’re still able to retain your branding through fonts and colors.

2. Eliminate the need for passwords

Consumers today have hundreds if not thousands of passwords. If you require a password to read your digital magazine, you’re setting yourself up for a constant stream of customer support requests related to login issues. Fortunately, it’s not necessary to require user passwords to distribute content securely to paying subscribers. Instead, you can deliver digital magazines via email and/or a mobile app.

Learn more about those options here:

• Email magazine delivery
• Mobile magazine app

3. Continuously experiment with new subscription offers

It’s important to A/B test your magazine subscription order pages so you can optimize your messaging and checkout flow. But A/B testing is about more than UX and copy. To really experience an uplift in conversions, you should test the offers.

For example, you might try different prices, subscription lengths, and trial periods. You can also try different content offers that come for free with a subscription. Along with a new subscription, you might offer access to five special issues or your entire back issue archive .

4. Increase retention with a great reader experience and extra benefits

Have you ever heard the phrase “surprise and delight?” It refers to the extra benefits you offer customers that they’re not expecting. You should have a retention strategy in place that will give customers additional reasons to stay subscribed and keep consuming your content. This might include special virtual events, special edition access, community forums, and other premium add-ons that digital magazine subscribers get for free.

Of course, you’ll also want to ensure that the reading and delivery experience is seamless so subscribers can easily and regularly engage with your main content.

5. Use distribution partnerships to increase your reach

You should always be looking for ways to scale your content beyond your own customer base. And the way to do that is through customer acquisition and distribution partnerships . For example, you could partner with Hoopla and Magazine Jukebox to distribute your digital edition in airports, airlines, medical offices, and universities. For some partnerships, you might get paid for the content and for others, you might provide the content for free in the hopes that readers want more and decide to subscribe.

Publishing a digital magazine is all about easy access. So make sure to choose the solution and strategies that will please your readers the most.

Learn more about eMagazines’ software and services.

Digital Reading Not Just for Millennials

Digital Archives for Print Magazines and a Guinness World Record

Blog , Case Study , Press Release

Sports illustrated.

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Plan Templates

11+ publisher business plan templates.

With the advent of the Internet, this business industry has grown with further progressions. However, running a business isn’t enough to make profit. You always require knowing the tweaks and tricks of running an effective business. For the beginners, simple business plan samples would help you to progress in this field with flying colors.

Self-Publishing Marketing Plan Template

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• Attain the targeted circulation level.
• Control the costs when spending maximum on the subscription marketing in just one year.
• Monitor the response rates of the media executions.
• Follow-on the marketing of the book titles in the first half of the year or the first year.
• Attain the targeted advertising sale revenues.
• Quality editorial contents in every issue.
• Make the production and the distribution dates in the timely fashion for every issue.
• Entry Barriers are negligible or less
• SEO happens to be another factor
• Inclusion of professional outlook
• The tax benefits
• Publishing companies also provide democracy to the writers.
• Advice from experts
• Learning the laws
• Selecting the name and buying the domain

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Home / Book Publishing / How to Start a Publishing Company: 2024 Guide

How to Start a Publishing Company: 2024 Guide

You can start your own publishing company with these simple steps:

• Develop a business structure (usually an LLC)
• Choose the name and location for your company
• Register your business
• Obtain your EIN and set up a business banking account

Want more detail? Keep reading. This article is detailed, informative, and easy to comprehend — even for someone who was as legally inept as I used to be.

• If you should set up a publishing company
• The benefits of setting up a publishing company
• How to set up a publishing company

Table of contents

• What does a publishing company do?
• Should you start a publishing company?
• Benefits of Starting Your Own Publishing Company
• When should you start a publishing company? 
• 6 Steps for Starting a Book Publishing Company
• Setting up a Publishing Company with MyCompanyWorks
• WCU’s Publishing MA Program
• And don’t forget to check out my podcast where I spoke with my lawyer about publishing business structure.

A publishing company sells and distributes books (and magazines, newspapers, digital content, etc.) They may contribute to the editing process to ensure their published content is up to snuff. The publishing company decides what kind of marketing (and where to advertise) will best help sell their books.

Starting your own book publishing company is a crucial step in boosting your author brand, selling other people's books, or protecting yourself and your assets.

For many people, establishing your own company can be confusing, tedious, and downright painful. To be honest, it’s a lot of work.

Thankfully, this step-by-step guide will help you determine if you should start a publishing company and show you how to achieve such a daunting task.

Let me make 2 disclaimers:

• Although I have a lot of experience setting up LLCs, including my own book publishing company, I am by no means a lawyer or CPA and cannot speak on their behalf. If you have any questions, it is best to seek legal advice before moving on. This article does not constitute legal advice and should not substitute for the advice of an attorney.
• Some of the paperwork and legal steps listed in this article are pertinent to the US only. Each country will have its own laws for setting up such things. Many of the steps and recommendations below will be relevant to your startup, no matter which country you’re in.

