Author: Patty

Designing a Magazine: A Publisher’s Perspective

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MagCloud publisher Hacker Monthly recently wrote a great blog post about how they go about designing a magazine. They shared their experience as “non designers” and how they mastered using Adobe InDesign.

Here’s an excerpt of the post:

The questions I’ve got the most since I started Hacker Monthly are “How do you design the magazine?”, “What tools do you use?” and “What books/tutorials do you recommend?”. This post answers all of the questions (and possibly more).

As you might already know, I’m not a designer. My only design experience is drafting up the simplest looking website or user interface in Adobe Fireworks (I never really gotten my way around Photoshop). When I was starting up Hacker Monthly, I wanted to outsource the design since I have zero experience in print. This turns out pretty costly, so I decided to do it myself. Now, it’s the part of the job that I love the most.

To start, learn to use Adobe InDesign. The first version of Hacker Monthly was designed using Pages. It looked okay, but it just doesn’t have that magazine feel. So countless hours of tutorials and books later, I ended up using InDesign. It’s the best tool you can use. To save you the trouble, the only tutorial you need to see is Nigel French’s Designing a Magazine Layout Hands-on Workshop on Lynda.com. Nigel French is exceptionally good at guiding through the total newbie (umm…me) on both magazine design principles and using InDesign professionally.

To read the full post please visit the Hacker Monthly blog.

Publishers in Their Own Words: Dull Roar

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Dull Roar
by Alexandra Tinsley

Dull Roar is my little design company, providing primarily accessory patterns for handknitters. The patterns are sold mainly online, in pdf form, but many people prefer the convenience of a printed hard copy that can be carried around and marked up as you go.

It’s difficult to provide quality printed copies to people all over the world without incurring huge upfront and shipping costs on my end, but MagCloud makes it possible for me to do just that. I can now offer hard copies of both individual patterns and my multi-pattern collection right alongside the pdf versions on my blog, and let MagCloud handle the details.

The finished patterns look gorgeous and professional, and I know other designers are getting excited about the possibilities too. Knitting patterns may not be exactly what MagCloud was created for, but that doesn’t stop it from working wonderfully.

Publishers in Their Own Words: Stranded

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Stranded
by Andrew Losowsky, Editor/Publisher of Stranded

Like many thousands of others, I was stranded earlier this year due to the week-long closure of European airspace. A few days in, I was bored while trying not to spend any money in Dublin – a city I hadn’t intended to visit. It occurred to me that there must be many other people – writers, photographers, illustrators – in the same situation; I put out a call on my blog for contributors to a nonexistent publication, not knowing what response I would get. Within a day, more than 30 people had emailed me. I spent the rest of my unintended holiday in internet cafes, sending out commissions. Over the last five months, Matt McArthur – a Scottish art director whom I’ve never met, and who was stranded in New York during that week – and I have spent our spare time compiling the remarkable work we received.

Stranded magazine is the result, a unique souvenir of a time when the skies were clear for a few unexpected days. We’re rather proud of it, and we hope you like it too. Oh and $5 (that is, all proceeds) from every purchase go to The International Rescue Committee. Some people are stranded in a more permanent way, and we shouldn’t forget their plight.

Publishers in Their Own Words: America Nu (video edition)

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Media Mogul, entrepreneur and now magazine publisher, Damon Dash has released America Nu magazine on MagCloud. America Nu is a chronology of the past year of Damon Dash’s new media enterprise, from conception to birth, America Nu represents the struggle to break conformity and redefine a universal lifestyle.

Featured in the premier issue is Erin Fetherston, the new Creative Director for Juicy Couture who will be showcasing her designs at this week’s NY Fashion Week.

Hear Damon describe the process of creating AmericaNu magazine and publishing it on MagCloud.

Promote, Share and Better Target Your Magazines

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We’ve made some changes to magcloud.com to make it easier to promote and get the word out about your magazine.

You can add a little personality to your magazine profile page by uploading a custom banner image.  Simply click on Publish, then select the title of the magazine you want to add an image to and you’ll see a new “Add a Custom Banner Image” link at the top right of the magazine page.  You can upload a JPG, GIF or PNG image (790×90 pixels) to your magazine profile.  Magazine banners are a great way to give your publication more personality and reinforce your brand. Note: if you had previously linked to a banner image on a website you’ll need to upload a new image for your magazine.

We’ve also made it easier to share magazine issues with friends, colleagues and clients. Each issue page now has a series of share links so you can promote your magazine issue on Facebook, Twitter, send an email (when signed in) or post a link on your blog or favorite social media site.

Finally, a number of publishers have asked us to help them better target their magazines with expanded category options.  So we recently added a number of new categories to choose from when creating your magazine–Brides & Weddings, Comics & Graphic Novels, Computers, Education, Electronics , Gay & Lesbian, History, Movies, Music, Outdoors & Nature, Parenting & Families, Regional, Sci-fi & Fantasy, and Seniors.

