Want to Make a Magazine?
Want to Make a Magazine?
The Pulitzer Prize has recently announced that from now on, online publications will be accepted into the contest! “The Pulitzer Prize Board has announced that newspapers may submit online content in all of its journalism categories, starting with the 2006 competition.” For more information about this wonderful news, see their website and check out their press release and revised plan of award: http://www.pulitzer.org/index.html
That means something very special to freelance journalists all over the world! Something we write that is published online can now be considered for the Pulitzer Prize! It’s an amazing turn of events for online publications and writers alike. It, in a way, stamps online publications as having the same quality as print publications. It puts online publications into a new, spectacular light, and gives talented journalists a chance to shine in the lime light!
So, you think you want to create an online magazine, huh? Well, it’s simple: you have an idea, put it on paper, buy web hosting and a domain name, and poof! There’s your magazine. Alright, so it’s not simple at all, but those are some steps you need to take in order to fulfill this dream. To begin, ask yourself the following questions:
1. What kind of magazine do I want to run?
2. Do I have the time and money to maintain this task?
3. Can I pay writers to fill my magazine with great stories, even if it’s just a little to start?
4. How will I deliver the publication? Just on the website?
5. Will I have a weekly, biweekly, monthly, etc. newsletter for my readers?
6. How will I market this publication?
7. How will I make money from this endeavor?
8. What type of content do I want to serve? What do I want to serve my readers with?
9. How will my magazine stand out against the rest?
As you can see, there are an enormous amount of questions to be answered. As you were reading along, you probably thought of even more! This is a difficult task, but if you dream it, you are sure to work your heart out to get the information to your readers.
Begin with just writing down your ideas and thoughts about how you want others to see this magazine. Then, start making an outline. What departments will your magazine have? What readers are you catering to? Will you have an editorial, an event’s calendar, advertising space, etc.?
Edit that outline until you are satisfied. Create an “about the magazine” piece, and use that to create a press release to get the word out there!
PR Newswire has some helpful examples of what a press release should look like with their PR Toolkit for small businesses: http://prntoolkit.prnewswire.com/PRNewswire/
You can then search for websites to submit your press release to. The Associated Press is at the top of worldwide news, and should be the place you begin! I wish you success in the new year and more!
Resources:
http://www.pelicanmagazineprinting.com/
http://www.magazinelaunch.com/
http://www.wikihow.com/Self-Publish-a-Magazine
http://www.digital-web.com/articles/smarter_content_publishing/