There are 3 primary reasons to start a publishing company:

• Financial protection

Of course, there are many reasons to start a publishing company, but these are the big three. For example, if you want to publish other people’s books, you can do that without an LLC. But if you do establish an LLC, you are protected and legitimate.

With today’s publishing platforms, you don’t have to start a publishing business to publish your own work or even other people’s stories.

However, starting a publishing company has several advantages. Here’s a more detailed list of reasons you may want to establish your own publishing business:

• Conveys professionalism and expertise
• Protects yourself, your work, and your personal assets in case of a lawsuit
• Manages of your intellectual property
• Allows for certain tax write-offs
• Maintains control over your work
• Gives you access to more than one Amazon KDP account
• Shifts your mindset from a hobby writer to a business owner
• Fulfills your dream of being The Boss/CEO/Founder of your own publishing company
• Establishes a legal entity to contract co-writing and licensing properly
• Facilitates future opportunities to publish books by other authors

How do publishing companies make money? Publishing companies make money by taking in book sales, minus the royalties they pay out to authors and other artists. Royalties are 100% negotiable.

There are 6 excellent benefits to starting your own publishing company:

• Tax benefits, write-offs, and more
• Liability protection
• Increased credibility
• Ability to expand your brand
• Double the number of KDP accounts
• Co-writing and licensing

Of course, I could go on and on about the benefits — like being your own boss. But I’ll just take you through the main benefits, then along to the step-by-step process.

1. Tax Benefits, Write-Offs, & Wealth Building

Yes, there are tax benefits to having your own book publishing company. When April 15th approaches, you can write off a surprising number of business expenses.

A company helps you differentiate between your personal income and business income. All those business write-offs may save you a lot of money during tax season.

If you have your own company, I recommend getting a tax accountant (the fee for whom is a tax-deductible expense) to help prepare your taxes. During the year, an accountant can help you make the best choice in certain situations to take full advantage of the tax code.

The most common tax-deductible business expenses:

• Salaries, wages, and contract labor
• Most insurance policies
• Vehicle expenses
• Office internet
• Supplies and office expenses
• Business meals
• Advertising and marketing
• Accounting fees
• Interest on the business-related debt
• Conferences
• Rented office space
• Home office
• Property purchased for business use
• Depreciation on that property

Saving money on taxes isn’t just about short-term gain. The benefits of establishing a publishing company allow you to see this business as an opportunity to build wealth and plan for retirement.

2. Liability Protection

Starting your own publishing company gives you a certain level of liability protection. If someone sues you for writing-related reasons and you have an LLC, they cannot attack your personal assets — only the company’s assets. There are some cases of copyright infringement though, where the author would be held liable for their actions, but in total there is much more protection for such things.

If you don’t have a company and your book, product, or service gets sued, then your personal finances and a public record will be absolute fair game.

Although it’s rare, lawsuits happen.

Vocabulary time: LLC stands for Limited Liability Company.

Ask me about my own experience getting sued. It was a false claim from a competitor looking to knock my book off the shelf. The world is full of jerks who are willing to lie and cheat the system (shocking, I know).

Starting a company gives you legal liability protection and distinguishes between the business’s finances and your personal finances. The courts, or collection agencies, would not be allowed to come after you — only your company’s assets.

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3. Increased Credibility

When you start your own publishing company, it gives you increased credibility. Even though self-published authors are legitimate, having your own LLC sounds more legit and offers you and collaborators more legal protection.

Sharing that you’re a self-published author can be intimidating — you might have a fear that others will hear that you self publish and assume you couldn’t get published by a “real agency.” 

But sharing that you have your own publishing company, through which you publish your books, gives you a sense of legitimacy.

Credibility isn’t just important for your sense of accomplishment, though. Collaborators, authors, and business partners may also be more likely to work with an established publishing company.

4. Ability to Expand Your Brand

Starting your own publishing business improves your ability to expand your author brand .

Author branding is convincing someone to read your book over anyone else’s. This involves establishing credibility, proving your creativity, and maintaining a professional image that doesn’t distract from those books you worked so hard on.

This process is related to book positioning: convincing someone that your book is right for them. Good author branding makes book positioning easier and vice-versa.

Also, having a publishing company can make it easier to collaborate with other authors . Each author has access to each other’s audiences, expanding both author brands.

Having a publishing company not only adds legitimacy to your career but also allows you to maintain control over your book marketing and lets you expand your author brand in so many other little ways.

5. Double the Number of KDP Accounts

Another added benefit to starting a publishing company is that you’ll be able to create another Amazon KDP account and remain within your rights.

Amazon's Terms Of Service (TOS) state that an author can only have one KDP account.

