Just Make Your Magazine offers jargon-free advice on creating your own publication

Very much contrary to popular opinion, print is not dead. In fact, independent magazines are more in demand than ever; just ask editor Josh Jones, who’s developed the likes of Sandwich, Huck and Marvin magazine, alongside his latest endeavour, Just Make Your Magazine. Following two decades of making magazines, the 124-page publication designed by artist James-Lee Duffy features a plethora of advice from Josh and other influential magazine makers, encouraging its readers to keep print alive.

“This sounds a bit name-droppy,” Josh warns, explaining the book’s origin, “but I was on stage with Gordon Ramsay at a launch event of Sandwich magazine”, more specifically, the chef’s special issue of the mag which Ramsay had guest-edited. “I thought he’d just talk about his new show Idiot Sandwich,” he says, “but instead he was incredibly glowing and complimentary about me and my work and the Sandwich team,” including art director Tertia Nash. “Afterwards, I figured that if the world’s most famous chef thought I was good at making magazines, maybe I could write a book about what I know,” Josh says.

The book’s content focuses, as Josh describes, on being “jargon-free and to the point”, offering as much varied advice as possible. “As Ione Gamble, editor-in-chief of Polyester Zine, says in the book,” Josh says, “it’s not actually that complicated to make a magazine – it’s just a lot of it is gate-kept.” Aiming to open said gate, in the book Josh sheds light on his personal editorial process as well as others, discussing practical considerations alongside more thematic, conceptual concerns. “There’s plenty of advice on what people do at a magazine, how to write a call sheet, checklists about going to print, tips on editing and interviewing, how to budget, how to paginate, working with an art director, should you take pitches or not, throwing a launch party... all sorts,” Josh summarises.

If you’re looking for advice on how to start your own mag, you can grab a copy of Just Make Your Magazine here.