CDJN 101 - So You Want to Start a Magazine?

As promised, I totally want to post about my experience over the weekend at the CDJN 101 course at Ryerson University in Toronto.

Since basically doing 'zines in college, and layout ever since highschool, I have known without a doubt that I wanted to head up my own magazine. And it never sunk in more than when I was given full reign to run the design and production of Centre of the City magazine when I worked with Metroland's TCN.

But, as many, many, many, many, and... many of my friends and family know, working through the Metroland way made me really frustrated, angry, depressed and many more things. It also managed to make me incapable of ever being able to set a magazine up on my own, because I knew that I needed REAL information from people in the REAL magazine market of which TCN had absolutely no contact with, nor wish to. Except for the amazing person that was my editor-in-chief, no one there knew anything about magazines at all, and it made for a very limited feeding ground for learning about what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. (One day I may venture into the dark and devoid blog that would be my feelings about Metroland, but that's another story.)

So, during my tenure there I ventured upon this course with a colleague of mine that has similar aspirations. However, as previously noted in another blog, attending just never seemed to be in the cards for us. We even both ended up leaving TCN before ever getting the chance to go.

Until now!!

I am overwhelmed, but so excitingly so, with all the information that this course provided for me this weekend in terms of starting up my own publication. So many aspects seem daunting, but many of the lessons taught were specifically designed to help someone deal with those daunting tasks.

The course is led by D.B. Scott who is a wealth of history, information and current trends. He not only knows his stuff, but he knows the industry through and through. Check out his blog Canadian Magazines for all the latest news in the industry and some great hints at the market today.

We not only had two full days of straight info, info, info - but someone who was open to any and all types of questions. We were even provided a massive "bible" of information on every aspect of creating and developing our own magazine. From financials/advertising, development and management, to editorial, circulation and design - If you could think of it, it was covered.

I'm really looking forward to spending the week poring over the bible, and wait in anticipation for the digital files D.B. is sending to us this week to use in helping us "figure out all the number".

So inspired!! I hope that it lasts and lets me see to fruition what I want to so badly!