Exercise 22: Develop a publishing plan

Target Market and Publications

There are many local weekly and monthly publications such as:

• County magazines such as Devon Life, Dorset Life, Marshwood Vale magazine
• Weekly newspapers such as Bridport News group, View From newsgroup
• Online magazines such as:
• Regional online magazines:
  • West Country Magazine ; https://twitter.com/westcountry_mag
  • Dorset Magazine, http://www.dorsetmagazine.co.uk/home
  • Devon Life, http://www.devonlife.co.uk/home
  • Somerset Life, http://www.somerset-life.co.uk/magazines

Understanding the potential clients’ needs

Potential clients will need to see a wide range of images in .JPG format which are clear and concise.  Images need to tell a story and lead the reader through easily and clearly.

Preparing the material in an appropriate way

The usual format for submitting images to a magazine or newspaper is in JPG format.  These can easily be read and inserted into page layouts whatever the publication.  It’s important to make sure you don’t send images saved in other types of format such as TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) or PSD (Photoshop) as this can make some images unreadable.  Also, when you supply images in either in TIFF or PSD the layers are still visible and the whole image could be changed without notice.

Images should be captioned, if required by the publisher, using the principle – who, what, when, why formulation.  The publisher might well need a short 250 word synopsis to accompany the images if the article has been sent on spec in the hopes of getting it published.

If covering an event has not been commissioned then it needs to be supplied as soon after the event as possible, even if the magazine is a monthly publication.  Editors need to know what space is available as soon as is feasibly possible so they can plan for anything else that might come up.

A weekly newspaper will need a suitable number of captioned pictures and synopsis of the story as soon after the event as is feasible as last week’s news is no news unless it’s a follow up on the previous week.

Exercise 21: A written plan

Basic organisation thoughts would be:

·      Can it be covered in one day or would I need more time?

·      Is it feasible to travel there in one day or would I need to book overnight accommodation?

·      How would I travel there and back; car, train or fly?

·      What equipment would I need?

·      Did I have all the equipment I needed or would I need to hire in extra?

·      How will I transport all my equipment to the venue?

·      The weather !

Other considerations:

·      What publications would I aim the article at?

·      Would I need to put together a portfolio of pictures quickly, with written submission or could I take my time over it?

·      Should I approach editors before setting up or wait until event pictures and write up completed?  Think it would be worth approaching editors beforehand to gauge interest in finished article

Research

If I want to get a wide-ranging portfolio of images I need to research two things:

·      The actual event

·      The venue where it would be held

Research the event:

·      Has the event been held before or is it the first time

·      Where will it take place: all in one area, like a presentation, or spread round the venue like a fete

·      Who are the main people to follow; will there be one person, i.e., a mayor or carnival princess, or several/many people to feature

·      Who is the main contact

·      How can I communicate with the named contact for further information

·      Where can I get a timetable of events

·      Is there a website for information

·      What cameras/lenses will I need to cope

·      How many memory cards will I need

·      Do I have to take a laptop for a Wi-Fi link to local/national newspaper picture desks or can I do editing later when back at base

Research the venue

·      How large is the site, will the event be held in one place or several different sites at different times

·      Where can I store my gear - close by or do I have to park further away and carry it

·      How many people are expected at the event

·      Will it be possible to move easily around the different picture areas or will it be difficult to get in close; will there be help available to get to the source of events?

·      What is the main focus – a main stage or separate set-ups?