However, the cool part of owning your own publishing company is that your company would have its own EIN and bank account, which allows it to open its own KDP account within the TOS of Amazon.

So the first account is your personal account, and the second one is the company’s publishing account. Two accounts come with the added benefit of increased author pages through Author Central, and therefore more exposure and the use of more pen names .

6. Co-writing & Licensing

Starting your own publishing company lets you co-write with another person or license another individual’s work while maintaining legal protection, liability protection, and legitimacy.

Going through a publishing company is the preferred method of contracting with others to bind with legitimate operating agreements legally. So it’s good to have your own company.

Having a publishing business becomes your platform for licensing and contracting future opportunities, such as co-writing or publishing someone else’s work.

Keep this in mind for later when we discuss naming your company .

You should start a publishing company if you have over $2,000 in book sales, want to protect your personal assets, want to publish other people’s books, and/or want to take full advantage of the US tax code.

I'll be real with you — not everyone should do this.

If you're just starting off or still see writing as a side gig or a hobby, then don't add the extra steps of starting a company to your already-busy schedule. Instead, focus on writing your book and nailing your marketing.

If you meet any one of the below requirements, I recommend you create a publishing company:

• You make more than $2,000 a month in book sales.
• You write in technical areas or health areas that could put you at risk of legal action.
• You want to publish other people's books.
• You're selling more than just books, such as courses, physical products, etc.
• You're an American citizen, but you live outside of the US and want a base of operations.

If you don’t meet any of these requirements, I recommend not starting your own publishing company.

So you've decided this is what you want to do. Now it’s time to actually start your own business!

Here is a step-by-step guide for starting a book publishing company:

• Evaluate your business goals.
• Develop a business structure.
• Choose a name for your business.
• Choose a location.
• Make it official.
• Grow your team.

That gives you a good idea of what to expect, but let’s dive into the nitty-gritty. I’ll detail each of these 6 steps below.

Step 1 : Evaluate Your Business Goals

The first step in starting your own publishing company is to evaluate your business goals. You need to figure out what your business’s point is — a business plan, of sorts.

A lot of you reading this want to publish your own books through your own publishing company. That’s great. You evaluated your business goals. But go beyond that. Write down a list of goals you can reach for.

For many of us, the goal is to provide extra legal protection and tax breaks.

For some, the goal is to encourage author collaboration or co-author ventures.

It’s smart to estimate what kind of income you plan on bringing in. This helps you plan ahead and lets you compare end-of-year income to expected income.

Ultimately, where do you see your publishing company headed in the next 5-10 years? It’s nice to have business goals set in place so you can aim for specific goals.

Step 2 : Develop a Business Structure 

Before you can start creating your own ebook or book company, you need to decide which type of business structure you would like to make.

There are many different types of businesses. Each has its own pros and cons.

• Corporation : A corporation is a group authorized to manage the company as a single entity. This includes stockholders, a board of directors, officers, company bylaws, etc. Establishing a corporation (S-Corp or C-Corp) requires a great deal more formalities and paperwork than the other items on this list.
• Sole proprietorship : This is a business owned and operated by a single person under their personal Social Security number rather than an EIN (Employer Identification Number). This is the simplest business form, though not the safest. The individual is personally liable in lawsuits. It’s wiser to get the liability protection of an LLC.
• Partnership : This is when multiple people (or entities) officially agree to manage/operate a business together. 
• Limited Liability Company : A Limited Liability Company (LLC) protects assets like a corporation, but with the pass-through tax benefits of a partnership or sole proprietorship.

Most self-publishers end up creating a Sole Proprietorship or an LLC. Here’s a great article that discusses in more depth the difference between a Sole Proprietorship vs. LLC .

In the end, the Limited Liability Company (LLC) is the best one for most book publishers.

An LLC is more flexible in how profit distribution and ownership are organized. It combines the features of a corporation and a sole proprietorship.

A corporation is a lot more rigid in its rules of operation than an LLC.

The controlling document in an LLC is called the “operating agreement.” You may write up this agreement in a myriad of different ways to suit your needs.

For example, your operating agreement may be where you create rules for how money comes in and goes out or for “successor members” (anyone who takes over after you).

An LLC has another benefit: It allows you to tax it as a Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, or S-Corporation. Basically, an LLC is the best of all worlds and fits nicely in the self-publishing business structure.

Chances are, your favorite authors or bloggers often use an LLC to protect their brand and business.

Before you decide which is best for you, do some additional research on each.

To find out more about each type, you can check out the IRS’s resource page on business structure .

Should I set up an S corporation?

Yes, you should set up an S corporation. In other words, you should charter an LLC, then file paperwork that tells the IRS to treat your LLC as an S corporation.

• Business charter — A corporation and a Limited Liability Company (LLC) are business charters issued by state governments and may have state income tax implications.
• Tax election — Subchapter S or an S Corp tax election is paperwork you file with the IRS for the unique tax treatment of a corporation or an LLC.

