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The process starts here!

1) Just give us a call or send us an email saying that you are interested in becoming an Edible Communities newsletter publisher and include the following information:
 
Name
Address
Phone and/or email address
Region/Geographic area you wish to publish in
Preferred way of being contacted - by phone, email, etc.
A brief note about your background and areas of interest regarding local foods, agriculture, etc.*
*your information will not be shared with anyone other than our staff members, who use it only as a preliminary evaluation tool and to record contact information.
2) We send an email back to you confirming receipt of your information.
3) We then set up either a phone call or email with you to answer any initial questions you may have. At this point, we also give you a brief outline describing the costs involved with becoming a publisher/member of Edible Communities, Inc., as well as the services provided under our contract agreements. Once we've answered all of your preliminary questions, we ask you to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), which protects our business model, revenue and distribution channels, concepts and ideas, financials, and other privileged company information from being used without our permission.
4) We send you the NDA which you then sign and return to our offices either by fax or U.S. Mail.
5) Once we receive your signed NDA, we will set up a conference call between you and members of our staff so that we can give you more detailed information about the process of becoming an Edible Communities newsletter publisher.**
**up to this stage of the process, you are under no obligation to follow through with becoming an Edible Communities newsletter publisher. It is only AFTER a contract is signed (see #6), that you are obligated to fulfill the terms of the agreement.
6) Once all of your questions are satisfied and you have all the information you need, we would then proceed to the contract phase. Our contract includes detailed and specific information about: timeline; costs; payment schedule; services provided; collateral and other materials provided; legal name, trademark, jurisdiction of newsletter, etc.; corporate rules, regulations, guidelines; production, design, distribution, revenue, financial, staffing, expenses, profitability information; and more. Once the final contract is negotiated and signed, the process of creating your first newsletter begins.
7)

Members of our staff come to your community and work with you to create the premiere issue of your newsletter. This also includes providing you with promotional, collateral, and other various business materials you will need; the launch of your web site; national branding and exposure under the Edible Communities umbrella; public relations and marketing assistance; and an assessment of your ongoing needs in order to continue publishing successfully.

Please note: this outline is only a partial list of everything that actually occurs in each stage. Although we are unable to include more specific details here, we have found it useful for those who are interested in contacting us to have this information available upfront in order to better evaluate whether this venture is right for them or not. It is helpful to keep in mind that the process of becoming an Edible Communities newsletter publisher is just like buying any other business-it includes fees, contracts, legal documents and agreements, as well as a commitment of time, energy, and skill to be successful. If you believe you have those ingredients and want to continue the process, please feel free to email or call us at your earliest convenience.

  Email: Info@ediblecommunities.com
Telephone: 800-652-4217, M-F, 9am-5pm, MT
  To see an example of our existing newsletters, click on the "Edible Publications" link.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q Why affiliate with Edible Communities? Why not just start my own magazine with a different name?
A You are part of a national organization. Advertisers are impressed by this, since you are not a complete startup, there are proven success models to use as examples, and you are part of a larger movement. EC sets up and maintains your web site, has a database of food related images, gives you templates and graphic support, leads on good printer quotes, some national content, and a growing suite of national advertisers.
Q What sort of hardware and software do I need and what does it cost?
A computer and printer, a good digital camera, and some basic design software, including Quark/Indesign, Photoshop, and Acrobat.
Q How do you distribute the magazines?
A It's probably a good idea to do the first distribution run yourself using a car (preferably with lots of storage space). This will help you figure out appropriate locations, meet existing and potential advertisers, and map out drops. For subsequent issues find either a distribution service or speak with publications in your area about how they distribute. Post signs for a man with a van. Students with cars are always looking for work.
Q What costs will I incur and when will this be profitable?
A Your major start-up costs are expenses for hardware and software that you don't already have, as well as the Edible Communities membership license agreement fee. You will probably need to layout half of your printing cost before you have been able to collect any money from advertisers. Based on experience around the country, the average Edible begins to see a profit in issue 3.
Q Is any content/advertising included?
A Edible Nation is a column on a nationally relevant topic or theme written by a nationally known food writer each quarter. National advertising is constantly being solicited by our staff for EC wide inclusion.
Q What does the license fee cover?
A See "List of Services" document
Q How do I convince people to advertise who say they don't believe in advertising?
A Edible is part of a movement to change the way people think about food and advertising here aligns them with it. This is a different sort of publication. It's a magazine with a mission. And because it's devoted exclusively to food, people with a limited ad budget will not get lost in the shuffle. Our readers are devoted and interested in the content, so they are more likely to look at every ad.
Q Why not Edible Colorado rather than Edible Denver?
A Edible publications usually cover "communities" working together and supporting themselves. There are also some practical considerations with distributing over the area of an entire state and trying to report on the food scene in an entire state. Start small, and consider adding publications in the same state.
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