1 hour ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

But there's also the fact the I'm tired of reading the same stuff over and over.

I have always thought this was a major cause for loss readership (2nd to digital media), how many times and ways can we dissect the dovetail, how may ways can we do a finger joint on the table saw, as lovely and vast as the woodworking world is, the techniques are limited, and the authors have run out of material a long time ago.

Yeah but, for some of us old guys, it's all new stuff.

I've edited a few (Scout, Engineering, hobby) newsletters in my (volunteer) career, and you quickly realize that there are no new topics, only new readers.  So, you have to make up a mix of topics to interest a spectrum of readers.  All zines then follow a pretty common pattern of such mixing.  All zines return to the same topics periodically, looking for some new twist, but also recognizing that many current subscribers haven't seen it.  The cycle is about 5--6 years for most "topic streams". 

I also found that readers are more "now oriented".  A friend gave me about 30 back issues of zines (Wood, FWW, as I recall).  I thought it was such a treasure trove!!  Two years later, I took that stack, unread, plus a couple of my own stacks, to the local WW club, put them on a table and announced "FREE".  Jumped back to avoid trampling.  I still have collections of Wood and Woodsmith (having dropped, oh, four? other  subs), and will eventually dump them on Timber WW in Mesa, with a "free" sign.  I keep a few special interest issues (the mil toys from Wood, and construction toys), but only until I have time to scan the articles.  Paper is soooo yesterday.

Some many years ago, I used to attend educational seminars.  My criteria was to come back with just ONE good idea to implement ("kaizen"), because anything more than one is too diffuse.  Now, in each zine I also look for just one good idea.  When a couple issues have gone by and I don't find one, I don't renew.  W  and WS have managed to survive that system.

I've got several CDs of past issues, but don't use them (getting more difficult for computer to read them).  Thumbdrive a bit more convenient, but I suspect simply subscribing to archives (if attractively priced) would be more efficient, if I ever feel the need to look for something specific.  Up to now, web search on a build topic often coughs up free plans, but at worst $15 covers most projects needed.  Have more empty cupboard space, too.

So it’s tough to make money doing Woodworking, and it’s tough to make money writing about Woodworking. 

I get Wood and Woodsmith. I like to thumb through them, sometimes they will have an article or project that interests me. I send shop tips to both and over the years, I have had about 8 or 9 tips "bought" by the magazines

Gene may have summed it up for most of us "i don't remember seeing this before. With the experience most of us have any magazine is getting to be "old Hat". Like most I have been thru several. Handyman club offered these tools to "test" and all I every got was a drill and screw guide so dropped that . Cannot even remember the next one but it had home and garden in it also and I cut out the articles of interest and discarded the rest. Then the story on Wood that was just what I needed at the time till they ended the forum and that ended it for me. Still have 2 boxes full of Wood for now. I loved the stuff in Shopsmith and bought the back issues when they had an offer with the binders and all. Had the Woodsmith in binder also but not all and stopped that one about a year after SM went. Picked up Popular Woodworking somewhere in there and the staff has mostly changed but still some good stuff from Fixner and Follansbee and sometime Schwarz . Then there is American Woodturner for AAW , not as much of interest as used to be but have been turning for 12 years now so have to cherry pick there. Still all in all I think we have seen so much and channeled our interests that most of what is out there is no longer of interest to us other than solving problems and jig building.

even Norm's show shuttered a few years ago.  guess he too ran out of ideas and thus sponsors.  or maybe he just had had enough and wanted to call it a day.

retired...

Just saying, many of these magazines are available via library e-books.   At least in Ohio, several large libraries (Cincinnati & Hamilton County, one of the highest per-capita circulations in the US, and Cuyahoga County (Cleveland)) are available to any Ohio resident.  Get on the internet and browse through them.   Saves a tree for more important purposes

 

37 minutes ago, kmealy said:

many of these magazines are available via library e-books.

 

or via the BARD system...

it can give you access to the Library of Congress...

I get American Riflemen,

 

Go NRA.

Herb

35 minutes ago, Dadio said:

I get American Riflemen,

 

Go NRA.

Herb

Huh, WHAT!

"Go, NRA"...how dare you...according to a certain curly haired, former head of the DNC from the illustrious state of Florida, made the comment this morning, that, the NRA is a "terrorist organization". How can you support a "terrorist organization?

 

When I read that news article this morning I almost thought about giving up my Life Membership...well, at least I thought about it for about one nanosecond!

 

Bottom line...although I really like hard copy magazines and books, electronic will be the way of the future. I have a WELL worn Lee Valley catalog that I would much rather page through than look at electronically. New printed catalogs are non-existent, apparently.

 

However, for the publishing companies is it much more cost effective to provide something electronically then to pay for printing and shipping. If the magazine publishers weren't so greedy and offered a much lower subscription pricing for electronic over hard copies, then they would probably sell many more subscriptions.

 

Edited May 19, 20188 yr by schnewj

3 minutes ago, schnewj said:

New printed catalogs are non-existent, apparently.

Lee Valley is available upon request. Got mine a few months ago, the bigwun.

2 hours ago, Stick486 said:

retired...

me too.

1 minute ago, John Morris said:

Lee Valley is available upon request. Got mine a few months ago, the bigwun.

Apparently, I'm not as lucky as you guys. I have requested it with every order I have made in the past three years and I have yet to get one.

 

I guess I'm just not holding my mouth right!

5 minutes ago, schnewj said:

Apparently, I'm not as lucky as you guys. I have requested it with every order I have made in the past three years and I have yet to get one.

 

I guess I'm just not holding my mouth right!

Try this Bill:

Quote

If you are not placing an order now but would like to have our printed catalogs mailed to you, click on "Catalog Request" in the menu on the left.

Lee Valley

I found that here at http://www.leevalley.com/us/home/helpcatalogs.aspx

and

https://www.leevalley.com/us/home/CatalogSelect.aspx

Well actually, I linked you to the puny Spring Catalog.

You want the big boy 2018 for the year, you may have to call for that. I was able to get it, I just don't remember how.

Ever since we put the "out" house in the house I don't read catalogs any more.

Herb

2 minutes ago, Dadio said:

Ever since we put the "out" house in the house I don't read catalogs any more.

Herb

1 hour ago, Dadio said:

Ever since we put the "out" house in the house I don't read catalogs any more.

Herb

...but, but, but...where do you think I keep my catalogs? In the Master Library of course! I'm not allowed to keep them in the hall/guest library, which means that it is not a library at all.