Six Months, Two Magazines

If PowerBuilder Developer’s Journal made us a real publisher, Java Developer’s Journal became our first big wave. It put us on the map and established us as a serious player in the technology media world.

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After announcing Java Developer’s Journal with a house ad in the second issue of PBDJ, the response was immediate. Once the magazine reached our readers, I could see real traction building around JDJ.

My formula was working.

We sold advertising pages and subscriptions first, generating enough revenue to fund the printing of the premiere issue.

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Around the same time, I secured a magazine distributor located just down the street from our offices that agreed to carry both publications. They gave us national and international placement for PBDJ and Java Developer’s Journal, putting them on the shelves at Borders, Barnes & Noble, independent U.S. newsstands, and key retailers worldwide.

Curtis Circulation Company, based in New Milford, New Jersey, became our national magazine distributor throughout the 1990s. At the time, Curtis was one of the largest single-copy magazine distributors in the United States, responsible for getting publications onto newsstands, bookstores, and retail outlets nationwide. They handled logistics, retail placement, sales reporting, and returns — serving as the critical link between publishers and the national newsstand market during the peak era of print magazines.

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With a 30–40 percent sell-through rate, newsstand distribution was not a cost center. It didn’t generate meaningful profit either — but that wasn’t the point.

What mattered was visibility.

Being on major newsstands dramatically strengthened our credibility and allowed us to command higher advertising page rates.

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To further reinforce our media kit, we became members of both BPA and ABC, the two leading magazine circulation audit bureaus.

Java Developer’s Journal circulation numbers were officially audited.

That single step gave us a decisive competitive advantage.

If any other publisher wanted to enter the Java space, they would be going up against verified numbers — not promises, projections, or hype.

And that made all the difference.

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Within twelve months of publishing my very first issue, I was now running two magazine titles, each generating both advertising and subscription revenue. Cash flow stayed positive at all times.

Every Friday, Joan would walk into my office with her cash flow report. Before even looking at the numbers, I could accurately guess our cash position in the bank. I was monitoring the pulse of the business around the clock. I didn’t need to see the report to know where we stood.

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That same first year, I also brought in serious revenue from the book and from twelve city events.

What began as an accident had turned into a proven formula. Throughout the twenty years I ran my media business, I never needed a loan.

I never quite understood why people launched new companies using borrowed money — whether from banks or investors — when it was possible to build momentum first and scale from revenue.

The only money I used in the beginning came from my own credit card. Renting a car to drive to Boston. Printing subscription cards to include in product packaging. Buying postage stamps for my first media kits.

All of it added up to about $1,200 on a completely maxed-out card. If you have a real business, it should be profitable from the first day.

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I still carry that same card today. I’ve had it since 1984.

Chase should probably invite me into one of their commercials.

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Then the money started coming in.

And it paid the bills.