Audience, advertising and of course, digital were hot topics at the recent Canadian Society of Magazine Editors Prepare to Launch mixer.

The event played host to editors of three recently launched magazines, Garden Making’s Beckie Fox, Dandyhorse’s Tammy Thorne and Thekit.ca’s Doug Wallace who told the industry crowd what it takes to start a book in today’s economy.

Garden Making, which just celebrated its one-year anniversary is a book which operates mainly on subscriber revenue, said Fox. The magazine has an average circulation of 20,028 – over half of which is paid. Fox said the magazine is on a five-year plan to become profitable and so far is ahead of schedule.

Dandyhorse launched in 2008, said Thorne. The cycling magazine has a circulation of 8,000 but needs to expand beyond local advertising to expand its reach. A search for a new publisher and sales representative at the magazine is on to help achieve these goals.

Thekit.ca is a recently-launched digital fashion and beauty magazine with some high-profile contributors, including former staffers from FASHION Magazine, Sweetspot.ca and Chatelaine, said Wallace. The online magazine is produced by Massachusetts-based digital edition creator Texterity and has an advertising mantra of “we never close” thanks to the flexibility of digital, he said.

Here are a couple queries for the panel, from the evening’s Q&A period:

What would you need before launching a magazine?

Tammy Thorne: A clear vision.

Doug Wallace: A business plan, this includes a marketing plan and a public relations plan.

Beckie Fox: Know you have an audience who wants to read what you have to offer.

Have advertisers reacted positively to your title?

Tammy Thorne: We need to expand beyond local advertisers. At the end of the day personal relationships help with sales.

Doug Wallace: It has to do with the value-added benefits you give advertisers. We hope that some of the advertisers which are experimenting with us because they like the novelty of being digital stay.

Beckie Fox: It is difficult to sell a newly launched magazine because it is something advertisers haven’t seen before.

For more information on the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors, visit Canadianeditors.com.