Break into Print with a Newsletter

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Want to be a writer? Tired of rejection slips? Why not start a publication of your own? ~

Two years ago I decided to combine a cherished hobby—the study of genealogy—with my urge to write for a living. The result? A ten-page monthly newsletter that has given me both an outlet for my interests and a monthly profit of almost $200. The money isn't much (yet!), but the excitement and satisfaction I've experienced have been tremendous from the start. And I'm convinced that just about anyone with a special interest (regardless of what that hobby may be) and some writing talent can create a profitable newsletter. Here's how I did it.

SELECTING THE SUBJECT

Probably the most important step in launching a newsletter is to focus on a subject that will appeal to a sufficiently large, but as yet untapped, audience. For me, that choice was easy. Genealogy is a passion in my life, as it is for many other people, and I felt there was a significant potential market to explore. The most successful publication in the field, The Genealogical Helper, has a circulation of over 40,000; I figured that even 1% of that figure would be plenty for me to handle.

I also knew, however, that dozens of fledgling newsletters on all sorts of popular subjects fail each year in the face of stiff competition from larger, long-established publications. So my genealogical newsletter needed to be not only interesting, but also unique. With this in mind, I narrowed my scope to cover genealogy only in the seven-state Appalachian area (which is my main interest). I already knew that there was little data exchange available for researchers in this part of the country, and figured that my creation would fit nicely between small, one-county newsletters and large national publications.

I chose a descriptive name, Appalachian Roots, and checked an index of periodicals at the public library to make sure the title wasn't already in use. I decided to feature some how—to articles, a where-to-buy section listing reference books, and a sizable reader exchange section where subscribers could swap information on their family research.

LEGALITIES

Once I'd decided on the subjects my newsletter would cover, I checked out the legal requirements for operating a business in my area, and obtained the necessary license, tax forms, and such. (Since regulations vary from town to town and state to state, you should check with the appropriate officials in your own region.) To keep my records straight, I purchased a preprinted basic bookkeeping system (mine, published by Dome, cost $7.95), and I also opened a business checking account to make sure I'd have an accurate record of receipts and expenses.

FIGURING COSTS

Of course, before I could set a price for my newsletter, I had to come up with a realistic estimate of costs; this meant determining how often I'd publish, what class of mail I'd use, and how much the printing charges would be.

After thinking it over, I decided to publish my newsletter once a month-frequently enough to provide my readers with up-todate information, but not too often for me to manage alone. Since I felt timeliness was important, I chose first—class postage; second-class and bulk rates are cheaper but often very slow. For one first-class stamp, I could mail ten pages (five sheets of regular 8-1/2" X 11" twenty-pound bond paper printed on both sides), folded once and then stapled; so I decided this was as large as the newsletter would grow.

I called several local companies for offset printing prices and found that they vary a lot for the same quality work: The quotes I received ranged from $18.50 to $40.00 for 250 copies of one sheet printed on both sides. To save money, I decided to assemble, staple, and fold the issue myself.

After adding all my estimated costs and allowing for miscellaneous expenses, I set a price of $1.00 an issue, and promised myself I'd review my costs and cash flow after a few months.

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