Rotorcraft Magazine...coming to a newsstand near you!

[Will Crisp]

Did I get your heart racing?!

I realize this might take a monumental effort...but...What would it take to get Rotorcraft Magazine on our local newsstand? Would it be worth the effort? Might it legitimize gyroplanes in the public's mind?

Just picture it, you walk into your local newsstand/bookstore, and there it is on the shelf, right next to Kitplanes magazine!

What are your thoughts?!

[barnstorm2]

Will,

I would LOVE to see such a thing.

However, wishing won't make it so, only a distributor will. Then once we get a distributor to agree to put Rotorcraft on the stands then we have to raise money for printing and shipping. Then IF we sell enough copies to pay for the printing and for the distributor to make as much money as they want we can do it all again next issue.

In my experience a magazine will usually distribute at a loss for a few years before it can become self-sustaining.

This funding can be provided by investor(s), advertisers or a benefactor.

I worked for a self-funded publication in college. We had to sell many large ads every month and our distribution was only in a small region. I assume you are talking about a national distribution.

Off the cuff I would say we would need to sell about 20 pages worth of full page ads each issue to get it off of the ground. At trip to the local news stand could get us up to date. Just count the ads, size and call the ad sales dept for the magazine for a price sheet.

If we can't get a full time staff of volenteers it might cost more to hire employees.

Some magazines are able to appeal to a small market like we do but have rich readers (like yacht magazines). They get to charge more and have less ads. We could also switch to a lower quality print but then I expect we would loose appeal that we need.

[pwendell]

Also, if the magazine were to be sold on newstands, it would have to be held to MUCH higher production standards...

[barnstorm2]

Also, if the magazine were to be sold on newstands, it would have to be held to MUCH higher production standards...

Hey, Peter! Your not talking about MY articles are you?!? ;)

[Will Crisp]

I assume you are talking about a national distribution.
Yes! International would work, too! I see plenty of magazines on the newsstand from other countries.
Off the cuff I would say we would need to sell about 20 pages worth of full page ads each issue to get it off of the ground.
OK, now we have a target to shoot at!

[Will Crisp]

I am guessing a business decision like this would take the PRA out of the non-profit category?

[barnstorm2]

I am guessing a business decision like this would take the PRA out of the non-profit category?

No, so long as the money generated is not used in a way that breaks any non-profit laws. It is essentially a 'fund-raiser'.

Likely it would be have to be carefully setup with legal council

[pwendell]

Hey, Peter! Your not talking about MY articles are you?!? ;)

Tim,

It's not the content, mostly, that is a little unprofessional (Your's, of course, are by far the BEST articles, Tim http://img117.exs.cx/img117/9585/q9crolleyes.gif) . It's all of the typos, akward layout, poor quality graphics, etc. It's adequate for a small group of enhtusiasts, although I would like to be able to read an issue without cringing at the errors (and I'm NOTpicky. My S.O. wouldn't be able to read it at all.), but it would look terrible on the newstand.

I'm not trying to criticize the PRA staff. I know it is shoe-string operation and that there is no professional editor or layout person.

[Dean_Dolph]

There was something in on the editorial page of the ASC magazine seveal months ago that made me think that they were going to sell the mag on the newstand. I asked Ralph Taggart about it since he is the ASC RotorWing director but he hasn't posted a response. If in fact they are going to do that then gyro articles should be sent in to ASC for publication. They should anyhow but having them on newstands would be even more of an incentive.

[Ralph]

Dean,

I haven't heard of any plans to go the newstand route. There was a nice article in the last isue about ROC.

Ralph

[barnstorm2]

Does anyone know of any AOPA or EAA magazines can be purchased on the newstand? Is Kitplanes the only Experimental aircraft mag on the stands?