If you want to start a home based publishing business, you probably want to look into Publish Your Own Magazine, Guidebook, or Weekly Newspaper by Thomas Williams. Chapter One is a quick introduction to publishing and doesn’t have much information, but Chapter Two more than makes up for the slightly skimpy start. This chapter discusses what you will need to do to successfully start any publishing business. I especially liked Williams’ section on promotional materials. He covers much more than just a basic press release. Chapters Three and Four continue the basics of general home-based publishing with discussions on managing money and identifying your market.

If you want to publish a small magazine, you should concentrate on Chapter Five of the book. I enjoyed this chapter because Williams is realistic. He notes that few of these magazines actually survive for several years. He discusses the “seven magazine publishing facts of life” in this chapter, which are commonsense statements, but still are mistakes many small magazine publishers make. For example, Williams says that a city magazine can’t support a large staff. This chapter also covers the types of magazines available, how often you should publish, circulation, and the actual development and writing of a magazine. This chapter is so crammed with valuable information, that it alone is worth the price of the book if you plan to start a magazine. I wish I had this book before I created my small mag ten years ago.

Chapters Six to Ten cover other small publishing businesses, such as weekly newspapers, real estate guides, and tourism guides. If you are interested in publishing these types of magazines and guides, you will want to read these chapters, but don’t neglect Chapter Five.

In Chapters Eleven to Fourteen, Williams goes into finding niche markets, publication design, and designing and selling ads. If you have no idea what you are doing, these chapters will save you quite a lot of wasted time and money. I’ve taken college courses on magazine publishing and I still found these chapters to be quite useful. There are nuggets such as an ad rate work sheet and a sidebar on making advertisers happy that are very beneficial.

Chapters Fifteen through Seventeen discuss more publishing projects, such as specialty books and membership directories. These are add ons to the publishing business you would establish.

The rest of the book deals with hiring staff and printing and selling your publication. These chapters are filled with valuable tips that will help you make your publication profitable. For example, Williams says staying on schedule will keep your printing costs down. Your reputation for being on time will lead to your printer giving you better rates.

Finally, the book ends with four additional items. Appendix One, A Simple Sales Manual That Works, helps you create a sales manual for employees. Appendix Two, A Library of Forms, has useful templates for forms such as freelance agreements and article manifests. Appendix Three is a list of sources. Finally, Appendix Four is a glossary of publishing terms.

Even though this book starts a bit slowly, it ends up being quite a useful and informative book. It should find a home on your bookshelf if you want to publish a magazine or newspaper. I give Publish Your Own Magazine, Guidebook, or Weekly Newspaper four and 1/2 out of five stars.

About the book:
Title: Publish Your Own Magazine, Guidebook, or Weekly Newspaper
Author: Thomas A. Williams
Publisher: Sentinent Publications
ISBN: 1-59181-003-5
Price:$24.95
Pages: 322



Publish Your Own Magazine, Guidebook, or Weekly Newspaper: How to Start, Manage, and Profit from a Home-Based Publishing Company (Culture Tools)