Had the editor of a new magazine contact me last week, and we have been conversing almost daily since. The magazine used to be called Full Size Jeep magazine, but now it is called Jeep Junkie magazine since the new owners bought it out. Since it is just starting out, it is only a quarterly magazine, for $12.95/year. The editor is a really cool guy, and has a real neat idea on this magazine. Here is part of the email he sent me after a few questions I had:
Me: "Do you know if you will be doing more issues per yer than just quarterly? Is it because the magazine is new and needs more support/purchases before it can grow, or is the quarterly thing pretty much how it's going to be?"
Editor: "If the reader support does not grow than it will have to stay a quarterly. The goal was to be bi-monthly but no solid plans yet. You see the basis for all our magazines is readers tell the stories... it cuts turn around time and reduces staff. The way we see it is the readers know much more than we ever will about what they are doing out there. Plus, interesting things happen to them that we could not make up.
The cool thing about our magazine philosophy makes the magazine very fluid. Meaning that if the only stories I receive are from Patriot owners, for instance, the magazine will only be about Patriots (with a few special features a year that I might have a personal interest in.) The magazine is and will be "by the people" that are the most enthusiastic about their trucks.
Right now I want to keep the magazine Wrangler-free. But if the only stories I get are Wranglers, then I will have to adapt or die.
Anyway, back to the original question... quarterly or bi-monthly. Until I find a core of readers that can take some of the story gathering off my shoulders, I won't have time to go after advertisers to help pay for the additional issues."
So, in short, the readers send in the stuff and the editor puts it in the magazine. Tech articles, install articles, readers rides, custom build projects, new products, event/trail ride articles, etc. As he said, he doesn't want to do like every other magazine and run Wrangler stuff. With my talks to him on the phone, he wants to concentrate on the underdogs. Old vintage jeeps, Compass, Patriot, Liberty, Cherokee, Grand Cherokee. The jeeps that are often overlooked. Since the magazine is put together from what readers send them, here is your opportunity to have your very own Liberty magazine. I know how you guys go nuts when there is just the shortest blurp or a small picture of a LOST members KJ in one of the bigger magazines. You can send in a picture and specs of your rig and tell all your buddies you were in a magazine. Have you done something you think is cool, informative, or unique and want to share it with more than just the LOST world, here you go.
I think the magazine is a neat idea, and will personally be putting together something for each issue. I have plenty of tech articles to write or have already written, plus our LOST Rockies Colorado Chapter hits the trails atleast twice a month, so I will probably put in a trail run article when we get a great turnout, like our Iron Clads run a month or so ago that had 12 KJ's and my XJ show up. I have some custom KJ builds coming up this year that will go in, a feature rig or two, etc. What I send in will only take a couple pages, so you guys have plenty of room to get your stuff in. It will be a lot of fun to be part of making a magazine.
So, check it out, tell them I sent you, get a subscription, send in something, anything, and have fun.
www.jeepjunkie.com
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2011 Ford F-150 XLT 4X4
Good articles.
