Doesn’t every niche publisher want to expand content revenue and audience reach? The perfect match is your niche audience and a nice portfolio of custom publishing products. So where do you start? We asked Michael Zivyak, President & Publisher of Sonoma Magazine at Sonoma Media Investments, to share some of his insights about custom publishing.
If a publisher is thinking of starting a custom program, what’s the single most important thing to focus on?
“When putting together a custom publishing program, there are a significant amount of factors to consider. It is imperative that you create a contract that clearly outlines what each party’s responsibilities and deliverables are.”
Tell us more about partnering for distribution. What are the benefits?
“We were able to produce a print product re-using previous content that was inserted into our local newspaper at a reasonable CPM. We sold ads into that book and generated additional revenue/profit using an entirely new distribution channel. It got our brand out there to a new audience and we were able to drive a nice profit.”
What are some ways you were able to grow revenue with custom products?
“We’ve taken on several local organizations, including a concert venue, a film festival, and our visitor’s bureau, and convinced them that we were the experts in what we do so they should let us produce their publications for them. It’s a great margin business and we’re able to leverage all of our local advertising contacts.”
Editors note: Learn more from Michael and other publishing experts about generating more revenue at the 2018 Super Niche event, March 5th-7th. Michael will be leading the session, Ancillaries, Special Editions & Custom Publishing Revenue Extravaganza!
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More about Michael: Michael Zivyak has been President & Publisher of Sonoma Magazine since 2014 when he successfully re-launched the publication with an all-new look, broader editorial focus and distribution, and several ancillary publications, including the eNewsletters, Cork+Fork and Retail Therapy, Sonoma Weddings, plus a custom publishing division. Widely recognized for his work in the publishing industry, Michael previously was named as one of the “21 Most Intriguing People in Media” by MIN Magazine and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the City & Regional Magazine Association.
