A new brochureware site for the Lucire print edition went online today, with one interesting twist: the licensing programme. In the past, we have pursued a very conventional programme (pay a licence fee, then a royalty), but since we’re a small company, surely we need to differentiate?
   In the rush to market in 2004, we resorted to conventional, tried-again behaviour, but the reality was quite different when we started Lucire Romania. This second print edition of Lucire did not follow the conventional model—confidentiality prevents me from saying more—so why not re-examine the programme and do something very different from everyone else? The product, for starters, is distinctive. Secondly, all members of the JY&A group have done things in a unique way, and with our bringing Lucire into the Jack Yan & Associates fold (at least production-wise), why not have that culture impact on the magazine?
   So how does this grab readers? Free licensing, for the first issue. Try before you buy.
   Of course, there are quite a lot of conditions attached to this, especially surrounding intellectual property and legal fees that the licensee has to pay, but it demonstrates one thing: the confidence of the publisher in the product. Secondly, by taking money out of the first equation—not completely, but in quite a major way—it helps build every single party: the licensor, the licensee, and the reading public.
   The first group gets bragging rights; the second group needs slightly less capital and feels part of a family; and the third group benefit from an extra title on the newsstands.
   There are down sides and they are founded on trust. So, how much can we trust someone else, and will the fashion world, for once, not attract delusional people with ideas of grandeur? I am betting on it. That’s another reason we are different. Posted by Jack Yan, 23:00  permalink

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