A ROCK music fan has turned his love of Heavy Metal into a thriving magazine publishing company.

Deno Tofolas set up a magazine last year called Clown White, catering for fans of American rockers Kiss -- a group as famous for their live shows and garish make-up as they are for their music.

And, in the past 12 months, he has seen the magazine grow to a circulation of more than 3,500, with the promise of even greater growth in the future.

The 30-year-old, from Bembridge Drive, Darcy Lever, is currently trying to sign a licensing agreement with Signatures Network, a firm which permits the use of the Kiss logo on products.

It could mean the magazine reaching an audience of tens of thousands in the near future.

For the moment, Mr Tofalas is enjoying his baptism of fire in the challenging world of publishing.

And he has already gained a couple of exclusives, including interviews with Kiss mainman Paul Stanley and, in the latest issue, bass player and vocalist Gene Simmons.

Mr Tofalas said: "My advice to anyone who wants to do something like this is to take on board the advice people offer you.

"The bottom line is all the work and stress is done yourself. That is when you truly start to learn."

Mr Tofolas received financial support from the Prince's Youth Business Trust and was one of the first young people to take part in Bolton's innovative Young Entrepreneur programme.

The graphic designer -- who once designed a snooker supplement for the Bolton Evening News -- began his venture by helping to produce a basketball magazine with Mike Shaft, a Sky Sports commentator, before deciding to specialise with Kiss.

He said: "I had always fancied doing a music magazine and decided that, if I was going to do it on my own I would concentrate on the one band. I have been a fan of Kiss since 1984 and so it seemed the ideal choice.

"I didn't want it to be called something obvious so I called it Clown White -- it's the name of the stuff the band paint on their faces."

Mr Tofolas writes and designs the whole magazine himself using a PC equipped with Quark Express and Photoshop.

He places each page onto a compact disc and hands it to Seddon Printers, in Bolton, which prints the glossy, 32-page quarterly publication at a cost of £2,500 for 5,000.

It sells for £2.99 in HMV's larger music stores and X-records in Bolton, where he works as a part-time sales assistant.

He also distributes the publication by post, with a base of 300 subscribers, and more than 2,500 readers in America where the group, whose average age is now 50, are more popular.

Mr Tofolas said: "For the future I'm intending to keep the magazine going for as long as possible before branching out into other areas." KISS: CREATURES OF THE NIGHT 1972: Kiss forms by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley

1973: Flipside producer Bull Aucoin offers recording contract

1975: First US hit, Rock 'N' Roll All Nite

1976: Alive becomes their first platinum selling album in USA

1977: Kiss top poll as the most popular act in USA following releases of Destroyer, Beth, Rock and Roll Over, Love Gun and Alive II -- all reaching platinum

1978: All four members release solo albums on same day

1979: Dynasty released but Criss leaves

1983: Frehley leaves

1983: Band remove their make-up for MTV; Lick It Up becomes the band's first top 10 UK hit

1987: Crazy Nights peaks at number 4 in UK Top 40

1990: Highest charted release Forever reaches 4 in US

1996: Band release final album MTV Unplugged

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.