I'm the editor for All Possible Worlds (allpossibleworlds.net) magazine, which is a quarterly magazine of science fiction and fantasy stories. It's been a long process getting the magazine together, and I have some great content for the first few issues. However, the only people that are interested at this point are the authors that have submitted material. The first issue has gone to print, so the hardest part - the startup (i.e. sifting through 400+ story submissions and finding the best) - has been taken care of. Now I just need to sell it. So, are there any magazine directories I should submit this publication to? Or any suggestions for getting it in front of people who would be interested? I have no idea whatsoever what a click would be worth, so I'm wary of creating any pay-per-click ads. I suspect that the thing to do will be to attempt some trial-and-error with pay per click to actually establish a value per click. I'm getting great author traffic thanks to fiction market listing sites, but how on earth do I get in touch with consumers? The only plan I have in place so far is to run print ads in other 'zines, which isn't especially expensive, but may also not be especially effective.
Local marketing. Setup a news conference with some local celebrity (they always attract press). Send off some Press releases to those who don't attend and make sure you do your best to get everything the reporter asks for, and quick.
Honestly, I would sift from print to web based issues. Especially for that type of niche. I recently read an article (I cant remember where) that quote a NYtimes editor or something say that he doesnt think there will be a print addition in a few years and it will all be web based.
Drig, That's kind of the plan. At first I had this strange (and possibly misguided, maybe somewhat correct) idea that it would do more for credibility to start with print, but starting a few issues in I'm going hybrid. There's also a sibling magazine (Vortex Temporum - historical fiction/steampunk) that I'm launching in late summer that will be electronic only. Most people (including myself) do still prefer to read that sort of thing in physical print form, but the margins on electronic publications are far better. Jmweb - interesting angle. Not sure I have access to any local celebrities (if there are any), but something to keep in mind at least.
Set up a MySpace profile for the magazine, invite people who share those interests. Find out some Sci-fi forums and ask the admin there if you can post about your mag (Perhaps offer them a free copy in compensation?) Find some influential blogs about sci-fi writing, and offer to send them a free copy to review on their blog You need to start generating a buzz about what you're doing!
If you accept any kind of news, get yourself added to media directories (Burrelles, Bacons, Gales, etc.). If you accept freelance submissions, submit your contact and pay information (if any) to places like WritersMarket.com or any site listing writers' markets (writerswrite.com, absolutewrite.com, writersweekly.com, Deb Ngs freelance writing jobs blog, etc.). Writers very often become readers, especially if they plan to pitch something eventually, so they actually are also a consumer group. Take a look at your competitors' websites, and see who's linking to them. That would be a good way to see if there are niche directories and such, or other good possible sources to hit up for links. Jenn
JUst an aside: the hardest part is not over for you. The hardest part IS getting sales of your product. Plan to spend much more time doing this than it took you to publish the first magazine. Otherwise, you are doomed to failure. Also consider offline marketing like PR (as has been suggested above), direct mail, telemarketing, print advertising, scifi conventions, etc. These venues, other than PR, are usually more expensive than online lead generation activities, but since you are placed squarely in the 'real' world with a hardcopy product, you may be best off focusing on them.
Yeah, I am thinking that ezines will be way of the future, especially with the online audience. But, the print media will be there, for those who are not connected yet.
I suppose you could email bloggers and ask them for a review of your magazine if you send them a free copy, this will get the word around atleast.
you might talk to the owners of some local newsstands around town (meaning the permanent ones, as opposed to outside news vendors with actual stands) and see if any of them would be interested in carrying it. if you come across any who seem interested or generally helpful-type people, ask them about various magazine distributors, specifically which ones distribute the lower-volume publications. this is all assuming that you have any newsstands in your area, the ones near me are dropping like mining canaries. i don't know if all media distributors are the same, but I know some that do cds/records will carry them on a contract basis where you give them a quantity then receive a percentage of however much money they bring in. if you end up getting some good PR lined up, you probably want to have copies in place locally already. one more thought- see if you can donate subscriptions to local (or non-local ones?) libraries, i know that some take them and some have too many, but worth looking into. there are always people in the magazine area looking for something to read. I'm just throwing some ideas out there, don't know if they're any help or not, I read the thread and thought it was an interesting thing to consider. good luck! btw- I looked up "Vortex Temporum" as well as "steampunk" and that's something I'll have to remember to take a look at when it comes out!