How to Produce a Small Newspaper

By Harvard Post

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0916782395
• ISBN13: 9780916782399
• Release Date: January 1983
• Publisher: Harvard Common Press
• Length: 175 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.9" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

Good information overall; some antiquated

This would have been an excellent textbook for my journalism curriculum in the '80s. It offers a very good overview of the process of publishing a newspaper, including staffing, content, editing, layout, advertising, and distribution. But much of the information such as that concerning paste-up and typesetting has been rendered obsolete by personal computers. In this regard, one paragraph really caught my attention: "To the small newspaper, though, computers represent only progress; they can facilitate typesetting, recordkeeping, and accounting, and it is extremely unlikely that they will ever replace the small newspaper in disseminating the news. No matter how extensive the data bases of the future may become, we are willing to bet that your neighbors will not sit down to consult them on Friday evening to find out whose baby was born that week or what the selectmen have decided to do about the weed problem in the town pond." At first blush, this prognostication seems like embarrassing myopia on the part of the author. On the other hand, I have to admit that despite the success of large Internet news sites, coverage of local news still seems like a valid niche opportunity for a printed newspaper. For one thing, small town businesses are not going to advertise on the Internet because the market is too diffuse and uncertain. But they need to advertise SOMEwhere. So a printed publication targeted to a specific, discrete market and saturating that market is still an attractive advertising vehicle for small businesses. The primary reason for the failure of large daily newspapers is not that they are printed, it's that they are in direct competition with free news on the Internet, providing exactly the same content for a mass audience only slower and more expensively. Small newspapers focused on a single community providing extremely local content of use and interest only to a specific population are still in demand, and can still be profitable. On the whole, I enjoyed reading this book. It provides good advice with a mid-range level of detail on the how-to of setting up a newspaper. More specific detail could be obtained by talking to a local printer. After that, grab an off-the-shelf desktop publishing software package and start writing!

Practical and Useful Even 20 Years After Release

I found this book to be among the most useful and most practical guides for newcomers planning to publish a newspaper in their community.Although it could greatly benefit with an update including current production methods for typesetting (PC/Mac) and could include at least a couple chapters for publishing in cyberspace, this remains perhaps the most useful book I have come across.After checking it out from the local library a dozen times, and (I confess) scanning it for re-reading while working in Egypt, I finally ordered a used copy a year ago so I could include a real copy in my personal library here in Egypt.In 1986, I should note, I began a small magazine with less than $25. It became named by Library Journal as One Of The Best New Magazine for 1986. My one regret? I had not then read How To Produce A Small Newspaper. If I had, I could have avoided mistakes I made subsequent to the award and, hence, could have made a living producing the magazine. This would have made unnecessary my ceasing publication and seeking overseas employment!I heartily recommend How To Produce A Small Newspaper for anyone interested in making an income in publishing!