Sunday 4 July 2010

Interview - Editor (Proper Magazine)


Proper Magazine is a fanzine style publication run by Mark Smith and Neil Summers. The Stockport based magazine is always an interesting read and has included articles about 6876, Garbstore and Stansfield as well as interviews with the C.P. Company enthusiast Griff Rhys Jones, DJ Greg Wilson and Awaydays author Kevin Sampson.

Mark from Proper Magazine has been kind enough to spare some of his time and give the following interview.

Where can I buy Proper Magazine?
It's available online from the Proper Mag shop plus a selected number of retailers. You can find out more from our website though.

How long have you been working in publishing for?
I'm not sure I'd go as far as saying I work in publishing. I put a fanzine style magazine together in my spare time and write content for a couple of clothing websites. I've been doing Proper and another fanzine before it for about 6 years now I think. Neil is the co-editor and he too hasn't really worked in publishing or written much before Proper. Maybe that has helped us in a way? It's hard to say.

You say you've written for clothing websites. What sites are these?
I'm helping Oi Polloi with the content for their new website at the moment and help Casuals Clobber with their newsletters and blog. I also used to help out Schindler Shop before they ceased to be.

What made you want to set up your own magazine? Do you think there is a lack of decent magazines out there?
There are plenty of decent magazines but there's nothing quite like what we do. It's obviously very niche at the moment and probably always will be but we just thought we could apply the same ideas we had doing the Stockport fanzine to our other interests and promote it via the web.

What other publications have you worked for?
The only thing I've ever done of any substance before now was a Stockport County fanzine.

How would you describe Proper Magazine?
It started out as a fanzine and while it has grown up a bit in the 4 years we've been doing it, I'd like to think it retains that feel. We write about whatever we're into but have started to centre on clothing.

Who would you say is your target consumer?
It's hard to say. On our Facebook we've got young lads from the football crowd desperate for a bit of inside information on the next big labels, but then we've also got arty professionals who I suppose appreciate our impartiality. Most other magazines writing about clothes seem to have more of an agenda to push. We sell a surprising amount of magazines to overseas people though, from all corners of the earth!

Where else have you sold these magazines?
There are loyal readers all over the place. A guy in Mexico has bought every issue from the start and in addition we've sent copies to El Salvador, Argentina, Brazil, Japan plus more obvious countries like the US and Canada. There are more countries in Europe we have sold to than haven't. Scandinavia and Italy probably account for the biggest amount though.

What are the steps taken in order to produce Proper Magazine? How long does it take from getting the ideas for an issue to seeing them in print?
It's far from an exact science and has changed with each issue. Generally though, we try and have 2 or 3 standout pieces we can headline with then everything else is added on the fly and based on who agrees to talk to us or be featured. The concept at the start is never what ends up being produced but I suppose that's what keeps it interesting for us. Time wise it has varied and I've been keen to stay away from accepting subscriptions because doing so demands we stick to a release schedule. I'd rather do one good magazine a year than rush 3 or 4 out and have them average.

Is there a secret to producing a very good publication?
You're better off asking someone with a longer and stronger track record than little old me! I would say we've found it easier to write about things we're passionate about, or things that we find interesting ourselves. We're keen to stick to that formula because it seems to have worked out ok for us so far. You also need support from advertisers and it makes sense to match those advertisers to the content you're writing about.

What problems have you come across while working on the magazine?
The biggest problem of late has been Royal Mail losing or ruining copies of the last issue. We've increased Issue 9 to 48 pages and while it's still covered by a first class stamp, it seems the extra thickness and regular envelopes meant some got mangled or killed by the sorting system. It's a pain but these things happen. We're using strong envelopes now and that seems to have helped. Other than that, we've not encountered too many problems. It's frustrating dealing with retailers at times but those who get what we're about have been really supportive.

What is your favourite issue of Proper Magazine and why?
There are bits from all of them that I like, but we'd not be doing things very well if the latest issue (#9) wasn't the best, and therefore my favourite. We spent a couple of days in London getting content for the latest issue and I think it shows. We've got similar plans for issue 10.

Aside from Proper Magazine, what other magazines do you read?
I'll read almost anything. I've drawn the line at things like Nuts and Zoo and only occasionally bother with Loaded and FHM. It must be an age thing. But I've got piles of magazines in the spare room, from old GQ's, Maxim, Esquire and so on, plus football fanzines from various clubs. I get stick for that though, so I'll leave it there!

What magazines or publications have served as influence for Proper Magazine?
Jack Magazine was short-lived but is probably the kind of thing I'd like to see return. The editor was James Brown who founded Loaded and now runs Sabotage Times. Beyond that, obviously Viz has always been a massive influence and the story of how it came about is inspiring. I'd say it's pretty much impossible for any home-made publication to do what they did these days. There are publications out there that are inspiration for knowing how we don't want to do things. Some magazines take themselves far too seriously. It's only clothes and that isn't it?

Are there are any features or labels you would like to include in future issues of the magazine?
What we'd like to do and what we'll end up doing are two different things. There aren't any holy grail type interviews or features we'd like to do. We just let it happen really.

What are your future plans for Proper Magazine?
Who knows? I've never really thought about where the ceiling is for a publication like ours. It'd be nice to get more support from retailers and brands because although we're quick to play down what we do, it's clear there's a loyal following who are clearly influenced by what we write about, and in that there's probably significant value for advertisers. With more substantial advertising we could move towards a more polished look, but retain the style of writing. There's a fair chance issue 10 will be a similar format but the layout, colours and design will be improved if our plans come off, but generally as I've said already, we just do things on the fly.

4 comments:

  1. Great idea Jimmy, nice scoop there

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  2. Cheers lads. I'll hopefully be able to put a few more up with different labels and mags soon.

    Keep your eyes peeled ;)

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  3. Only just seen this, nice interview, now I want to be interviewed! (Neil Propermag)

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