A question from Carter Kaplins class

[Anonymous]

I am just wondering why that a print magazine is even a consideration? I personally think that an online magazine would be easier to advertise and get out there to people. Not mention this route would be cheaper.

[Anonymous]

re:

That's how I would produce a magazine. How things are these days with everything based upon computers that's the route I would take. Plus it would be a lot cheaper.

[Anonymous]

Magazine Production

There seem to be a few avenues that can be persued when it comes to production of this magazine. An online magazine would be a great way to go in the beginning to reduce costs. Self publishing does not seem to be a viable option due to costs. There are many sites where you can submit your pribnt request to different vendors and they will give you price quotes with your specs. Another option to explore would be Cafe Press. I think the most viable option in the long run would be to join a magazine group. Publishing it as a graphic novel could be another option. Please let me know your thoughts and opinions.

[Whiskers]

I'm not trying to speak for everyone here, but here are my thoughts.

An online publication, such as this one, requires an on-going (basically daily effort by contributors and a nearly daily effort by the admin) effort. That time has a monetary value, though I couldn't put a price on it. I consider this site to be a polyglot of content and as such must be fairly expensive in terms of creating content. As you know, we use free software here and have spent about $300 a year for domain nam and ISP server. But what happens when the admin or host pulls the plug here? Except where people have printed extracts for fair use purposes, and the backups I have circulated, this publication is transient and will more quickly vaporize into obscurity.

PX might be an exercise in obscurity, but it will not be transient. Many important differences between the two exercises are:

MWM (this could apply to the future online version of PX)

* content can be edited post-publication
* content is available without price or subscription
* publication can be crawled and searched by Google & friends
* pages can be printed on demand

PX

* ISBN
* tangible (valuable for oh so many reasons)
* unwired audience
* generate income for contributors or publication

What do they have in common? They both are technically challenging artistic endeavours.

I am just wondering why that a print magazine is even a consideration? I personally think that an online magazine would be easier to advertise and get out there to people. Not mention this route would be cheaper.

Prove that it would be cheaper. When you advertise, you expect a % of response. Can you identify which method we should use that would ensure X% of a response? I have friends that pay Google and get about a 2% response from an $80 ad that only turns about 1% over to their publication. I expect to sell all 5 copies at Elliot Bay Book Co. within a week, based on conversation with the indi mag manager. But let's agree that an online presence at Google or through an online book vendor will make up a percentage of our sales. I ask you this: why is Star Wars on cereal boxes and T-Shirts?

That's how I would produce a magazine. How things are these days with everything based upon computers that's the route I would take. Plus it would be a lot cheaper.

Please provide evidence.

There seem to be a few avenues that can be persued when it comes to production of this magazine. An online magazine would be a great way to go in the beginning to reduce costs. Self publishing does not seem to be a viable option due to costs. There are many sites where you can submit your pribnt request to different vendors and they will give you price quotes with your specs. Another option to explore would be Cafe Press. I think the most viable option in the long run would be to join a magazine group. Publishing it as a graphic novel could be another option. Please let me know your thoughts and opinions.

Could you please provide links to the magazine groups you'd reccommend? Regarding reducing costs. What is the basis of you thinking? Did you include the cost of advertising in your assessment?

My question to the class is, why can't we do both? Go online and sell a paper publication. Don't we reach even more audience in that way? Are you suggesting we adopt spamming people to reach millions of potential readers? How much does a directed email campaign cost? (hint: thousands).

Just some thoughts.

[PsychicWarVeteran]

To my mind, nothing compares to having an actual book, magazine, etc. Some of us just like certain aspects of life to remain old-school. It will be a sad day when nothing is ever committed to paper anymore.

By the way, profits and costs are not always the most important things.

[xidrep]

It's considerably more difficult to peruse an online magazine on the bog.

I like paper books...the crisp pages, the creaking binding, the rustling flickering of erudition...

There are many excellent online mags and superb fora like this one.

But there will be only one Prototype X!

[xidrep]

To be honest, I'd rather PX meant a lot to a few folk, rather than have it become a mass-market publication. It is likely to appeal to only a limited cross-section. In a way, that's the whole point. If it should appeal to a larger audience, that's fine - but I won't change the formula to achieve that.