A business charter and tax election are tools to protect and preserve the wealth you create from your writing. The takeaway is that the S-Corp election would be something you do after you charter your company.

Authors should elect to have their LLC treated as an S Corporation. This is part of a broader tax optimization strategy and wealth creation. Instead of your company paying income tax, the company’s net income passes on to its shareholders to claim it on their personal taxes.

Yet you are still provided with liability protection.

Step 3 : Choose a Name for Your Business

It’s critical to choose a good name for your business that clearly says what you’re about, doesn’t potentially confuse your audience, and isn’t already trademarked or used in your area.

You may consider using your name or your genre, like “Chesson Publications” or “Space Pants Press.” It is a good idea to have backup names ready in case your first choice is not available.

There are 3 things to consider before choosing your business name:

• Make sure it’s not trademarked by anyone.
• Check that it’s not already used by someone in your state if you’re in the U.S.
• Do not use the words “corporation” or “inc.” unless you set up your business as a corporation.

If you’re setting up a Sole Proprietorship, you’ll likely file a DBA (doing business as), also called a “trade name registration” or “fictitious name.”

The good news is that the name availability is state-specific. This means that even though a company called “Intergalactic Press” is registered in New York, you can still use the name if it hasn’t been registered in the state you use to file.

How do you check if your company name is taken? Check to see if your company name is taken by going to your respective state’s name search, by typing “Secretary of State business name search (Name of the selected state)” into Google.

The desired website is often the first result. Start hunting to see if your potential business name is available.

Step 4 : Choose A Location

In setting up the business, you're going to need to choose the State you set up the company in and the actual place of business.

The State of the Business

States issue articles of organization for LLCs (articles of incorporation in the case of a corporation). The first step in location selection is the state of the organization.

For those thrifty business people looking for tax breaks or lower annual registration costs, you may have heard about incorporating in states like Wyoming and Nevada .

A word of caution: The state where you reside and do most of your work expects to be paid income tax . If you live and work in California, setting up an LLC in Nevada doesn’t get you out of California’s income tax.

In fact, doing an out-of-state charter can cost you more money as most states need you to register “foreign entities” to legally do business in the state. Some states are more lenient than others.

Remember, the primary purpose of setting up an LLC is to have the legal separation and protections that come with it. Don’t blow that by not having the appropriate registrations in the state you actually live/work in.

Place of Business

Now that you know your business state, you need a physical place of business where work actually happens.

When setting up an LLC, many self-publishers will make their personal home their place of business since they need a physical place of business. However, this may cause problems down the road.

The address of your business has to be a physical location where legal documents can be served. If you list your home as your place of business, your private information will become public.

In some states, while the owner’s name will be confidential, there must be a registered agent on the public record. You can be your own registered agent in most states, but your own name will be on public record along with your address.

Don’t list your personal home address as your place of business. Do the following instead:

• Rent a Physical Location: Renting a physical location may be nice if you actually need to go somewhere to do your work — for example, if your personal home is a distraction. I don't need to explain that renting is very costly and not a viable option for most of us.
• Get a UPS Mailbox: Most states do not allow you to put a P.O. Box number on the application. Luckily, you can get a UPS mailbox number that looks like a regular address. By choosing this option, you will need to show up in person to set up the mailbox. Once you set up your mailbox, you can have them forward your mail to your real address.
• Use A Registered Agent: Just about every state has registered agents that will act as your office for you. There is a fee associated with this, but it usually includes setting up your LLC as part of the service. This will eliminate your name as the registered agent being on the public record.
• Set up a Virtual Office: Personally, virtual offices are my favorite option. They’re professional offices that give you a specific mailing address, collect your mail, forward it to you, and can be your Registered Agent (an extra level of personal protection). Furthermore, most virtual offices will give you a 1-800 number and record and send your voicemail to you electronically. This option is excellent for those who travel or reside in a state with extraordinarily high business tax rates. You can set it up from your home in a different state or from a foreign country — such as Sri Lanka, as I did.

Step 5 : Make It Official 

Now that you’ve identified your business goals, business structure, business name, and business location, it’s time to make this official!

Below are 7 quick steps to making your new business official:

• Register your business.
• Obtain your Employer Identification Number (EIN).
• Set up a business bank account.
• Set up an accounting system.
• Register your domain name.
• Create a publisher's KDP account on Amazon.
• Schedule an annual business meeting and take minutes.

1. Register your business.

You have 2 main options on how to register your business:

• Do all the required registration and paperwork yourself . Each state has different requirements, so I can’t walk you through those specific steps.
• Or keep it simple and use the services like My Company Works or GovDocFiling to get your publishing company started fast and make sure it’s done right.

And just like that, you could be a President/Owner/Founder of your very own small business!

