From MediaMap Alert!
February 14, 1997
by Amanda Gill
Dan Rosenbaum is taking the risk out of magazine publshing.
The former editor of publications such as NetGuide
and Mobile Office has founded 3Ships
Communications--an "editorial outsourcing house."
"There are publishers looking for editorial content and
it's hard to find, particularly for start-up publications,"
Rosenbaum said.
Using a network of more than 100 freelancers, Rosenbaum's
service helps new publishers develop their editorial
vision. The company presently specializes in consumer
technology, but Rosenbaum said the concept could be applied
to any type of publication.
"We produce the editorial for them for a pretty good length
of time, generally a year," Rosenbaum said. "By then, it's
a going concern and we've helped them find permanent staff
or it's gone under, in which case they were protected. We
get a big problem for the publishers right off their desk.
They just don't have to worry about editorial."
Rosenbaum has worked in the publishing industry for nearly
20 years. In addition to NetGuide and Mobile
Office, he was editor at PC Sources and
senior editor of Computer Shopper.
In October 1996, Rosenbaum founded 3Ships. The name was
inspired by Christopher Columbus. "I was sitting in the
Stanford Professional Publishing Course a few years ago and
it occurred to me that the major publishers were not going
to be involved in the future of publishing any more than
the Spanish Armada was involved in discovering America. It
took one guy, three ships and a bunch of crazy people
sailing off the edge of the world. My way gets the magazine
to market faster and with less risk."
Sharon Roccaforte, who runs the Magazine Publishers of
America information bureau, was enthusiastic about
Rosenbaum's service. "It sounds great," she said. "We get
lots of phone calls from people starting magazines looking
for all the help they can get."
The first two publications to use 3Ships,
netWorker and Internet Shopper, are
scheduled to debut this winter. NetWorker will hit
the stands in late February/early March. Internet
Shopper is scheduled for March. Internet
Shopper is published by Mecklermedia Corp.,
headquartered in Westport, CT. It is one of four
Mecklermedia publications.
"It was a natural fit," said Paul Bonnington, Mecklermedia
group publisher. "Dan was the editor at Computer
Shopper and went on to become one of the first editors
at NetGuide. His experience and knowledge of the
direct marketplace and the Internet, the combination of
those two talents made him ideal for this publication."
Headquartered in New York City, 3Ships has just one other
full-time employee, Marketing Director Donna
Amato-Salvacion. Rosenbaum, however, expects his staff to
grow with the comopany. The real strength, however, will
remain with the company's network of freelancers.
"It's growing as fast as I want it to," Rosenbaum said of
3Ships. "There are times when I come in and think maybe it
would be better if it grew a little slower. Then I look at
the books and get over it."
Rosenbaum predicts 3Ships will eventually split into
several divisions: editorial for technology magazines and
Web publications; strategic public relations; directories
and guides; and possibly, other editorial. "This concept
works well for just about any kind of start-up
publication," Rosenbaum said.
Because 3Ships's involvement in a publication can vary, the
cost also varies.
"It varies with the complexity," Rosenbaum said. "If
someone wants everything, art editorial, etc., that's
obviously going to be more expensive than just general
articles."
For a start-up publication, Rosenbaum said the 3Ships fee
is anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 per page. For public
relations white papers, the cost is $1,000 to $2,000 per
page. For strategic PR, the cost is about $10,000 per
consultation/project.
