Staging for issue #2 will begin in earnest by April 1st. I am setting up a submission page which I will add to the website soon.  I simply must further travel a road of dealing only with photographers as I had an instance very late in the game (like the files were uploaded late in the game) where a submitted image, apparently, was not the sole property of the party who submitted it.  I've got it worked out, but... I don't have time for that.  I want to use people I can send models to.  That has been and will continue to be an underlying thread here, that by contributing to, and taking part in issues of Retro Lovely, you enhance your image, attract more clients, and better paying clients on top of that.  I'd like our schedules to become so busy that clients wishing to be in an issue would pay a premium for your time.

 

Email worked, but FTP uploading worked HUGELY better.

From an organizational standpoint and from a reliability one.  For issue #2 if you are submitting images I am asking that we do it via FTP uploads.  For Windows users it's a piece of cake, on par with moving files from one folder to another.  And likely for Mac users too, I just don't know the process but will chat with one of my Mac Guru Pals on that shortly. When you're ready, let me know and I will set up a username and password for you and you can begin firing file up you'd like considered.

 

That had been a big question last time around.  There's a few of you who have been listening to my thoughts for a lot longer than others. As a recap, way back when, I had this idea that if a bunch of people got together, and each took on some parts of putting a magazine out, it could happen a lot easier than a few people trying to do it.  My notion was to build a publishing "timeshare".  Each party contributing Content (your photos), Premium Content (name talent) Advertising (you talking about it on the social networking sites) Finance (you driving people to the store to pre-order, buying copies yourself, and some, you know who you are, coughing up cash to help out / take part in the Pinup Syndicate) Sales / Distribution (those of you who will be promoting and selling copies at events and elsewhere).  Each party could gain Enhanced Image by being published in the issue. Profit Sharing by earning money per copy they help pre-sell or more space in an issue. Service Offering, by the option to know they could secure more space at a price, to include in their studio packages. Increased Business / More Profitability by leveraging the association with the title to new prospects eager to be in an issue. Sales Profit, for those who can sell copies, be it at events or possibly networking local businesses who could sell copies, the ability to get copies at wholesale and or consignment provides another avenue of direct benefit from the magazine and what is really nice here is that people will be paying you for a powerful marketing calling card of you.  I've never had a situation where I could hand someone my business card and say "That will be 50 cents please".  Commissions on Ad Sales, with Issue #1 in hand, the ability to secure new advertisers will be a lot more easy.  I'll be honest, I am surprised and astonished we got as many paying advertisers in Issue #1 as we did, consider this magazine is still vaporware until those first copies materialize. This has been an idea.  What we've done with presales and ad sales on an idea in this economy is nothing short of remarkable.  A lot of us can't wait to have a copy, just to have it... I can't wait to have a copy to be able to do what I know I can do with the momentum, and the proof of execution. SO, I know I have a backlog of businesses to contact but do indeed think about places you may know, around you, who'd be ideal to carry and advertise in the next issue, again by securing them you will gain your business being seen by exactly the sort of client who'd want to hire you.  You also earn 20% of the ad revenues that account generates, not just the first ad, ALL ADS they place.  The Laxative Factor, I didn't quite know how else to describe this next benefit...  so The Laxative Factor...  another benefit I envision by being in an issue and being a contributing photographer is that this is going to make it soooo easy for me to approach people with my crazy notions for shoots.  Like near where I grew up is this fantastic amusement park...  with few exceptions it's like a place that had a cut off date of 1965... all throughout there are buildings and rides for the 30's and 40's and 50's and 60's.....  I want to do a shoot there with a few models so bad I can taste it.  Prior to Retro Lovely... I just know what a bit of work it would be to contact them and set up such a thing.  I am convinced I will be taken much much more seriously if I am able to present them an issue and ask if I might have some of their time to discuss a shoot, that might make it to an issue.  I'm about to rant further on this but I'll show some restraint.  I am actually going to wrap up this part of the note and simply say that I am going to move that we all begin using this message board I set up ages ago where I can capture such rants.....  it's here:

 

But to wrap up this part, to get back to space....

Originally I put a "cost per page" at about $150 for those who wanted to take part in an issue.  What I am going to do is remove that from the mix.  I've seen enough proof that this will work that I will simply consider parties for inclusion in the Pinup Syndicate. If you're in the Syndicate I will start you off with a page per issue. If you are bringing "Name" talent and exceptional work, it's possible I will offer additional pages for your work.  I will also set up a formal guideline as to earning pages by your promotional efforts, originally I put a reward of additional pages per 15 copies someone helped pre-sell, I will be taking this down to 12 copies.  (Speaking of pre-sales I am going to work up some reports later today and put them on that very message board I linked to above.)

 

For those doing shows and events etc...  I will consign you copies and you'd have the option to remit a wholesale amount to me for those you sell, or another amount where you will still put some cash in your pockets that very day, but also "earn" more space in a subsequent issue.

 

For studios who will package inclusion of images in an issue for their clients the per page cost will be no more than $100  (I say no more as I'd like to reduce all of this once I see how well we sell after we have the thing....)

 

Do know the figures and amounts I am indicating do 2 things, first if I can recover the few thousand dollars I put up on this... and get the mag self sufficient it will do wonders at keeping my girlfriend from giving me the eye as I spend a lot of time working on this... and secondly I want to build up a "war chest", beyond just breaking even I'd like to gain some resources with each issue that we can work towards reducing production costs and take advantage of some other things that would help the project along.

 

But, the bottom line is, this will shift to being performance based.  If you are able to find benefit in this project and you can make it work for you, then it will work for you, my commitment is to build in resources that in varying degrees this should be possible for anyone capable of creating work worth publishing.