How much does it cost to start a publishing company? Costs to start a publishing company vary from state to state. Generally speaking, the lowest fees are $50, and the highest is $800. There are usually annual fees due each year. If you plan to use a registered agent, then expect additional fees for those services. Most authors see somewhere from $200-$500 a year in fees.

Some authors need to maintain extra levels of confidentiality — perhaps because of the genre they write in or their personal preference.

Certain states like Wyoming keep member information confidential. Only the registered agent is public, so you could set up a company there and use a registered agent.

In some cases, you may need to create two LLCs to form a legal barrier between you and the public. This doubles the cost of starting a business, but it might be necessary to give you the confidentiality you desire.

Now that you've become an official business in the eyes of the government, it's time to take specific actions to ensure you're a legitimate business. You need to do certain things to get the most out of your publishing company and ensure its legitimacy.

2. Obtain your EIN.

An Employee Identification Number (EIN) is used to identify a business entity. Also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number, an EIN is a 9-digit number that the IRS uses during tax season.

Upon registering your business, you'll get an EIN — like a Social Security number for businesses. When you have an EIN, ensure the documentation for any accounts that you've set up are associated with this number.

3. Set up a business bank account.

To keep your personal income and the business’s financials separate, you need to have a business bank account. Separation of personal funds from business funds is essential.

You may set up an account with a traditional brick and mortar bank or an alternative online banking service like PayPal.

4. Set up an accounting system.

Whether you hired a professional accountant or are keeping detailed Google Sheets, you have to keep track of your financials from the very beginning. And it has to be perfect. All those I’s dotted and those T’s crossed.

Two popular options for accounting software include Quickbooks and Wave Financial . 

5. Register your domain name.

People need to be able to Google your business. You don’t want those leads to go to waste. That’s the main reason you need to register your domain name — a URL.

A professional author website is the best way to tell people about your business and your books.

Official social media accounts also help like Instagram , LinkedIn, Facebook , etc.

6. Create a publisher's KDP account on Amazon.

If you've published books before on your own personal account and you want them to be in the business' account, then you need to do one of two things:

• Change your personal account to the business' by changing the necessary information in your settings to reflect the company (address, EIN, etc.).
• Make a new KDP account and move your books to it.

As per Amazon's TOS, a person is not allowed to have 2 accounts. But don't worry. You have an account, and your business has an account. Those are 2 accounts you control, which is still in compliance with Amazon’s TOS.

7. Schedule an annual business meeting and take minutes.

If you're an LLC or Corporation, you must have at least 1 annual business meeting a year and ensure you document it and place it as your minutes.

Without this, your legitimacy as a company wanes.

For example, my wife and I will schedule a dinner once a year on the company's dime, have a business meeting, and take detailed minutes.

8. Publish a book.

This is the whole reason for a publishing company! Imagine how sweet it will be when you publish that first book.

Whether it’s a children’s book , a biography , a mystery , a short story , an ebook only, or print-on-demand, you’re now a part of the publishing industry.

You need to purchase an ISBN (International Standard Book Number) for each work to sell books. An ISBN is an internationally-recognized 13-digit number that is supposed to simplify sales and distribution. Bowker is the official ISBN agency for the US and Australia.

Step 6 : Grow Your Team

You're now a full-fledged publishing company! With your business made official, it's time to grow your team. (If you intend to be the sole employee of the company or the only author represented by the company, then you’ve already finished the last step.)

Who do you need on your team? Here are some possibilities for expanding your publishing company beyond just yourself:

• A dedicated accountant
• Other authors you can now publish
• Freelancers for cover art , formatting, editing , web design, etc.
• Marketing or social media specialists to maintain your online presence

Look for authors whose works you’re interested in publishing. You can even split royalty through your new, legitimate publishing house.

If your newly minted publishing company manages co-authored projects, you'll have an extra challenge ahead of you.

Calculating royalties and dividends owed can be a hassle — especially if those need to be split up in any way. However, the good folks over at Draft2Digital have created a solution for that exact situation.

While PublishDrive led this charge with PublishDrive Abacus , Draft2Digital is our choice for book distributors, and they also have this revolutionary program in the publishing world. You can read their announcement here .

This program allows the authors to:

• Calculate royalties between co-authors
• Provide each contributor with detailed reports
• And streamline the entire accounting process

This program is geared entirely towards publishing groups that publish on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.

In order to be part of the royalty split program, your books do have to be enrolled on Draft2Digital, even for platforms like Amazon. But the headache it saves you could easily be worth the cost of the commission D2D takes.

See also our review of Draft2Digital .

If going through all the steps above to form your publishing company sounds like a lot of work, you can significantly simplify the process (for an added fee, of course) with a company like MyCompanyWorks , which is a business that helps you set up your own business.

