The second installment of the Paper Giants telemovie series airs Sunday 2 June and takes an historical look at the Australian magazine industry and some of the key media personalities of the time. Magazine Wars, is based in 1987 when Kerry Packer (Rob Carlton) and Rupert Murdoch (William Zappa) went head to head with New Idea and Woman's Day. The two Editors Dulcie Boling (Rachel Griffiths) and Nene King (Mandy McElhinney) took the Australian magazine industry to new heights with their bitter rivalry.

About: "The story of the golden years of the glossies, of the 'battle' waged by Nene King and Dulcie Boling to make their publication the number one seller in Australia. It's 1987. Hair is big. Shoulder pads are wide. The Royals are still a family. Flamboyant deputy editor Nene King storms out of New Idea to become editor of Women's Day, determined to overthrow the immaculate queen of women's magazines, Dulcie Boling. Not only does the public lap up the excesses, celebrities play the game, learning to exploit the magazines they claim to despise. Even the once untouchable Royals -- Charles and Diana, Fergie and Andrew -- are devoured by a media and public for whom nothing remains sacred."

If you're new to Paper Giants, you may like to catch the first (2 part) series which chronicles the launch of CLEO magazine - complete with male centrefold. The founding editor - Ita Buttrose (Asher Keddie) broke new ground with CLEO and was hailed as the voice of young Australian women. The series features the formidable Sir Frank Packer and a young Kerry Packer and the launch that cemented Kerry and Ita's success. 

About: "In early 1972, 30 year old journalist and editor, Ita Buttrose (Asher Keddie) and 35 year old Kerry Packer (Rob Carlton), heir to what was then Australia's most ruthlessly powerful and influential publishing family, got together to create a magazine that became one of the most dramatic sensations in Australian publishing history. CLEO went on to help define women, Australia and the relationship between the two". 

The Kindness of Strangers: Have you ever considered crowdfunding a magazine or book? To established publishers it may seem like a foreign concept, but it's a publishing trend gaining momentum the world over. "Crowdfunding" is seeking funding from a community of users, strangers, readers, visitors, whoever will donate to your creative project (in this case publishing a magazine). Kickstarter.com is one of the most well-known crowdfunding websites and as of today there are 11 magazine projects seeking funding. Since their launch in 2009, more than 3.9 million people have pledged over a staggering $577 million, funding more than 39,000 creative projects. It's serious business.

The latest crowdfunded magazine project is Cherry Bombe (above) "a bi-annual magazine that celebrates food and women" who have achieved $29K of their $30K goal - with 10 days to go. The major upsides; your project gets funded by a community and usually that community helps you promote and sell your project and sometimes a subscription is included in the crowdfunded reward (offer). Effectively you are producing a magazine for a pre-qualified audience with low risk (besides the fact you have a magazine business to run afterwards).