TightWind is written by Kyle Baxter. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

MagCloud — Magazine Publishing for Anyone

Derek Powazek’s introduction of MagCloud

For the last year, I’ve been working on a project with HP Labs called MagCloud. The idea is simple, really. MagCloud enables anyone to start a magazine – a real printed magazine – with no giant pile.

Brilliant ideas tend to be exceedingly simple, and MagCloud fits the description. The idea is that using MagCloud, anyone can upload a PDF’ed magazine design, set a markup percentage on the cost of the magazine (if any if you so desire), and MagCloud will print and distribute it for you. And here’s the cool part: you only pay for the number of magazines you sell.

There is, as Derek notes, still something about paper. Reading on a screen is not nearly as enjoyable as reading a finely-designed and printed book or magazine.

If I am accepted into MagCloud’s beta, or when they officially launch, I am considering creating a printed version of TightWind as a bi-monthly magazine with the past two month’s original content.

At the minimum, I’d like to do a print version just for myself. It would be great to have nicely-designed, permanent paper copies of my writing.

But it would be even better to make this available to my readers for an affordable price. Sound like a cool thing to do to me — TightWind in print.

If you are interested in this, send me an email.