Starting a magazine, in theory, sounds easy enough– just have a good idea and an audience who will read your material, and voila you can be a magazine publisher. Additionally, online commercial printing companies make it easy and more affordable to print magazines, so the time and money investment required is far less today than it was 10 or 20 years ago when having to deal with major printing firms or publishing houses. With it being relatively easy and affordable to start a magazine it is no wonder that in 2007, over 350 national magazines were launched in the United States, and when you consider the “specials” or one-time that number grows to nearly 700. While there is low friction in starting a magazine, according to Dr. Samir Husni, a journalism professor at the University of Mississippi, and one of the nation's leading magazine experts, “60% of new magazines fail in the first year, 80% by year four and 90% by year ten.” These statistics are from 2001, so one can’t help but think that with the growth of the Internet over the past 10 years, those numbers might actually be a little higher.
The two primary reasons that most magazines don’t survive past their first year is due to lack of original content, and the logistics of delivery. These both lead to a lack of subscribers and readership. While the percentage of long-term success for magazines is small, there are a few crucial elements to consider, before sending the first edition to press, which will help ensure you are in that small group that experiences success. First, consider your audience. A primary mistake that many individuals or companies make when wanting to launch a magazine is that the topic of the magazine is something that interests them or a very small group of people. If the magazine has difficulty in finding readership, then chances are it will have difficulty in finding sponsors and advertisers, which is the main source of revenue for any magazine. Of course there are exceptions to every rule, so if the topic of your magazine reaches a niche group that is highly sought after by advertisers, then your magazine might have a good chance of survival.
The two primary reasons that most magazines don’t survive past their first year is due to lack of original content, and the logistics of delivery. These both lead to a lack of subscribers and readership. While the percentage of long-term success for magazines is small, there are a few crucial elements to consider, before sending the first edition to press, which will help ensure you are in that small group that experiences success. First, consider your audience. A primary mistake that many individuals or companies make when wanting to launch a magazine is that the topic of the magazine is something that interests them or a very small group of people. If the magazine has difficulty in finding readership, then chances are it will have difficulty in finding sponsors and advertisers, which is the main source of revenue for any magazine. Of course there are exceptions to every rule, so if the topic of your magazine reaches a niche group that is highly sought after by advertisers, then your magazine might have a good chance of survival.