I was only printing twelve copies three months ago!

Aaand - I'd really like to avoid any elements of 'web publishing' with this project: Maybe 'tasters' and discussion online, but not an actual online version. I don't really dig online versions of 'print' - the sites are often just annoying, even the academic ones. So often you just get an 'abstract' of the full paper, if you see what I mean. Why navigate when you can turn the page?

Anyway, that's the way I think it should be...I'm sure we could reach lots of people with an online...but then, the Sun sells more than New Scientist, don't it?

[xidrep]

I also stress the point that PX is 'fiercely independent'! I don't want to join, compromise, tailor-to-market, or otherwise piddle about with the original concept (a publication of experimental and multigeneric fiction and wide-ranging 'intellectual' fact). If that means we produce two editions of fifty copies every year - then that's what we'll produce! I'll outsource printing if needed, but that is it! This is essentially an academic exercise - if we wanted a business venture, we'd publish another 'Nuts'. If it breaks even, fine. If it makes a profit, great. If it's a loss leader - we'll produce when we can afford to!

[Marc]

Right on, Perdix, I agree with you wholeheartedly!

By the way, just how many copies are you planning on printing? I'd certainly like to order one and I intend to talk to a few of the indie book sellers here in Vancouver and show it to 'em to see if they're interested. If they are--well, we can talk about that then, but maybe you should be considering some sort of 'print-on-demand' option, whether you do it yourself or outsource it. Also, if indie book stores are interested in displaying a few copies, what will your cover price be? Don't under-estimate the attraction a magazine like this will have, especially it it contains a story by Mike.

Who knows where this thing could go?? :lol:

Anyway, just a couple of ideas--you've probably already thought about all this stuff yourself.

[DeeCrowSeer]

For what it's worth, those of us with very crappy computers and limited internet access appreciate being able to just turn a page to see complex graphics, rather than sit waiting for it to appear on screen, hoping the browser won't crash before anything comes through. Call me mean, but I wouldn't contribute to something I couldn't actually access.

Aside from the practical considerations, there are also less tangible, perhaps even "sentimental" considerations to be aware of. As a contributor, if I wanted to see my work on a web page, all I'd have to do is upload it to my site and pat myself on the back. It's not really very satisfying, especially when you compare it to the possibility of your work appearing in print alongside that of professionals. Elsewhere in the Q&A there was a discussion about e-books. Perhaps it's just snobbery on my part, but I still prefer to hold an artefact in my hands than to simply stare at pixels on a screen.

No doubt there are more profitable ways to proceed, but that's not necessarily what Art is about... I love money as much as the next man with a DVD-habit to support, but that can't always be your primary motivation (IMHO).

[xidrep]

Wise. Wise and eloquent, Marc and Dee. Wisely eloquent.
How's your PC scenario, Dee?

[L'Etranger]

Has to be a book. Printed. Not virtual web bound stuff. Who knows how long there'll still be internet, but a book is always a fine thing in your collection. And these P X's will be a top collectors item one day, I'm telling you. Has to be a privilege to own an edition. And you ought to tell that to those sellers in Vancouver and elsewhere how lucky anyone can can deem himself to possess such a thing. Don't offer them more than, hmmm, 18 copies for all of British Colombia!

[Marc]

Just so long as I get one of 'em! :lol:

[DeeCrowSeer]

What someone needs to do is figure out a way to make it play "My Heart Will Go On" when you open the cover, then we can sell it in the back of the Sunday papers as a "future collectable". Or maybe we could change the cover to depict two puppies wrestling playfully near a row of smiling babies of all nationalities? :)

How's your PC scenario, Dee?

Well, as the title of my other thread implied, it's "AFU". I've noticed that the internet cafe in town claims to offer "scanning" facilities, but it was shut when I went past, so I don't know any more than that. If you need more artwork I can go in and see what they're up to... I just have to try not to be seduced by the high-speed net access and spend all of my time watching Northern State's Girl For All Seasons video. :D Sigh...

[xidrep]

Actually, I have a 'big' two-page' comic project I'd quite like...the spoofy thing I mentioned some time ago. I'm working on the 'script' now.