Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
poketo question:
I agree with the grow as you go mentality... I feel most diy'ers feel this way, its the artists in us. Although, it's important to feel like you are heading somewhere, but, that somewhere is unknowable, and all of this travelling is a learning experience, as life is. That not knowing is a scary and good at once. There is so much to know, learn from different people because...
Part 11 at the publishing series. NWA Express yourself. Getting tired of this yet? What’s the point of making a magazine? For a mag like GR, it’s to get what you want out there. We started as a zine, and I’d like to think that we retain some of that rawness at least in spirit or concept. Some mags start by being decent. They’re putting in what they want, and how they want it, but soon, it seems like a popularity contest. Questions like, “What content needs to be in there to get more ads?” is all about the money. You’re now in a mode to make the magazine to appease advertisers and not yourself. Ultimately, your readers will know you’re full of shit. The new readers you get who aren’t smart enough to know the difference, are great since they spend their money on you, but that wasn’t your audience to begin with. At this point, you’re in the magazine business to sell it one day soon. A comments like, “Oh they’re good? Let’s write about it” is another kiss of death. The comment is something that happens when you don’t care about what you’re writing about, and you’re more concerned with being popular and being part of a trend, rather than publishing what you want to write about. One of the reasons why GR started was because there wasn’t anything out there which fit my interests. Writing gigs weren’t coming my way, so a magazine had to be created. Luckily, an audience developed over time, and we’re still able to do what we want. Some Asian American magazines came and went, and their problem was that they didn’t say anything, and they tried to express words for everyone. If you’re trying to make something unique, then it’s best to stay with your tastes, since ultimately, that’s what will make your product special. Going the MOMA and seeing paintings that you’ve seen before is sort of like visiting an old friend. I’ve heard Souther say that once when he came over to my house and saw one of his works on my wall. Now I know what he’s talking about, except maybe in his case, they’re not friends, but his children!
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Part 11 at the publishing series. NWA Express yourself. Getting tired of this yet? What's the point of making a magazine? For a mag like GR, it's to get what you want out there. We started as a zine, and I'd like to think that we retain some of that rawness at least in spirit or concept.
Some mags start by being decent. They're putting in what they want, and how they want it, but soon, it seems...
Continue reading
Some mags start by being decent. They're putting in what they want, and how they want it, but soon, it seems...
Part 10 within the publishing series. 10. Business Mind. This part is age old. But do some math before you go balls deep on a project, even if it’s not your money. You’ll end up figuring out ways to save. The typical thing I see, is that folks work hard on an idea, they do the graphics, (let’s say it’s a magazine) and they write, get friends to help to put it together. This is all great stuff, but in the end, who’s going pay for this job? Again, are the ads just going to show up? The most unfun part is to figure out where is the funding coming from. If you don’t, then that project that’s sitting nicely on your mac will stay there, and that’s sort of a slap in the face to all who helped you. Do the math first. A) If you’re alone on it, you have to know that in the worst case, it’s going to come from you. And in most cases, you should assume that. I would even have a big chunk of the funding first before you dive into designing, writing, and all that fun stuff, since if you have the funding, there’s a more realistic eye on the prize. GR started with $200 since it was a zine. The funds went to photocopies. The collating and stapling of the 64 page zine was done by hand by everyone I knew. This is called starting raw. Very few could start this raw and get to where we’re at. It was intentional… which brings us back to part 8… thinking ahead. We didn’t. B) Stay out of debt. Credit cards aren’t really available in Japan for a reason. It’s to keep the people out of debt. This is debateable since great projects have been funded by credit cards only to be paid back with the enormous success later. But these are the stories that you hear about. What about the 99% of the credit card projects that fail? You don’t hear about them, because the person is either filing for bankruptcy or is working their ass off to pay for it all. No debt for GR, thankfully. C) Be careful of borrowing money. You might have a partner who has some money but can’t really do the work. This is dangerous. Imagine one year later, and you’re growing, but the person who loaned you $1000 (let’s say) will expect an exponential payback. Can you afford that, and how much should it be? If you get large, even a 10 times return isn’t enough, and that person will own a chunk of your company. Good or bad? It can be either, but that’s something to consider. There’ll be people who think or feel that they have a part of what you’ve done. In some ways, they do of course if they helped… D) KAWS put it simple when he said something to the effect of: Basically it’s logic. You put in money, and...
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Part 10 within the publishing series.
10. Business Mind.
This part is age old. But do some math before you go balls deep on a project, even if it's not your money. You'll end up figuring out ways to save. The typical thing I see, is that folks work hard on an idea, they do the graphics, (let's say it's a magazine) and they write, get friends to help to put it together. This is all great stuff, but...
Continue reading
10. Business Mind.
This part is age old. But do some math before you go balls deep on a project, even if it's not your money. You'll end up figuring out ways to save. The typical thing I see, is that folks work hard on an idea, they do the graphics, (let's say it's a magazine) and they write, get friends to help to put it together. This is all great stuff, but...