Get started in setting up a newspaper- US experience

Get Started Now in a Real News Publishing Business
In a matter of days, you can begin building your own local newspaper publishing business. You don't need to buy into a franchise or any other kind of publishing service. Why should you put your career, not to mention your community's future, in the hands of people far away? This does not mean that you will never use columns, articles or other features produced by writers from other places. Nor does it mean that you must buy a printing press of some kind and run the whole operation out of your garage. Newspaper publishing can be a lot simpler than all that.

You gather the news, with the help of neighbors and friends who are interested in local sports, local government, local schools, parks and other special activities. You take pictures, do interviews, write stories, sell ads, deliver papers to the post office, stores and other business locations. You do the page layout on a home computer. You send the files to a printer in your area. You are the publisher. Whether you are a husband-wife team, a loner with w few employees, or a tiny corporate team, newspaper publishing can be one of the fastest ways to establish yourself in business. more...

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Should You Start
a Local Newspaper?
With the U.S. economy seemingly coming down all around us, you may find yourself in need of a new career. If you spend a lot of time listening to the news (of how bad it is, and how many businesses are failing every week), you may not think this is a good time to start a new publishing business. If that's what you think, you are wrong.

It is always a good time to start a business that will serve the needs of the community you live in. And now is a very good time to get involved with news and information. People need a source of real news now more than ever.

A good newspaper is central to the growth and success of the community it serves. This website touches on the good that a local paper can do. You have the opportunity to provide encouragement and the praise for the good being accomplished by everyday citizens. Your newspaper can help bring attention where it is most needed and help the people to get things done.

If you do your job well, your paper will help the good people of your area to bring about many positive changes. You will encourage and uplift and warn and entertain your readers. You will know, in the end, that it was worth the effort and time and whatever challenges you face.

The News Business
As you may already have figured out, newspaper publishing is not just an activity, it's an enterprise, a business. It needs to be set up properly from the beginning. You will need a bank account, a way to keep the books (or someone to keep the books for you), a business plan of some kind, and a place to work. Deadlines and schedules are also important, even for a very informal paper.

The basic work of starting out in newspaper publishing is not complicated. Here it is in a nutshell:

You will need to go out and gather news and information about your area that is of interest to your readers. This is the work of a reporter. Call and visit the local businesses, schools, governing agencies and community leaders. Get their stories, collecting news, notices, announcements. As you go, collect ads (and money) from advertisers. Take pictures of the people you talk to, and of the events you cover. Arrange the information and the pictures into pages. Have the publication printed as a tabloid or journal-sized paper. Distribute the papers. Rest up for a day or so, and start the whole process again.

If you enjoy this kind of work, you will be very happy as a newspaper publisher. If it seems like a lot of hard work, and you’d rather be painting houses or building barns, then you may want to consider a different career. More...

What You Need to Know

Many successful news publishers have little or no background in journalism. Obviously, a lack of formal journalistic training or experience does not automatically make one a better reporter, writer or publisher. Still, you don't need a degree to start and run a great local newspaper.

If you start a newspaper in a small town you may end up doing most of the work yourself. This website answers questions about how to get your newspaper going. You can use the search box (available on most pages) to look for specific topics on this site, such as building ads, reporting the news, and so on.

These pages contain basic information on many aspects of starting and operating a small newspaper: reporting, interviewing, useful photos, ad rates (setting up your rate sheet), page layout, selling ads, building ads, necessary equipment and software, and more. I have also listed books and guides that you may find helpful in planning and building your newspaper business.

These tips and bits of advice can help you to plan and operate the business side of your publishing venture. I also urge you to meet with your banker, to check out books at the public library, and to become familiar with local laws and required permits. More