<p>Hey, I'm looking to start a Science magazine/journal for my high school. Anybody have any advice that I can follow to ensure it's a success?</p>
<p>More specifically, how did you work the logistics of the publication? How did you put it together? How often did you distribute it?</p>
<p>bump......</p>
<p>bump..........</p>
<p>I like the idea, but if you are not at an extremely large high school or a science-focused magnet school, you might have difficulty getting enough interest in it.</p>
<p>I'm the business manager of my school's newspaper, so I'm in charge of marketing and making sure people actually buy it. lalala. I have a question first: How are you going to pay for the printing expenses, etc.? What I did was have sponsors and donors in the newspaper. People in/around the school community put advertisements in the paper. We made tons of flyers and sent emails--anything and everything to attract as much attention as possible. (It's a monthly newspaper).</p>
<p>punkette_reborn brought up a really good point ... The business end of it must be a major consideration. If you are looking at getting it professionally printed outside of the school you will be facing a significant expense and so it is important to think about ads and fundraising ideas.</p>
<p>I am the managing editor of my school's newspaper. We come out with around 40 tabloid sized pages monthly. In order to do this, we have staff members (out of a total staff of ~70) assigned to ads, others assigned to fundraising, then PR, and finally a business manager who keeps the books. These are all important areas:</p>
<p>Ads - obvious. Contact local businesses, many will reject you but some will not. Have a rate sheet/intro letter for a professional appearance. Go through the phone book and call/visit places.</p>
<p>Fundraising - do not underestimate how much you can make. We did a hot dog sale at a parent night at our elementary school, and that brought in a decent amount of money. A big fundraiser for next year is a program where we collect empty ink/toner cartridges and old cellular phones. That has the potential to yield thousands of dollars a year. PM me if you want more info (that goes for the original poster and anyone else)</p>
<p>PR - make a good impression on people, and you're more likely to get donations or subsidies from your school.</p>
<p>We made about $7000 on our own this year which gives us a small surplus. We also have a significant subsidy from the school... Just keep in mind that it may be easier for you to start off with something that is not professionally printed, but rather copied (through your school?) Once you get more well-known in your school, you'll have the potential to expand.</p>
<p>Oh thanks for the advice! Yeah, actually, I just wanted to make it a school-targeted publication. I know there will be a sufficient demand at my school even if it isn't a magnet school--people are still highly involved in science.</p>