Magazine Training International (MTI) is partnering with Sathyam Ministries to host our first training event in India since 2016. Christian magazine publishing professionals are invited to attend the conference, held 29 April – 1 May, 2024, in Bangalore, India.

This is the first MTI conference offered in partnership with another organization. The partnership with Christian publishers will allow us to offer onsite publishing conferences or workshops in their country or region. MTI hopes to expand our training opportunities and offer more onsite training events annually.

For this conference, MTI partnered with Sathyam Ministries and its founder Dr. C.V. Vadavana. Vadavana has been a friend of MTI since he first attended an MTI course in Malaysia in 2003. Sathyam Ministries publishes a Bible and other Christian literature, including a magazine. They also have a bookstore in South India and a number of humanitarian, educational, and evangelistic ministries including orphanages, schools, and vocational training centers for women.

The three-day “Publishing in a Digital World: The Business of Magazine Publishing for Today” workshop will provide more than 13 hours of information-packed lectures, hands-on practice, and personal consulting to give participants the digital tools they need to energize and expand their publishing ministry.

The workshop will introduce Christians in publishing to timely options for using digital media to both promote an existing publication and deliver content to new audiences in fresh ways. The workshop will help participants overcome the digital publishing hurdle and teach them how to use social media for marketing and to extend the reach of their publications. It will also cover business topics, including finding subscribers and advertisers and developing a business plan.

This year’s international team of trainers includes David Renard, a partner with mediaIDEAS, and Dr. Marcos Simas, a 30-year veteran of the Brazilian publishing industry. Both are experienced MTI trainers and taught previous MTI training programs in India.

MTI conferences are known for practical training and an accessible approach from expert trainers.

“The course is beneficial in all respects as the topics were dealt with by recognized professionals,” says Titus Rock Manickam, editor of Living Sapphires, who attended the conferences in India in 2011, 2012, and 2016. “This course helped me evaluate and crystalize my vision for my ministry and my magazine.”

MTI provides professional development opportunities in-person and online to Christians in publishing around the world. MTI’s prior conferences in India were held in Bangalore in 2011 and 2012 and Kochi in 2016. Since then, MTI began a focused program in the African publishing market with conferences in Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana.

by Jennifer Howard, MTI communications director