The Little Magazine
One of the most depressing sights for any prospective publisher are the magazine racks of Borders on Tottenham Court Road or Buchanan Street. It sometimes seems that there are far more magazines than there could ever be readers, especially as most of those potential readers are just there to browse. In Borders, almost every taste and (non-pornographic) perversion is catered for, the question is: are people perverted enough to read The Mind’s Construction Quarterly?
The best way to learn something is to just go out there and do it. If you want to learn how to design websites, you need to go out there and make one. If you want to learn how to do a magazine, make one. Of course, most people are so discouraged by this first encounter that they never go back. But not me.
Back in the days when the pilot edition itself was a pipe dream, I undertook some research into similar magazines. The two that impressed me most, the two that seemed to be doing similar things in terms of size and quality of printing, were Smoke and The Chap, so it was to the editors of these that I turned.
First up, Matt Haynes, an indie stalwart responsible for the much-loved Sarah and Shinkansen record labels. Matt co-edits Smoke with Jude Rogers.
Why did you decide to start your magazine?
Just because it seemed an interesting and exciting thing to do, and there was nothing else like it. My background is in independent music, and in fanzines that celebrated particular bands or types of music, produced by people trying to communicate their loves and hates to others via photocopied wads of paper sold at gigs. And the idea of celebrating a city in the same way seemed a perfect idea.
What is your greatest achievement since you started?
I think just the fact that it’s being stocked by “proper” bookshops all across London, and that a complete cross-section of people are buying it, of all ages and backgrounds – not just the sort of people who usually haunt arty bookshops or subscribe to literary magazines!
How many copies of your zine do you sell of each issue?
Well, we’ve only done 3 issues, and we’ve had to re-print each time, and increase the print-run next time we’ve printed 5,000 of Issue 3.
Are costs always covered?
I think so though it’s always difficult to decide what counts as costs – just the printing, or all the Travelcards we buy distributing it
Do you recoup more money from subscription or advertising?
We don’t take advertising!
How much do you pay for printing?
Can’t really answer this, as it depends on the print-run – the more you do, the more economic it is per copy. But having to re-print completely tips the balance, as you pay far more for re-printing 1000 than you would for printing an extra 1000 in the first place.
Do you pay your writers?
Not at the moment, though hopefully we will eventually. Though obviously everyone gets free copies of the issue they’re in, and can buy more at cost-price!
Do you feel threatened by the explosion of webzines or is it irrelevant?
No, not really, because one thing we get told repeatedly is how nice it is to have something tangible you can actually hold in your hands, read on the bus etc. Doing it on the web is obviously a very tempting route, which is why so many people take it – and obviously for some types of magazines (reviews, listings, anything that’s time dependent) the web makes much more sense. But I think paper and web zines are different beasts, and each should play to their strengths.
Anything else?
I wish there was another word for what we do, as a lot of shops switch off the moment you utter the “M” word (“magazine” ), and say they’re not interested.
One last thing, inspired by your last answer: do you envisage producing a book related to the magazine, as the Chap magazine people have done. Or any other projects?
No plans at the moment, though it’s something we’ll keep at the back of our minds, as obviously there are a number of shops which don’t stock magazines but which might be interested in a book. But we’d want any book to be something “apart” from the magazine, not just a compilation of articles that had already been printed, as that would devalue the magazine itself, and people would stop buying the magazine if they thought they could just buy a compendium. It’s the difference between a pop single being a great record in its own right, and just being a marketing device to sell the album it appears on!
Next, Gustav Temple from The Chap, whose idle insouciance has meant that Stephen O’Hagan’s open letter still goes unreplied:
Why did you decide to start your magazine?
Because there was nothing on magazine stands aimed at fops, dandies or
gentlemen of leisure.
What is your greatest achievement since you started?
Getting on the front page of the Times and a mention on Newsnight about our “Civilise the City” campaign against vulgarity.
How many copies of your magazine do you sell of each issue?
5,000
Are costs always covered?
Yes
Do you recoup more money from subscription or advertising?
Most from subscription. Almost none from advertising.
How much do you pay for printing?
About a fifth of what we take in sales (but our distributor takes half the newsstand sales)
Do you pay your writers?
Yes, but only in tweed (via a special arrangement with one of our stockists, Old Hat)
Do you feel threatened by the explosion of webzines or is it irrelevant?
Not at all, they are too difficult to read and unreliable/out of date.
Anything else?
Not sure if we are really a magazine. More of a pamphlet for the terminally languid. Or a brochure for the Brogue Male.
So, what have we learnt from the two learned gentleman? First, that print magazines are viable, valid and vital in an age of webzines. Second, that though certain opportunities afforded by print are more limited but are far more intense. Third, and most importantly, that it involves a lot of hard work for little reward.
Neil Scott is the editor of The Mind’s Construction Quarterly, whose first issue is due to be published in February.