The process of magazine publishing involves a diverse variety of the production and dissemination of literature and information.
Magazine publication in all of its many forms, is geared primarily on making information available to the public, regardless of how it is being presented, whether in print or electronic media.
Magazine publishing traces it roots back to the ancient days when paper was first invented and was discovered to be a good form of communication media.
From the simple ink and paper process to the trendiest and most colorful pages of today, magazine publishing has indeed taken a new turn for the better.
Commonly, the publishing process includes the stages of the development, acquisition, copyediting, graphic design, production – printing and its electronic equivalents, marketing and distribution.
However, magazine publishing is not just limited to concept and printing, but it also involves a tedious process before it even reaches the newsstands.
Editorial, commercial, informational and entertainment content are among the most commonly used content for many and most magazine publications, that involves a multi-faceted skill set that not lonely involves warm bodies, but costs money as well.
For the publication business, cost is relative- the better the talent, the pricier it gets. This is also reflective in the commercial aspect of distribution and marketing- the better the quality, the more it costs money to pay for the product.
Another factor for consideration is that book and magazine publishers spend a great deal of time and money buying and commissioning copy, which for many publishers would add more weight, quality and repute to their products.
For a small publishing company or press, it is possible to rely mainly on commissioned material, but as activity and business increases, the need for more works like subscribing to syndicated materials or outsourced printing manuscripts may overwhelm the publisher's commissioned circle of writers.
First is the need for solicited material, which forms part of the actual concept and framework of a magazine publication.
Next and among the most common practice in acquiring material is that writers often submit a proposal, for which the majority of unsolicited submissions come from previously unpublished authors.
These unsolicited manuscripts through what is called a slush pile , where editors which sift through the material to identify manuscripts of sufficient quality or revenue potential. Established and reputable writers are oftentimes represented by a literary agent, who markets their work to publishers and negotiate contracts for their writing materials.
Upon acceptance and endorsement for publication, commissioning editors negotiate the purchase of intellectual property rights and agree on royalty rates for book publications, and copyright license or permission for magazine publications, depending on the material for publication.
This is followed by the editorial process, that takes place once the immediate commercial decisions are taken and the technical legal issues resolved, book authors may be asked to improve the quality of the work through rewriting or smaller changes, after which the editorial staff will edit the work, the process which could also apply to syndicated materials either with a single article or a series.
Magazine publishers usually adopt a house style, oftentimes a format which makes it unique for a specific publishing company, be it a writing style or a lay-out design and the editorial staff will copy edit to ensure that the work matches the style and grammatical requirements of each market.
Material editing may also involve structural changes and requests for more information.
The last in the process of magazine publishing is marketing and distribution, that releases the product to the main market, thus, giving us our adored and subscribed magazine publishing.