Thinking of starting a doll magazine

[DollyKim]

One of my longer goals has always been to start a doll magazine of my own, a big magazine like Dolly Dolly and Dolly Bird. I plan to use an on demand printer so the issues will always be available. It won't be limited to just ball joints but all kinds of dolls and arts and crafts that are doll related or fun for dolls like sewing, knitting, crochet, making miniatures, and making dolls. Not all in the same issue of course.

What I would like to know is what are people who are no longer just beginning interested in? Instead of "my first ___" more of "my next ____" and general enjoyment of the hobby.

[ghostdollie]

This is such a wonderful idea. I love the Japanese Dolly magazines! I've been in the hobby for ten years, and what i'd love to see is a big fold out chart of body comparisons! Plus all kinds of head/body hybrid compatibility info, extreme modification tips, doll-making tutorials, and clothing patterns. All the hands-on type stuff. Having a high quality hard copy of all that info with photos would be a treasure!!!

[Siead]

sounds like a neat idea.
people that have been in the hobby for a while might want info on things like... company reviews, small name vendors (like people on etsy). maybe parts of the customizing side, like how to make your own wigs or eyes. reports from conventions you went to, if you do that side of things.. etc.

if i may make one suggestion, you could also offer an online equivalent, either as a PDF or E-PUB file. a lot of people are switching to digital format now, and it would let you hit a broader market to use both mediums. (plus it knocks out a ton of "printing cost" if people do a digital subscription.)

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

if i may make one suggestion, you could also offer an online equivalent, either as a PDF or E-PUB file. a lot of people are switching to digital format now, and it would let you hit a broader market to use both mediums. (plus it knocks out a ton of "printing cost" if people do a digital subscription.)

Seconding this. I doubt I'm in the majority, but if it's not available digitally, I'm almost always not interested.

As for what I'd want... things that inspire and spark my imagination. It could be how-tos (how to make furniture out of foam board, accessories (food etc) out polymer clay, doll photography...), patterns, quirky photo shoots (I really like Tiny Feet in that respect, and there's another that often has quite humorous captions to the photos - I just can't remember which one!), even imaginatively done doll fashion shoots, dioramas... interviews can be interesting - with creators and collectors alike. A "how I do..." series could be interesting - a look into the mind of a creator (be it of dolls, clothes, doll art, etc, etc and so on) and how they get from spark to finished item. All that and a sense of humour, too

[AnnetheCatDetective]

PATTERNS! Oh, joy unbounded could I find more fun, cute patterns in english like the ones all the Japanese doll magazines have. I'm still a bit instruction-reliant at this stage in my sewing journey...

[DollyKim]

I'd love to go digital but that alludes me at the moment, the easiest explanation is I'm Mac and the publisher likes Windows format. Outside of Etsy I don't know of places where I could set up a pdf shop and some of that might depend on figuring out how to make secure harder to copy pdfs but I know it's impossible to stop copying. I'm still new to e-formats. Full sized patterns and charts for needlework work great on paper, you don't have to worry about power running out if it takes you a week to make something.

I don't see things like Etsy shops and vendors being in them because my goals are to have issues that you could buy at any time and find the information inside generally useful for any kind of doll, but there will be articles on specific brands and models. With an on demand printer I don't need ad space or any of that mess, the price covers the printing costs and the author's cut. There can be regular features and themes such as the pattern drafting issue, the knit and crochet issue, the polymer clay issue.

[Indigo]

I think this is a wonderful idea!
Something that I have always enjoyed is reading articles about private collectors. Also articles about upcycling thrift shop finds are fun!

[MitisFeles]

Yay! That's a great idea! I'd really love to have the magazine in a digital format, but I understand all the copying issues -_-
Anyway, I'd really like to see tutorials and patterns for various size, company rewievs, all kind of comparisons to help hybridizing. Ideas to upciclyng thrift stores finding and dollar stores items like Indigo has suggested can be a great inspiration! I think in some case even articles about the story of a single company can be really interesting.

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

With regard to copying, would it be worth putting something on the bottom of each page, along with page number, magazine name etc something along the lines of "print version only". It obviously won't stop people who don't care about copying, but it would make it easier to flag up if pattern pages or the whole mag started appearing for sale digitally on, say, Etsy.

And I third the upcycling thrift store finds idea

[Dollyhair]

I did it. Doll Customizer Magazine. I was the publisher and editor-in-chief. It was hard work, but it was SO rewarding! My ex husband was the advertising director, and he was so incompetent that he never even attempted to get advertisers, so basically, my cost to print the magazines was about $2000.00 every two months, but we were getting subscribers, so that allowed us to break even on the cost. It was never profitable, but it was never a financial loss. It would probably have been profitable if the "advertising director" had gotten off his lasy a**. Sorry if I sound bitter... it's probably because I am, LOL!

Anyway, like I said, it was really enjoyable. I did everything from scratch, and I even taught myself Adobe InDesign. I put out some amazing tutorials, not only from myself, but also from fellow artists. I still sell back issues of the magazine at Dollyhair.com.

Looking back on things, I wish I'd written a book, rather than having published a magazine. A book would have been more of a "one-and-done" kind of venture, and I wouldn't have had to worry about ongoing content.

But the best of luck to you with your magazine!! I hope it does really well! If you're going to feature content from various artists, please feel free to contact me - I'd love to contribute!

Tina