Not everyone knows how magazines are made. We thought you might enjoy learning about the steps we take to publish the Loaves & Fishes magazine.
—Lavern Gingerich
Preparation
- Read good books
- Pray for direction and wisdom
Vision
- This vision will help chart a course for the new issue
- Create task spreadsheet and working folder for the team
Content
- Get chapters from continued series
- Choose quality prisoner writings from the collection
- Search and brainstorm for suitable short writings
Communication
- Give assignments to the writers
- Notify the editors about the tasks
- Establish an approximate finish date
Editing
- Fix grammar and spelling mistakes
- Improve the flow and language for our audience
- Get approval for changes where needed
Quotes
- Select attention grabbers from the text
Graphics
- Find royalty-free photos to illustrate the quotes and headings
- Adjust resolution, color mode, and curves; save as tif for printing
Design
- Make each piece fit and fill the empty spaces
- Maintain a mix of text, headlines, and graphics
Order the pages
- Compile table of contents
- Design outside and inside cover
Review
- Make and send review copies to reviewers
- Get feedback and make final revisions
Print
- Get quote from printing company
- Order the books and upload the files
- Approve the digital proofs
- Unload the books when they arrive
Mail
- Ensure the mail meets USPS requirements and gets to where it needs to go.
Do It Again
- Indeed, there is no end to making books.
Update on the Next Issue
A couple months ago, we announced that we have another issue almost ready to print. We’re grateful for the financial support we’ve received since then.
We’ve decided to switch to a different kind of paper which will bring the cost down to $15,650 for 90,000 copies (including freight to here). We have around $8,000 to put toward the printing, so we are still lacking about half of it.
Can we make this issue happen while the trees are still colorful?
For the Kingdom,
Lavern Gingerich
