Passion and a great idea are the typical ingredients of making an indie magazine – but how do you turn that into commercial success? This was the central question indie publishers and editors desmystified in a fascinating conversation hosted by the BSME at the Bankside Hotel in London.

Alex Mead, editor in chief of Rugby Journal, chaired an expert panel of Josh Jones, indie editor and author of Just Make Your Magazine - a field guide to publishing your own indie title, Collette Lloyd, head of subscriptions and publisher at Warner Group Publications, Geoff Love, publisher of Magneto and Octane and Felicia Pennant, founding editor-in-chief, SEASON zine.

The panel spoke frankly about the realities of making an independent magazine financially viable. Covering everything from audience-building, distribution models and subscriptions to the eventual exit plan, they shared plenty of practical tips they wish they’d known starting out.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Have a plan from the get-go. “ It’s easy to say, ‘I’m just putting it out there to see how it goes’. Without a plan, it probably won’t go very far,” says Geoff Love. Clearly define your motivations upfront, whether the goal is to enjoy the lifestyle of running an indie or to sell to a major publisher.
“Find your audience and go direct to them,” says Josh Jones, focus on your niche and don’t “try to please everyone”. Geoff Love adds, “Build an audience that advertisers want to talk to. It’s not just any audience, it’s an audience that you can generate cash from.”
Create an editorial ecosystem. “People want something in print, digitally, on socials and real life events to capture them in different ways,” says Felicia Pennant, discussing how print-led SEASON zine still shows up on multiple platforms to best build and engage its audience.
“Create once, publish everywhere,” says Collette Lloyd. It’s possible to make money from content you’ve already made: “You have so much content, there’s absolutely nothing stopping you from pulling it all together, repackaging it in either a digital or a print product that you put out”.
Don’t underestimate the role of a salesperson. “You need a commercial guy,” says Geoff Love, “someone who is going to sell advertising, go out there and negotiate, or you won’t survive.” Alex Mead adds, “Often it’s an editor and designer who come up with an idea, and they forget to invite the sales guy to the meeting. Down the line, the one regret we all have is we wish we started with a salesperson.”
Be strategic with subscriptions. “As much as possible, try to get people onto recurring payments,” advises Colette Lloyd. “It’s so easy for people to pay you for a year's subscription and then drop out, but these people have purchased your magazine at one point. Speak to them, send them a survey and a copy with a special offer.”
Your passion is still your superpower. “Before the business plan, before the flatplan, before everything, is having the passion. So keep thinking of those ideas,” says Alex Mead, reminding us that as well as the practicalities, it’s “the individuals” and their drive that keeps indie mags alive.