Skip to main content

A Magazine Dream


I thought I would start a magazine. I talked with an uncle of mine, who was all 'yes, yes' with my idea. We have prepared a business plan and thought of the editorial board. We sought business ideas and suggestions from across the border. We have contacted publishers as far as Kolkata and Delhi. Days have gone into naming the magazine. And Druk Outlook was born.
Almost a year on, many new magazines are circulated in a small Bhutanese market.  Of course that is something we all can be proud of. But our brain child Druk Outlook is yet to see the light of the day. Everyone we contacted for suggestions said it was a good idea and that they were all in support of our initiative. All the more good reasons to be excited. 

But one frank comment we received from was another uncle. He thought our idea was good but doubted its survival because he said even the private newspapers were going through difficult times. He seemed right. That's why we decided to put our temptation on hold.

But even if Druk Outlook lives to see the light of the day, we understand the need of the market. We understand the cost factor. We understand students. We understand the market. We understand the paper quality. We understand the content quality. And we know how much a magazine should cost. That only time will tell.  


Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 23, 2009 at 12:00 PM

    hey man.i may be another uncle or cousin of yours.the idea isnt that bad.from what i have observed, entertainment stuffs seem to sell.magazines with less writeups and more pretty pictures get sold out in a few days..maybe 2 days. YEEWONG was sold out in 2 days. I guess same happened with DRUK TROWA.Both had lot of pretty pictures and less writeups. so you need to look at that side of content.paper and print quality should never be compromised with(this is a magazine afterall).so i guess u will need a lot of pretty pictures and less but good writeups.ofcourse u arent told to copy others. do "whatever works".

    oh by the way watch that movie "whatever works".nothing to do with magazines though

    good luck and i hope your magazine will hit the book stands .

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nawang P PhuntshoNovember 23, 2009 at 12:33 PM

    Hi Anon...thanks for the suggestions. But I think it will be some time before we embark on that venture - a daring one in deed.

    ReplyDelete
  3. PaSsuNovember 23, 2009 at 2:29 PM

    How come I didn't know about this idea of yours? I would have my say here too.

    Anyway, waiting to hear about...

    I have chosen set of Good Writers for you already!

    ReplyDelete
  4. PaSsuNovember 23, 2009 at 2:32 PM

    Look look who is on the cover page..ha ha ha
    Everybody, the girl in the illustration is Penstars Darling...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Youngten Lempen TharchenNovember 24, 2009 at 10:25 AM

    I like your idea very much and its great too. As you said, its all about the sustainability.

    If you do not mind, I want to know whom you are targetting. What its really about?

    Otherwise, there are so many magazines flooding in the market but I wonder whether these magazines get sold or not. I want to know what will be so special with your magazine than others do not have so that your magazine can have your niche market and readership? I think ypu need to do really research on this (I know you might be doing but I am reminding beacuse I like your idea whom I want to support if I ever can).

    By the way, your book has been sold out in DSB. Actually I wanted to buy and my foreigner friends too. So where can i get your book yo buy?

    If you really go ahead with the project, I would love to contribute too.

    However, great idea , and as you know, every thing great starts with the idea conceived in the head.

    Good days ahead!!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

So what do you think?

Popular posts from this blog

Utpal Academy - Bhutan's first All-girls High School

Academic Block Welcome to Bhutan’s first all-girls school. Isn’t that wonderful news to all our parents? Certainly, as a parent of a one-year old daughter I am excited about the coming of a school exclusively dedicated to the needs of girls. Our girls need special treatment, which we can for sure entrust the responsibility to Utal Academy, Paro. Dinning Hall I really like the name – Utpal – in Buddhist world, Utpal is another name for lotus flower, which is believed to grow from mud and yet blossoms into a beautiful and majestic flower. It stands for purity and many deities are depicted holding flower Utpal, more prominently Jestusn Dolma, the Goddess Tara. Symbolically, it also stands for the transformation of our girls. What an apt name for the school! Hostel Room The Principal’s message posted on the academy’s website promises providing our young women an “opportunity to participate fully in a wide range of extracurricular activities to develop skills and qualities that...
9 comments
Read more...

Community of Bhutanese Bloggers Conceived

And finally it happened. I must say that it was by far the most attended Bloggers Meet. In the past we had bloggers agree to attend and cancel at the very last minute. But on June 24, 2015 – almost 100% of bloggers, who confirmed came. I would like to thank everyone for keeping his/her words, especially those who had to come all the way from Wangdue or Paro. Thank you! 35 Bhutanese bloggers met in Thimphu. We were honored to have the presence of senior bloggers like Aue Yeshi Dorji and Dasho Sangay Khandu. The meeting assumed more significance because of their presence. Equally, we were happy to have many young bloggers in whom we see so much enthusiasm and potential. On top of many things that transpired during the Meet, one of the most significant outcomes was the unanimous decision reached to form a formal group of bloggers, a platform aimed at encouraging and inspiring more bloggers around the country. The members decided that we will call it Community of Bhutanese Blogger...
16 comments
Read more...

When FIVE is more than FIVE HUNDRED

Bhutanese parents complain that our children are exposed to so much foreign content and that they might soon forget our own root. Some parents also feel that their children respond well and better to stories that have Bhutanese characters and places in them. That's why the need for more and better Bhutanese books in the market. And we have only a handful of people who are committed to making this happen although the financial return is almost none.   Bhutan can boast of not many writers. Here writing or publishing aspect of writing is an expensive hobby. In the first place, it is difficult to convince people to publish their writings and many leave it before they are halfway. Publishing is a complicated process. But here it is even more complicated since our publishers are not publishers in the real sense of the term. They would only 'publish' (print) school textbooks and in that they are only being wise - averting risks to their businesses.  Recently, the whole...
17 comments
Read more...