word on the street 45 K is for know your strengths I meet a lot of people who set up magazines, and they’re usually passionate about their subjects. They could be photographers, editors, great at writing or styling. Then as soon as you ask how many pallets they’ve got, where’s the warehouse, it sends shivers up their spine. The DTF is there to explain it all. L is for love At the DTF we are not paid for helping publishers – we do it because we care about it and want to help. We all love our industry. It’s about giving something back, so people who are starting up magazines are able to talk to someone with 20-odd years of experience. M is for mix Physical print publishing is now part of the mix of what publishers do, and I think more advertisers are looking for that mix. Your social media following is one element. You’ll print something, which is another. You’ll produce something online. You want them to sign up to the app, sign up to the magazine, to come to one of your events, to spread the love. The secret is trying to integrate all of those elements. N is for negotiation Most people use big national distributors like Seymour or Marketforce. Do you want to be national? Or do you just want to be in certain cities? It’s about dictating to them what you need. They also have the logistics and the contracts with all the other members of DistriPress, so can negotiate that with those local distributors on your behalf. O is for on the same page Work with your distributor, keep them informed and let them take the strain. P is for pace Take it slow. Build it up. For a lot of independent publishers these days, you’ll probably end up selling more copies internationally than you will in your own country. It’s easier to find 5,000 people who are into your speciality all over the world than just in your own country. Q is for questions Most publishers I speak to have no idea where to start. So the aim of the DTF is to ‘hold their hands’ in getting a plan together. The questions we ask first are: what is it you want from distribution? What are you trying to achieve? Then we drill down from there. R is for realism Say you want to be on sale in America. There are millions of people and millions of shops… so where do you want to be and why? I might suggest starting off with a couple of shops in New York, a couple in LA and a couple in Miami. You’re not spending a lot of money, and if you do 10 shops in America, you can say to your advertisers “We’re in America.” It’s about being realistic. S is for strategy Any distributor can say, you want global distribution? Give me a million copies and a million quid and off we go. But you will not get a return on your investment. You can’t be everywhere, so again be specific. Work out how you can get the most visibility for the lowest number of copies used and lest amount of money spent. T is for training At DTF we also sponsor people to do courses, on say global distribution, or new laws that came in with Brexit. U is for understanding Understand your markets. Some content may not be acceptable; you may need to be sensitive to local customs, religions and beliefs. Your distributor will know all of this and can advise you accordingly. V is for visibility Where do you need to be seen to exert the most brand awareness and be in the most logical place for your target audience to find you? W is for waste Be prepared – some of your magazines will end up not being sold, and the cost to retrieve these magazines is too prohibitive. The aim is to reduce the levels of waste in order to maximise profit, so with your distributor it’s just as important to see where you didn’t sell as it is to see where you did. X marks the target The best distribution is highly targeted and to the point. Don’t waste copies trying to sell where you are unlikely to hit. Y is for yell! You are the best advert for your title. Shout about it all the time. Online, in print, word of mouth. Whatever your chosen medium is, keep pushing the message. Sales are driven by demand, and the best driver comes from the magazine publishers themselves. Z is for zen Be zen about distribution. You don’t need to be an expert on all aspects. Your distributor will communicate to their counterparts all over the world through the DistriPress Network and will act on your behalf. Be the serene swan on the lake, let the distributor be the madly kicking feet below the water.
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