Small Newspaper
Publishing: Formulas and Alternatives
Looking
for a quick, easy formula to use in starting and operating a
newspaper or other publication? There isn't one. But
don't panic. The absence of a simplified formula that's
"guaranteed to always work" does not mean that you should give up
on the idea.
Learning to walk, figuring out how to talk, riding
a bicycle, operating a computer, learning to swim, and a huge
number of other things you've probably already mastered in your
life also do not involve simple or guaranteed formulas. (I
know, there are wealthy people out there who are getting richer
everyday selling formulas for a number of these and other things.)
In this world, God gives us the opportunity to
pursue the things we greatly desire to accomplish. Most
children learn to speak with very little outside help. Some
of the others will master excellent speech with a little
professional assistance or simple loving attention. Riding a
bicycle is all about desire and the willingness to try again until
you get it right. (I'm pretty sure that some time in the
next few months, I'll have it figured out.)
Walking, operating computers, swimming, painting,
writing — you name it, it can be done and eventually done well, if
you are determined to do it. Formulas or the absence thereof
do not mean all that much. Not really. They may give
us the confidence to try in the first place, but when things get
crazy, they often fall far short of real help.
For example, here's how to publish a newspaper in
8 easy steps:
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Publishing a
Periodical – Simplified
1. Use your camera.
Go out and get pictures of all the things, activities, and people you
find interesting.
2. Use your notepad
or mini recorder (for best results, use both). Get names,
information and stories to go with your pictures. Make sure
all facts are good. And please check your spelling.
3. While you're out
running around, stop in and talk about your new publication with
other business owners. Tell them all about what you plan
to do. Invite them to advertise in the new publication — and
collect payments for the ads.
4.
Use your computer. Write captions, paragraphs and short
articles to go with every photo. Build the ads in CorelDraw
or InDesign. You may also wish to convert some photo
images to illustrations (Hint: you can trace the photo in a vector
drawing program, like CorelDraw or Adobe Illustrator.)
5.
Create pages for your publication in a "page-layout" or publishing
program, such as Adobe InDesign, PageMaker, or Microsoft
Publisher. You can even use CorelDraw to do this, if you
have to.
6.
When the pages are all set, according to the sizes and color
specifications your local newspaper/magazine printer gives you,
then save them to a PDF file for high quality printing.
Take the
file (or send it via email) to your web press operator (more
on this here) and have them produce your
publication.
7. Distribute
and/or mail out your new publication.
8. Repeat the
process for each issue.
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See? It's easy. Now anyone can do it.
What the Easy Formulas Can't Tell You
There is nothing false or misleading in the steps
outlined above. They are written from my own memory of how I
went about running my first newspaper. But they leave out a
few of the daily details.
For example, they don't tell you how to deal with a
big city lawyer on the phone who wants to tell the publisher of a small
town newspaper what to do. I was called from my morning
shower one day to talk to one such lawyer. I got on the
phone — dripping
wet, naked, and unhappy. When the lawyer started into her spiel, complaining that her
client felt he wasn't getting fair coverage in our little newspaper,
my mood was not improved.
To make a long story short, I told the counselor
point-blank that unless I was being sued, I had no interest in
talking any further with her, and that if her client had something
to say, he should talk to me himself since he was a neighbor. I
made it clear that I didn't accept stories second-hand from paid out-of-town representatives who were not residents of the area
or personally involved in local issues. No one dictates to
the press what it will cover.
Later on, when the neighbor in question came over to
talk to me, I told him the same thing, adding that he was wasting
his money paying lawyers to call the paper, when all he had to do
was talk to us directly. So he sat down and told me his story and I
published it in the very next issue. After all, my readers
were wanting to know what he
had to say.
Facing Challenges and the Fog of the
Unknown
Every business and every endeavor will have its challenges and obstacles to
overcome. As a newspaper publisher you simply need to know
the kind of publication you want to own and operate. Set
your goals (some of which should be outlined in a business plan),
and stay your course. You are building a business for
yourself and for the community or area you serve. You are
also building a business that someday will be passed along to
someone else.
Simplified steps and formulas may prove helpful in
cutting through some of the the fog of the unknown. They may
give you the boldness you may need to at least get started on the
road to having your own publication.
Driving at midnight in a thick fog may be improved
some by the use of headlights. But any experienced driver
knows that headlights (or even fog lights) can only do so much.
Adding more light won't automatically make seeing any easier.
In fact, bright lights — and even sunlight — in fog can blind the
driver completely to the road ahead.
What You Really Need to Know
What you really need to know is that you can do it.
When faced with the difficulties of any real challenge, we may
begin to think, "This is too hard for me. I'm not cut out to
do this kind of stuff. I simply can't do it."
No doubt, there are infants that feel this way when
they see other children, not much older than themselves, walking
and running all over the house and yard and park or beach.
Terrified of falling, wobbly on their legs, unable to keep their
balance or even to take a single step, think how they must
feel!
But the desire simply will not go away. And
it repeatedly grows stronger than any memories of falling, pulling
and pushing at infants' hearts, urging them to try again.
Again they fall. But anger and frustration are melding into
determination. Somehow, by golly, I'm going to get up on my
feet and run like a deer! And failure after failure begins
to strengthen that resolve, rather than add to the defeat.
Eventually, the infants are encouraged by tiny successes.
And then they are finally able to stand on their own. Before
anyone realizes what has happened the children are taking their
first steps. And soon they are running all over the house
and yard and park or beach with everyone else.
Believe me, starting and operating a newspaper,
magazine, or travel guide is not nearly so difficult as learning
to stand and walk and run. While no simple formula may help
that much, the road to success is not so difficult to travel.
Alternative Publishing Opportunities
I mention alternatives to a newspaper in several
places on this site. I'd like to list a few of them here.
Travel Guide -
A yearly, monthly or quarterly guide to the special attractions
and dining, etc. in your area. This can be a nice source of
extra income if you are not ready to begin a newspaper, magazine
etc. Of course, a travel guide can also be great way to
supplement your newspaper publishing business.
Real Estate Guide
- Realtors need to get their message, their names and their faces
out there. You can help. I suggest that you supplement
the guide with interesting historical or geographic tidbits to
attract a larger readership.
Shopper - This
can be a community, city, or regional paper filled with ads and
more ads and notices and listings of auctions, estate sales, autos
for sale, etc. You've no doubt seen them around, and most
areas have more than one covering some of the same things.
Topical Magazine
- You can start a magazine about anything. it could be newsy,
almost like a newspaper in covering local events and issues.
It could be specialized, highlighting locals arts and crafts,
local commerce, local restaurants and shopping malls, or whatever.
It could focus on women in business or families and church
activities, senior citizens, health and fitness, youth culture, or
other special interest groups in your area.
Community News
- This is actually a newspaper or magazine that simply centers on
one small part of town. It may focus on the news and events
of downtown, of the inner city, or of a west side, east side,
north side, or suburban area. Even though a large daily may
already cover the same area, you can make your mark by giving
special attention to the local concerns and interests of your
readers. Done well, your little publication can become
indispensable.
Entertainment Guide
- A publication dedicated to "what to do" in town will get plenty
of attention if it covers the topic well. Don't just home in
on your ideas of entertainment. Get information on local
theatre, dining, special shows, museum activities, seminars and
conferences, sports, outdoor and indoor events, annual events,
special openings and exhibits, and even business and commercial
anniversaries that are open to the public. Cover local and
visiting celebrities, what's on TV, what's at the movies, what
local churches are doing (events open to the public or community),
and special goings-on at the local library. Be thorough, be
fair and be fun.
Next:
12 Ways to Get a Newspaper Going Strong |