While MyCompanyWorks doesn't take all the work out of the process (you'll still have to do things like visit your bank to set up a business bank account), it does make the process a lot easier.

Here is a brief walkthrough to get started:

From the homepage, you can hover over Order Now then select Form an LLC .

Then you select the state the you want to register under, as well as the desired package.

MyCompanyWorks also has a lot of additional services, some of which are useful (like “Prepare S-Corporation Election”).

Next, you begin inputting your information. I won't screenshot everything here (because it's a lot), but it includes your contact info, your name for the LLC, the list of people that manage the company, and the information needed to get your Federal Employer Identification Number.

MyCompanyWorks walks you through the entire process easily, and before you know it, you'll have a business ready to go!

Resources For Setting Up a Publishing Company

Check out these fantastic resources for setting up your own publishing company. I personally use or have used most of these.

Setting up an LLC, Corporation, or Sole Proprietorship can feel daunting. If you're like me, then you probably conduct plenty of research before carrying out such a monumental task.

Before I jumped into setting up my LLCs, I did a bunch of research.

Get a Master’s degree in Publishing with this Publishing MA program.

If you're looking to create a legitimate company publishing many books and want to take yours to the next level, then perhaps a formal education in publishing is right for you.

Western Colorado University offers a full-fledged Publishing MA program , one of the only such programs to embrace indie publishing.

It is a 1-year program (from July to July) and only requires you to spend two weeks in the gorgeous Colorado mountains while the rest of the course is taught online.

It is equally balanced between traditional publishing and indie.

Students will engage in innovative projects, such as:

• Developing the concept for an anthology (which pays pro rates)
• Soliciting submissions
• Reading the slush pile and choosing the stories
• Issuing contracts
• Editing pieces
• Designing and producing a book and its cover
• Publishing that book
• Making a marketing plan

As the final project, students will select a public-domain classic, acquire the text, and work through every stage of producing and releasing the book via a mid-sized publisher (WordFire Press), which will list their name on the copyright page.

The program is run by the award-winning and legendary science fiction author, Kevin J. Anderson, who personally teaches all the courses. Kevin has 56 national or international bestsellers and 23 million copies in print in 30 languages.

His publishing company, WordFire Press, has released nearly 350 titles from 95 authors in ebook, trade paperback, hardcover, and audio. He is a highly qualified publishing professor.

If you are interested in taking this program, you need to act fast. The program fills up quickly every year, so don't delay!

More Info on Starting a Publishing Company

Need more info? Here are a few articles I found useful when I was doing my original research on starting my own publishing company:

• List of Resources for Setting Up a Publishing Company : This quick guide is great for the terminology and list of resources in each of the steps.
• How to Form an LLC by WSJ : Who better to give you more information than the Wall Street Journal in setting up your own company?
• 6 Mistakes to Avoid When Setting Up Your Corporation or LLC : What more can I say from that title than make sure you don't make any of these mistakes.
• Pat Flynn's Personal Details on Setting Up His LLC : Pat Flynn of SmartPassiveIncome.com does an excellent job explaining why and how he did his LLC setup.
• Nuts and Bolts: Nitty-Gritty Details, Incorporating, and Taxes : This one is my favorite.

Are you ready to start a publishing company?

With a few hundred dollars and some spare time, you are ready to start your own publishing company and establish legitimacy, legal liability protection, and valuable tax breaks.

Thanks to services on the Internet, it is easier than ever to set up your own book publishing LLC or Corporation.

Although annual costs persist each year, the benefits of starting your very own publishing company will quickly outweigh this.

Better taxes, increased personal security, and more publishing capabilities were the main reasons I started 3 different LLCs to support my entrepreneurial habits.

Now that you know how to start your very own publishing company , get started and become a book publisher today!

If you have any questions along the way, don’t hesitate to ask me. Leave a comment below to tell me what you found most helpful.

But do remember that I am not a lawyer — just an experienced entrepreneur.

Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

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How to choose a pen name in 2024 (+ a pen name generator), what is an isbn 11 facts for self-publishing authors, amazon book keyword rules explained (2024 update), sell more books on amazon, amazon kindle rankings e-book.

Learn how to rank your Kindle book #1 on Amazon with our collection of time-tested tips and tricks.

155 thoughts on “ How to Start a Publishing Company: 2024 Guide ”

Publishing companies often have a symbol for their company. Since they offer a service, this begs for trademarking the images used by the company.

Do you have suggested links or a blog piece on trademarking?

BTW: Good, solid content and suggested strategies on starting a publishing company. I appreciated your work; you are my “pathfinder!” =rds

Thank you for this information. I created an LLC for my coaching business and plan on publishing under the same LLC vs having two companies. That being said, my business isn’t structured as a publishing house. Will that be an issue?

It shouldn’t be.

I appreciate the wealth of knowledge in this article. I do have one question though.

