Welcome to a new conceptual blueprint. As I continue to build the digital architecture for my digital and physical ecosystem, I am outlining the informal business plan for ‘Park Bench Magazine’.
This is a grassroots, print-based monthly fan fiction magazine designed to bridge the gap until the publication of the flagship Purgatory Magazines, while serving as a comprehensive showcase of my work.
1. The Core Concept: Unmade Movie Novelisations
The creative philosophy behind this magazine is to treat each story as a novelisation of a film that was never made. This specific lens naturally forces the pacing to be highly visual and scene-driven. This approach keeps the narrative moving forward with the momentum and tension of a game cinematic screenplay.
2. The Lineup and Pacing
To provide a varied and thrilling reading experience, the magazine will feature one new chapter from three distinct stories each month.
The Roster:
1. The Shape of The Heir (Halloween)
2. Terminator: Mimicry
3. Alien: Salvage
The Word Count: I am aiming for 2,000 to 3,000 words per chapter.
The Experience: With three chapters in total, the magazine will sit perfectly in the 30 to 45-minute reading sweet spot. It is substantial enough to feel like a premium sci-fi and horror experience, but brisk enough to read during a lunch break or a commute.
3. The Reimagined Page Design
I am moving away from traditional comic book and novel layouts and adopting a sleek hybrid format using a variety of simple page templates. The aim is to blend the aesthetic of a high-end concept art book with the readability of a novella.
Flexible Layouts: I will design multiple page templates to keep the visual experience dynamic. For example one template could divide the page into four square segments where two quadrants feature borderless cinematic images to set the scene while the remaining two display clean, highly professional text.
Atmospheric Backgrounds: I will use very subtle, faint graphics in the background of the pages to subconsciously represent the mood and atmosphere of the current scenes.
4. Grassroots Distribution and My Publishing Goals
The physical distribution method involves a very personal touch. I will be setting up a simple makeshift stall at park benches in Bath. Sami and I will be there in person to hand out the magazines completely for free. It is a highly organic, face-to-face way to connect directly with the local audience, discuss the stories and my plans for my future.
As some people know I am currently homeless. Rather than simply asking for money, I want to offer something of real creative value to the community. The magazine is a free gift but it will include a kind request for a donation to help support me in getting my life back on track.
Readers who wish to support my journey can contribute via cash, direct bank transfers or by subscribing to the AlienPurgatory Patreon.
This magazine serves as both a standalone self-published publication and a physical showcase of the quality of my work. My ultimate aim is to earn a living from publishing fiction. While Park Bench Magazine is my grassroots introduction, my long-term goal for the flagship Purgatory Magazine is to have it picked up by existing publishers and distributed globally alongside major brands.