We hope you enjoy these new features and as always we would love to receive your feedback.

Publishers In Their Own Words: The Thistle & Clover Diaries

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The Thistle & Clover Diaries
By Rand Niederhoffer & Camilla Gale

Thistle & Clover, our Brooklyn based fashion boutique, features the work of young, up and coming jewelry, clothing and accessories designers that are not easily found elsewhere. Because the store’s focus is on designers who are still (at least for now) relatively unheard of, we make a concerted effort to editorialize our designers wherever possible.

To that end, we implement a quarterly Open Call program that is used to highlight a handful of local design talent each season; we plan a monthly Tailored Event Night, where different designers are invited to the store for cocktail parties (meet and greets); and we utilize a wide variety of social media to interact with our customer base both in Brooklyn and abroad.

MagCloud provided an affordable, easy-to-use means for us to further create a narrative around our clothing collections. The Diaries act as an informational showcase for the fresh new talent that the boutique promotes. Every season 10-15 new designers are highlighted within the quarterly. Each designer receives a full-page spread that includes a headshot, a brief interview, and a photo layout on the facing page, displaying collection looks on sale at T & C.

We really believe that every single collection that debuts is its own entrepreneurial success story. And the Diaries have helped us relay those tales. It’s been a very special experience for us. We’ll be launching our 3rd Thistle & Clover Diaries on September 10th 2010 to a packed house full of the stores designers, friends and family.

Journalists Test the Limits of Publishing With HP MagCloud

Patty

A great article appeared on HP’s corporate blog this week about how MagCloud publishers, like Longshot Magazine, are pushing the limits of publishing with collaboration.

An excerpt from the blog post:

With the publishing industry in a state of uncertainty, one trend is offering a glimmer of hope: collaborative publishing.

This past weekend, a group of editors (from publications like Wired and The Atlantic) challenged themselves once again to create a magazine in just two days, first by issuing a 24-hour call for content – essays, reporting, pictures, graphics, etc. – around a specific theme and then giving themselves 24 hours to collaborate, compile, and deliver the final product.  The theme (“Comeback”) was issued publicly Friday and the group met their deadline yesterday, resulting in Issue One of Longshot Magazine.

To read the entire article go to HP’s Corporate Blog.

Also check out other MagCloud publishers who are also pioneering this new wave of collaborative publishing: JPG Magazine, theviewfromhere, Onè Respe and Strange Light.

Publishers In Their Own Words: Bowery Lane Bikes

Patty

Bowery Lane Bikes
By Michael Salvatore, CEO

Bowery Lane Bikes, based in Manhattan, produces hand-crafted, American steel, vintage-inspired bicycles at a family owned factory in Queens, New York. While we do have a small showroom, we sell most of our bikes via our website or word of mouth. So I’m always looking for new ways to reach potential consumers. This means tapping into online communities and setting up at bicycling events; in short, it means connecting with people in any way I can.

I use MagCloud to put together a tasteful, professional catalog. I enlisted friends who work in photography and design, and the finished product looks like it was made by a company 10 times our size. I hand these to everyone I can – it sure beats giving out business cards with a web address on them, and yet it still drives people to our website. I also leave them with anyone who displays or sells our bikes for us — whether that’s a bike store, a hotel or a clothing store.

When running a small business, you’ve got to be creative. Our catalog has helped us get traction with clothing stores, boutique hotels, and press.

New Ways To Promote Your Magazines

Patty

Looking for ways to showcase your magazine on your blog, website or favorite social network?  Try out the new custom MagCloud Widgets! Select the size and colors you prefer for your magazine widget then simply copy and paste the code into any site that accepts HTML.

Want to attract more followers?  Try out our nifty new MagCloud badges to encourage more people to follow your magazine and show your MagCloud pride.

Interested in other ways to promote your magazines to the world at large? Then check out our new Promote Page.  Send an email or share a link with friends, co-workers, family and other like minded individuals letting them know about your latest magazine issue.

What are you waiting for?  Your magazine rocks so let the world in on it!

Publisher Profiles

Patty

A great way for publishers to share more information with their readers is via their MagCloud Profile Page.

Every MagClouder has a profile page and for publishers that’s a great place to promote your magazines and tell readers more about yourself, your publications and even which MagCloud magazines you are personally following. Each MagCloud profile also has a unique url “yourusername.magcloud.com” so you can easily share your profile with the world.

You can customize your profile from within your account settings.  Here you can upload a personal photo (separate from your magazine image), promote a link to your personal or business website and write a short bio. You can also click on your “public profile link” to see a preview of how your profile will appear to your readers.

Readers can access your public profile anytime they click your name when viewing your magazine or issue pages. It’s a great way for readers to learn more about their favorite magazine publishers and message you directly using the “contact link” on your profile page.

So let your magazine fans know more about you and update your profile today.