Otaku News: Interview with MyM publisher Tarik Alozdi

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Interview with MyM publisher Tarik Alozdi

Date: 2012 March 25 12:40

Posted by Eeeper

Publisher for new UK/Ireland magazine MyM gives an interview to Otaku News and discusses the magazine, it's upcoming launch and it's content and direction.

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MyM publisher Tarik Alozdi took time out of his busy schedule to answer some of our questions about the upcoming launch of the English language, UK based magazine MyM. Thanks to Mr. Alozdi and David Axbey at MyM for taking time out to help us set this interview up.

First up, what is MyM Magazine?

MyM is the UK's new Movies, Comics and Media magazine. MyM is dedicated to entertaining and informing die-hard fans and crazed enthusiasts of forthcoming anime, manga and games releases and events. MyM will also keep one foot on the ground when it comes to providing solid reliable reviews of DVDs, books and games you want to know about, whilst immersing you in fascinating in-depth features.

How many people work on the magazine?

At the moment we've got about 10 experienced journalists each covering their areas of expertise including writers from DVD Review, Neo, and the official videogames magazines. Martin Wharmby has recently come on board as games editor. We also have some very good people making sure the magazine is out there in the shops so it's easy to find and buy.

Why bring out MyM now?

It's a good time for us to launch MyM. We feel equipped and that we have the people involved to make it happen and make it special. Design is looking really good, and we've got all the shows booked up so we can show fans the magazine in advance, including the #zero sampler at the end of this month at the MCM Expo Birmingham.

Given the content covered by the magazine, what will the makeup of the magazine look like, in percentages?

It will be almost 100% anime and cover movies, manga, media, games, merchandise, cosplay, events that link in to anime and what those people will want to know about.

Neo Magazine is the only other real anime, manga, gaming etc. magazine out in the UK and Ireland. How is MyM going to be different?

Fans have over the past few years only had one choice, and that choice is a bit expensive. MyM will still cover a lot of the same stuff but at the same time it will cost less to buy a copy – already an advantage. It will also provide people with a choice, and hopefully that means they get more of what they want. When you think about it, when consumers have been reading the same magazine writers and editor for a long time, then naturally a lot of them will feel good about the prospect of a new magazine with a fresh approach.

Will there a full time staff of writers? If so, what is your recruitment going to be? Can anyone write for the magazine or are you using established writers?

MyM has already got a lot of talented writers involved. You'll recognise the names and they've all established themselves professionally. Of course the brief for MyM is different from any other magazine, and that's why for even the most seasoned journalist being an MyM writer is something for them to relish. That said, we'll also put readers reviews in a section dedicated to them, called YourMagazine.

What is the publishing schedule like for MyM? Will it be monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly?

It's monthly, starting with 3rd May 2012.

How big will the magazine be, physically and page count?

It's going to be between 80 and 100 pages – all packed with goodies and no filler material!

Other print magazines both in America and the UK have come and gone. How do you see yourselves thriving in such a hard part of the print publishing industry?

It's not hard if you get it right. People still want to buy magazines; they're a nice, accessible, convenient way to read your favourite topics anywhere. They just don't want to read something you can get elsewhere easily, for instance the from a simple search on the internet, which is understandable. MyM content will be unique to the magazine whether printed or published online.

Will there be an online component to the magazine, like more in depth analysis on titles and reviews that can't be fitted into the magazine?

Of course. We will be putting more content online at mymags.net. In some cases the expanded version will be in the print magazine, and in others it will be the other way around. Whichever works best.

Are there going to be competitions for the readers? If so, who will be eligible: UK/Ireland or further afield?

Anyone can enter, regardless of where you're based. MyM will be distributed beyond the UK, throughout Europe, and even further afield to other English speaking territories including Oz and NZ.

How did you all get into anime/manga/gaming? And when did you decide to write about it?

I've always liked it. But I'm not a journalist by trade, I'm a publisher. I started off doing promotions and marketing for DVDs, games and magazines. I became aware of how much people like anime while I was working on a videogames magazine called Invader about 10 years ago, and we started talking to ADV, MVM and Manga Entertainment around about that time. But I was into it as a before then – it always intrigued and excited me.

Looking at your website, there's no indication for subscription rates. Given that your price per issue is £3.45, will subscribers be able to do monthly or yearly subscriptions? If so, will subscribers be able to get lower rates if they subscribe through you instead of the local shop?

Yes, absolutely MyM will be available at a lower rate for subscribers. We'll be doing 6 or 12 issue ones, and no question about it, at a good discount too. For the moment we're selling special subscriptions at a rate of £5 for 3 issues which is amazing value for money. These have been available at MyM stands at the shows we have been attending, and they will continue to be available at the forthcoming shows right up until launch in May.

Finally, do you have a message for the readers and fans waiting to dig into the magazine?

Sure. MyM is just around the corner! When it comes, all of a sudden you'll have a choice – something we've all got used to not having. Remember that with choice comes freedom, and if freedom brings about a change, then that must be a good thing. We're all really looking forward to the first issue of MyM, and, because we just can't contain our excitement, we're bringing out a sampler, a mini-version of MyM, called #Zero and it will be out at the end of this month at the MCM Expo – for free! How's that for freedom!

Source: Otaku News

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