09-12-2013, 05:29 AM
I've spent a lot of time, the last day or so, thinking about how to approach the launching of a new PBM magazine. Since it costs no more to wish big than it does to wish small, I have decided to shoot for a monthly rate of publication.
I am well aware that both Flagship and Paper Mayhem magazines utilized a multi-month approach, either bi-monthly or quarterly as their publication goals. However, since I stand at the very beginning of the entire process, and since I want to stir the dust that has settled on the postal genre of gaming, I am going to go out on a limb and try to take a bold approach to the launch of this new PBM magazine.
How do I intend to meet this goal, month after month after month? By publishing the magazine without regard for each issue having either the same number of pages, or for each issue having a minimum number of pages.
The idea - and the thinking here - is to establish the publication from the get-go as something that its readership can associate with regularity. I want to build expectation. If they know that it's coming out, then I think that they will be more likely to gravitate towards it.
I will publish it in PDF format. Anyone that wants to make copies of it, whether in electronic format or in paper format, and share it with others will be free to do so. This, I think, is the best way to maximize exposure of the publication to the masses. In the process, I will lower the entry barrier for anyone anyone may have at least a passing interest in the subject matter discussed in this magazine. The grand object, of course, will be to grow the PBM player base by growing the magazine's readership, going forward.
Under no circumstances, whatsoever, will this undertaking become a money sinkhole. I simply won't allow it. If necessary, I will publish issues in pure text form, incorporating images and artwork as opportunity allows. Content will be king, and by and large, text will wear the crown.
With regard to publishing the magazine each month, I am less inclined to pick a specific date publish each new issue (such as the 1st or the 15th), and I am more inclined to designate specific dates on a month-by-month basis, simply because this approach will allow me to publish issues in honor of various individuals or occasions. I think that this approach will yield a publication that I, myself, will consider to be more special, and consequently, because I will consider each issue to be more special than would otherwise be the case using another publication date method, I think that it will bode well for longevity of the magazine, as time passes.
As I browse through back issues of Paper Mayhem magazine, one thing that really annoys me, all these years later, is the very small font used back then in many of the issues that I have a copy of. Accordingly, I will likely use either a 12 point or a 14 point font, when publishing most of the text contained in each issue. Granted, by publishing the magazine in PDF format, readers will be able to use the zoom feature, if needed. But, if I avoid using really small fonts to begin with, then perhaps it won't be necessary to zoom, at all.
I have decided to set a time frame of one year for the publishing of Volume 1 of the magazine. After the 12th issue has been published, I will consider anew things that I am considering now, such as frequency of publication amongst others. If the first year goes well, then maybe we can continue - or even improve upon things. If not, then we'll cross the bridge of reconsideration at that time, and if necessary, perhaps scale our ambitions back a bit.
I do need to decide on a name for the new magazine. It's really proving to be a difficult decision. Even if you don't end up liking whatever name that I choose for it, I hope that you will bear with me, and judge each issue on its own respective merits and demerits.
As we proceed forward, if you think that a given issue sucks, then by all means, step forward with gusto and lambast us for all that you are worth. If you want to praise a given issue, then that's fine, too - although the things that we get right likely won't be where any problems lie. That's why criticism plays such an important role - such an absolutely critical role - in helping to ensure a longer lifespan for the magazine.
I appreciate Ixnay's perspective that this site, PlayByMail.Net, is the reigning PBM Magazine. However, I can't upload a copy of this website or attach it to an e-mail, in order to share it with someone else. Sure, I can post a link for them to click on, but I'm wanting something with a little more meat on its bones than just a link.
I am still debating with myself whether the first issue of this new PBM magazine will launch in October or November. The first issue will likely take a little longer, since I am going to have to set up some templates to facilitate publishing each future issue in a timely and reliable manner. I'll have to choose fonts and determine page layout preferences. Once the first issue is published, though, I will have until the last day of the following month to then get the next issue out.