If someone creates a new llc for their publishing company does that mean when creating the new kdp account we can avoid using our own name and instead only use the business name?

Dave, how do you move your books to a new KDP account? Wouldn’t you have to republish?

I’ve changed everything in my personal account to my business tax and business info, in the meantime, both on KDP, Smashwords, and D2D.

Is there a legal way to transfer ownership of books from ME to my business?

Yup – unpublish and republish. Although a cleaner way is to switch the current account info to the new account, keeping all your books there, like it sounds like you did. As for legal, I made mark in my LLC book that the ‘assets’ were transferred over to the company. (Again, not legal advice nor am I a lawyer).

Fantastic and valuable article. Thank you so much. I will definitely have to go to the LLC route. Thankfully, I have a bit of reading to do before I have to get busy with that.

I already have my company name, domain name, website, and logo, I just need to handle all the legalities of it.

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Starting a Magazine Publishing Business: 6 Key Steps

Table of contents, introduction.

This write-up quite comprehensively guides you on starting a magazine publishing business. Magazines have existed for centuries, with the first regularly published magazines emerging in the 17th century.

By the 1950s, general interest magazines like Life (1883–1972), Look (1937–1971), and The Saturday Evening Post (1897–present) had peaked in popularity and profitability. However, from the 1960s onward, changing media habits led to the decline of many major magazines.

The Evolution of the Magazine Publishing Industry

Today, the magazine industry continues to evolve. While print advertising revenue has declined, many major magazines have transitioned successfully to digital platforms. At the same time, independent niche publications continue to thrive by serving specialized reader interests. Despite the ongoing disruption, starting a magazine publishing venture remains an attractive opportunity for aspiring media entrepreneurs.

Launching a magazine from scratch requires significant upfront investment, market research, business planning, team building, content creation, design, funding, distribution, and marketing. It’s a major undertaking, but the potential rewards are substantial. A successful magazine can inform and inspire readers while providing fulfilling work and profits for its publishers and staff.

As outlined above, magazines have evolved dramatically since their inception, shaped by changing technologies, consumer habits, and market forces. Once stable and hugely profitable, the industry has had to adapt to remain viable and competitive.

What Starting a Magazine Publishing Business Entails

It’s complex but rewarding work for those passionate about a magazine concept and its potential impact on readers.

Understanding What Magazine Publishing Is All About

An in-depth look at the magazine publishing process.

Starting a magazine publishing is a complex process that involves multiple steps and stakeholders. At a high level, the key stages include:

This is an iterative process, with constant collaboration between departments. The publishing schedule can be monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, or any other frequency.

The Roles and Responsibilities Involved in Running a Magazine Publishing Business

In the subsequent discussions, we will cover specific roles and departments more.

Owning and managing a magazine publishing venture requires strong leadership, editorial vision, and business acumen. Assembling the right team is critical to producing a compelling magazine that engages its target readership.

Why Start a Magazine Publishing Business?

The potential rewards and challenges of starting a magazine.

Professionally, running a magazine allows you to develop and showcase diverse skills. From writing and editing to sales, marketing, and management, successfully launching a magazine requires wearing many hats. This can expand your professional capabilities and give you a major sense of accomplishment.

You’ll also need resilience in the face of financial pressures and rejections to secure advertising and distribution. Becoming profitable typically takes several years. Be prepared to self-fund your venture and make personal sacrifices to make your magazine dreams a reality. It will take perseverance and dedication to grow your readership and establish your magazine’s reputation.

How Starting a Magazine Enhances Your Personal and Professional Growth

Running all facets of a magazine business will also build your professional capabilities exponentially. You’ll gain hands-on experience with crucial business functions like strategizing, marketing, selling advertising, managing budgets and cash flow, and leading a team. You will also benefit the community by providing publishing careers to aspiring jobseekers.

The combination of creative, business, leadership, and networking skills developed through magazine publishing creates massive potential for personal and professional growth. The journey will expand your capabilities and open new doors you never imagined possible when you started.

Step 1 – Market Research and Identifying Your Niche

The importance of conducting market research before starting a magazine.

Some key aspects of research are:

Thorough market research will provide the data and insights needed to make informed decisions about your magazine’s concept, design, content, pricing, and promotion strategy. It is a critical first step before investing significant time and resources into launching a new publication.

How to Identify and Choose a Unique Niche for Your Magazine

Choosing a clear, focused niche is one of the most important steps when starting a magazine. Your niche will define your target audience, editorial approach, potential advertisers, and more. Here are some tips for identifying and selecting the right niche:

Aim to choose a focused yet broad niche to allow flexibility in your content. The balance between being highly targeted and being too general. The ideal niche has a built-in target audience but isn’t so obscure that it limits your scope or scalability.

