Magazine Creation

Labno

Hello,
I am after some advice on what would be the best software(s) to create a magazine, i also want to know from anyone who has experience, what is the process of magazine creation like? What are the difficult parts and main outline costs....and any other advice you can offer.I am just simply looking into it with a view of creating a magazine in the future.
Thanks!
Labno

stonesledge

Here are some software solutions
QuarkXPress
Adobe In design
scribus
Adobe Pagemaker
 

Wirehead321

Here`s a question what`s your magazine about. After you can have the best publishing software that means nothing if you have no buyers for your magazine.So what it all about?

Labno

Thanks for the replies...My magazine would be about local real estate and be distributed free of cost.The estate agents locally would pay to have their advert and properties as well as property services companies and related doing the same.It would also feature your general property talk and so on.It would be focused on my area in the u.k because currently there is not a magazine of its kind and the only competition is the local newspaper which features a real estate section.There is definately a demand, now im just exploring the ins and outs of publishing so any more advice is appreciated.

stonesledge

Printing is where the cost comes in to play. I have a graphic designer i use and she gives me such a ridiculous price per layout page...i tell her she should charge more...but the printing is where the exspense comes in. The shipping alone if not using a local printer could be shocking. Make sure you ahve lots of paid advertisers, sub scribers if subscription based. If it is a free local mag than you must market it as well, maybe on local news stations, radio to make sure advertisers get results and keep paying you.

OhhBoy

Adobe Illustrator is my personal favorite.  I found it to be much more novice friendly than Quark

iouone2

I have a long history of being a graphic designer before running my own online store. The debate will rage on for which software to use, but really the standards in quality design are produced by Adobe. PageMaker is no longer supported due to InDesign, and Quark used to be King (not an Adobe product) but has come under fire for InDesign. So the choice is really up to your abilities and understanding of the software. Software is useless if you don`t know how to effectively use it. High end software like Adobe products and Quark take months if not years to learn. Especially with the power tools such as XML and CSS, and in Adobe situations - one click, link file editing, capabilities.All in all, you are looking for software that allows you to re-arrange pages, layouts, and even continues copy on other pages... and let`s not forget automatic page and table of content functions. But like I said, the battle of what`s better started back around 1990 (that`s when everyone said Macintosh was a dying system) and has never quit.Your biggest concern isn`t what software, it`s what printer and what content. Printer costs range widely and they will occasionally dictate the application (InDesign or Quark or what ever) that they want you to provide artwork. The larger printers can do any application, but sometimes they`re turn around time and cost may not please you.I suggest making a mock design in black and white, and cut and past images and such together. Then take the final mock version to your printer and use it as a model for accurate pricing. Page count, color/b&w, cover style (UV coated/color/b&w), binding style... these are all questions you will need to answer before you start designing.Designing the final production is really the last thing... Hope this helps.

Wirehead321

Sounds like a great idea, will you also have a website to go long with this magazine it would help with getting advertisers who would pay for both ways of advertising. By the way what part of the UK are you in. I travel there a lot and believe or not want to live there in the next five years.

Labno

Yes we will definately have a website, like every business should have! I`am from the Wirral in the u.k a few minutes from Liverpool city centre...i like it alot, if your an entrepreneur or a wantrapreneur the u.k is the place to be! It is full of such opportunity and somewhat behind the U.S.A in terms of enterprise.We in the u.k still hav`nt got over the fear of failure and used to leveraging our imaginations,lol! it all makes good opportunities however for the people who want to make a job instead of take a job...i hope to soon join those ranks!
Labno