Right now, I have absolutely zero material ready for the first issue. So, as you can see, I clearly have my work cut out for me.
Let's see how it goes!
I am well aware that both Flagship and Paper Mayhem magazines utilized a multi-month approach, either bi-monthly or quarterly as their publication goals. However, since I stand at the very beginning of the entire process, and since I want to stir the dust that has settled on the postal genre of gaming, I am going to go out on a limb and try to take a bold approach to the launch of this new PBM magazine.
How do I intend to meet this goal, month after month after month? By publishing the magazine without regard for each issue having either the same number of pages, or for each issue having a minimum number of pages.
The idea - and the thinking here - is to establish the publication from the get-go as something that its readership can associate with regularity. I want to build expectation. If they know that it's coming out, then I think that they will be more likely to gravitate towards it.
I will publish it in PDF format. Anyone that wants to make copies of it, whether in electronic format or in paper format, and share it with others will be free to do so. This, I think, is the best way to maximize exposure of the publication to the masses. In the process, I will lower the entry barrier for anyone anyone may have at least a passing interest in the subject matter discussed in this magazine. The grand object, of course, will be to grow the PBM player base by growing the magazine's readership, going forward.
Under no circumstances, whatsoever, will this undertaking become a money sinkhole. I simply won't allow it. If necessary, I will publish issues in pure text form, incorporating images and artwork as opportunity allows. Content will be king, and by and large, text will wear the crown.
With regard to publishing the magazine each month, I am less inclined to pick a specific date publish each new issue (such as the 1st or the 15th), and I am more inclined to designate specific dates on a month-by-month basis, simply because this approach will allow me to publish issues in honor of various individuals or occasions. I think that this approach will yield a publication that I, myself, will consider to be more special, and consequently, because I will consider each issue to be more special than would otherwise be the case using another publication date method, I think that it will bode well for longevity of the magazine, as time passes.
As I browse through back issues of Paper Mayhem magazine, one thing that really annoys me, all these years later, is the very small font used back then in many of the issues that I have a copy of. Accordingly, I will likely use either a 12 point or a 14 point font, when publishing most of the text contained in each issue. Granted, by publishing the magazine in PDF format, readers will be able to use the zoom feature, if needed. But, if I avoid using really small fonts to begin with, then perhaps it won't be necessary to zoom, at all.
I have decided to set a time frame of one year for the publishing of Volume 1 of the magazine. After the 12th issue has been published, I will consider anew things that I am considering now, such as frequency of publication amongst others. If the first year goes well, then maybe we can continue - or even improve upon things. If not, then we'll cross the bridge of reconsideration at that time, and if necessary, perhaps scale our ambitions back a bit.
I do need to decide on a name for the new magazine. It's really proving to be a difficult decision. Even if you don't end up liking whatever name that I choose for it, I hope that you will bear with me, and judge each issue on its own respective merits and demerits.
As we proceed forward, if you think that a given issue sucks, then by all means, step forward with gusto and lambast us for all that you are worth. If you want to praise a given issue, then that's fine, too - although the things that we get right likely won't be where any problems lie. That's why criticism plays such an important role - such an absolutely critical role - in helping to ensure a longer lifespan for the magazine.
I appreciate Ixnay's perspective that this site, PlayByMail.Net, is the reigning PBM Magazine. However, I can't upload a copy of this website or attach it to an e-mail, in order to share it with someone else. Sure, I can post a link for them to click on, but I'm wanting something with a little more meat on its bones than just a link.
I am still debating with myself whether the first issue of this new PBM magazine will launch in October or November. The first issue will likely take a little longer, since I am going to have to set up some templates to facilitate publishing each future issue in a timely and reliable manner. I'll have to choose fonts and determine page layout preferences. Once the first issue is published, though, I will have until the last day of the following month to then get the next issue out.
Right now, I have absolutely zero material ready for the first issue. So, as you can see, I clearly have my work cut out for me.
Let's see how it goes!