How to Start a Magazine (Hardcover)

by James Kobak (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The one-time owner of Kirkus Reviews, James B. Kobak, imparts magazine-industry wisdom in How to Start a Magazine. Moving from the conceptual to the practical, Kobak approaches his lesson in five parts: trends and statistics about the business; steps in starting a new magazine (mission statements, business plans, pilot issues, testing through single-copy sales, etc.); the major operations involved in publishing a magazine (i.e., editorial, production, marketing, circulation); magazine as brand ("It earns the loyalty, friendship and confidence of its readers as it speaks to them one-on-one about a subject they are very interested in"; "It establishes a market-place between its readers and advertisers"; etc.); and industry facts and information sources. Discussing case studies and stats of publilcations from Martha Stewart Living to the Harvard Business Review in a friendly, down-to-earth style, Kobak renders the jargon, concepts and numbers accessible.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
The magazine business is an entirely unique industry. It might even be said that every magazine is, in fact, its own business—what works for Playboy is very different than what works for Vogue. The key is in knowing how the business works, and then adapting to fit your idea. James Kobak has the know-how to teach you just that, with over fifty years of experience and several successful startups under his belt. He has written this book to help a new generation of magazine publishers avoid reinventing the wheel, and to let them learn from someone else’s missteps and heartaches instead of their own.

The book starts with the basics: why there is a constant need for new magazines, what makes for a successful magazine, and the life cycle that all magazines go through. Then it plots out, step by step, what is involved in starting a magazine: how to test the concept for a new magazine, produce a pilot issue, develop a business plan, assemble a staff, raise money, and more. Next the book helps you develop an organizational plan: who’s in charge of what, how the various departments get their jobs done, and how they interact with each other. Finally, Kobak covers how a magazine’s strong brand can be used to expand into other areas, such as database marketing, book publishing, and the Internet.

Peppered throughout with immutable laws of magazine publishing, real-life examples, helpful charts, and 168 things you must do, the book concludes with appendices on the history of the business, sources of information, major suppliers and consultants, a glossary of terms, and other necessary facts and information about this growing industry.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: M. Evans and Company, Inc. (November 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871319276
• ISBN-13: 978-0871319272
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #98,706 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wealth of information, June 1, 2004

By	Your librarian (St Louis) - See all my reviews

So you want to start a magazine? It won't be easy..it won't be fast--and it definitely won't be cheap!

Author James Kobak took up the unthankful task of trying to write a user-friendly guide to a profession that many magazine publishers study for four years or more at a university or college.

For the most part, Kobak does a pretty good job. He is obviously enthusiastic about the subject. He has been direct witness to the start-up and/or purchase of many magazines. So he knows his subject.

The reader faces one big challenge. Reading this book is like scraping the top off a mountain. Once the reader moves past the initial "you can do it" enthusiasm of the first few chapters, s/he is immediately faced with the immensity of the task that starting a magazine may present. By the time Kobak closes up his last few chapters with the drudgery of statistics, bookkeeping and forecasting, the shackles of optimism will have rolled away from the reader's demeanor and the reality of his/her endeavor will stare him/her boldy in the face.

There is so much information crammed into the 300-some pages of this book that I ran my highlighter dry trying to capture it all. Kobak writes in an unintimidating style for those new to publishing. That said, however, the information is sometimes muddled by sloppy editing and the author's occasional lapses of clarity in his writing.

For its wealth of information alone, this is a must read for anyone who plans on starting a publishing venture without going the college route. Kobak eplains very clearly that starting a magazine is not inexpensive. Perhaps that is why he priced his book so reasonably. So that we readers could learn that fact first.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First half great. Second half wanting., February 5, 2003

By	Travis C. Ward "C. William Anderson" (Silverton, OR United States) - See all my reviews

Unlike the more down-to-earth Starting And Running A Successful Newsletter or Magazine, this book is targeted for the up-scale magazine publisher wannabe. Still, it is a worthy addition to anyone serious about publishing for profit.

I have researched high and low for statistical data regarding circulation promotion. This book is the only one that provided quality information that can be used to guage one's prospects after test marketing. This information will prove intensely valuable when I get game and small livestock farming in the test marketing stage.

He also provided great advice regarding establishing the scope to insure you provide what your readers want, with the operative word WANT instead of need. To a degree, of course, he slips into consultant mode, but this wasn't too distractive.

It was only as he got into the later chapters that I felt like he was too intent on getting readers to hire consultants than in providing content for the reader.

James does a great job in explaining the life cycle of periodicals and why so many die after having outlived their usefullness.

I encourage all who consider publishing to buy this book when they buy Cheryl Woodard's.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for Experienced Publishers Too...., December 13, 2003

By	Gary Rubin (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews

How to Start a Magazine is a must read for anyone thinking about starting a magazine, and anyone currently in the business. While the book targets the wanna-be publisher, it is also one of the best books I have read for experienced magazine professionals too. Kobak masterfully describes all of the key competencies of magazine publishing in a straight forward no nonsense manner. Unlike many texts on this subject, this book is full of practical real-life examples of what to do, and what watch out for. The author also does an excellent job of exploring how to expand the business of established magazines into international markets, book publishing, list rentals and custom publishing. This book is well worth your time and money.