Step 2 – Creating a Business Plan

A solid business plan is essential for any new magazine venture. It helps you define your goals, outline strategies, and anticipate challenges. Here are some key elements to include in your magazine’s business plan:

Executive Summary

Market analysis.

Research your target market and competitors. Analyze demographics, psychographics, buying patterns, and growth potential. Identify your competitive edge and opportunities within the market.

Description of Product/Service

Explain in detail what your magazine will provide readers. Include the editorial focus, intended frequency, circulation plan, and all key content features.

Revenue Model and Forecasts

Marketing and promotion plan.

Map out strategies for advertising, partnerships, events, and promotions to attract readers and advertisers. Detail your distribution plan as well.

Operations Plan

Describe your staffing needs, equipment, and workflows. Outline your printing, distribution, and fulfillment processes. A solid operations plan ensures smooth magazine publication.

Funding Requirements

With careful research and planning, your business plan provides a roadmap for launching and managing a successful magazine. It shows investors and partners that you have thoroughly evaluated all aspects of your publishing venture.

Step 3 – Assembling Your Team

Assembling a strong team is crucial for any successful magazine publishing venture. Here’s how to identify the right talent for your magazine’s team:

Editorial Team

Design and production.

These roles focus on the aesthetics and mechanics of assembling your magazine:

Sales and Marketing

Look for outgoing team players with existing media/marketing relationships and a drive to promote your magazine.

Step 4 – Content Creation and Design

The content and design of a magazine are crucial to its success. High-quality, engaging content keeps readers coming back issue after issue. The visually appealing design makes the content easy to digest. Here are some tips for creating great content and designs for your magazine:

Curating Engaging Content

Focus on topics your target audience cares about. Research what content has performed well in similar magazines. Conduct surveys or interviews to learn what readers want to see. Hire experienced writers in your niche. They will understand what content resonates.

Developing Visually Appealing Designs

Work with a graphic designer to create a cohesive look and layout. Use color schemes, fonts, and visual elements that fit your brand identity. Organize content logically while maintaining visual interest. Break up text with high-quality photos, illustrations, pull quotes, sidebars, and white space.

Choose paper stock and binding that enhance the reading experience. Select a durable cover that represents your brand. Update designs regularly to keep things fresh. Occasional redesigns can revive interest from longtime readers.

Step 5 – Funding and Monetization Strategies

Starting a magazine publishing venture requires a significant upfront investment. Here are some options for funding your new magazine:

Bootstrapping

Bootstrapping refers to self-funding your business using your savings or income. As they say, start your business using your own money, then expand it using others’.

Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter or Indiegogo allow you to raise funds from a large pool of small investors. Offering subscriptions or merchandise can entice backers to support your magazine launch. This is a great way to validate your idea and build an initial audience.

Angel Investors

Angel investors are wealthy individuals who provide start-up capital in exchange for equity in your business. Ensure you understand the terms before accepting angel funding to maintain control of your magazine.

Business Loans

Advertising revenue.

Selling ad space in your magazine is a primary source of revenue. As your readership grows, you can charge more for ads. Maintain a diverse mix of advertisers across industries.

Subscriptions

Paid subscriptions for print and digital editions are another major income stream. Offer exclusive subscriber-only content and discounts to incentivize subscriptions.

Sponsored Content

Licensing and syndication.

You can license your content to third parties or syndicate it on aggregator sites. This provides an additional revenue stream from already-created magazine content.

Hosting live events like conferences, festivals, and awards shows provides sponsorship, ticketing, and merchandising income. Events also raise your magazine’s profile.

Step 6 – Marketing and Distribution

How to effectively market your magazine.

Marketing is crucial for getting your new magazine in front of your target readership. First, create marketing personas to understand your audience’s needs and interests. Then, develop a marketing strategy across multiple channels like social media, email newsletters, advertisements in complementary publications, and engagement with influencers in your niche.

Content marketing through your website, blog, and social media accounts is essential for building brand awareness and an audience. Share exclusive previews, interviews, and behind-the-scenes looks at your magazine.

Understanding Various Distribution Channels

Choosing the right distribution channels is key to making your magazine widely available to readers. Print magazines can be distributed through newsstands, bookstores, specialty retail shops, and subscriptions.

Ensure wide coverage by using major magazine distributors. Digital distribution via websites, mobile apps, and e-reader platforms dramatically increases accessibility. Consider your target audience and where they will most likely discover and purchase your magazine.

Recapping the Steps

The first critical step is conducting thorough market research to identify your magazine’s unique niche and target audience. Once you’ve settled on an idea, it’s time to create a comprehensive business plan outlining your magazine’s objectives, budget, staffing needs, and more.

While launching a magazine is no small feat, the personal and professional growth you can experience makes it worthwhile. Bring your passion to life by sharing your unique voice and viewpoint. Start small and lean on your team to overcome obstacles along the way.

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