The Association of Magazine Media

FAQ - Starting a Magazine, Vendors, Salaries


Starting a Magazine

How can I find a printer/distributor/circ manager/sub agent/sales rep or other type of vendor?
View a directory of business partners for magazine publishers.

How do I get an ISSN number?
The Library of Congress has a website to assist in getting an ISSN: http://www.loc.gov/issn/.

How do I get a BIPAD number?
http://www.nscopy.com/bipad.htm

How do I get a bar code?
A list of bar code suppliers can be found at http://www.isbn.org/standards/home/isbn/us/barcode.asp

For questions about the number and type of launches in a particular magazine category, please refer to MPA fact sheets in the Finance & Operations section of the site.

 

Careers & Internships In The Magazine Industry

To find a career in the magazine industry, search the MPAs job bank at
http://jobs.magazine.org/search/results/

The American Society of Magazine Editors sponsors an editorial internship program each summer for college juniors who are journalism majors or deeply involved in campus journalism.  For more information click here.

Industry publications Folio Magazine and Ad Age both conduct and publish salary surveys. 
Folio Magazine --  http://www.foliomag.com
Ad Age -- http://www.adage.com/datacenter.cms

For information on how to start your own magazine, we recommend these online resources:

We also recommend 2 books that will get you started on launching your own magazine.

  • One is Launch Your Own Magazine: A Guide For Succeeding in Today's Marketplace by Samir Husni, published in 1998, and available from his web site www.mrmagazine.com.
  • The second book is called The Magazine: Everything You Need to Know to Make It in the Magazine Business, by Leonard Mogel, published in 1998 and available for $39.95 and available from the MPA.