Maybe Seven Years is Lucky…

If you haven’t seen much happening here, it’s because I needed to put my magazine project on hold.

I wrote a non-fiction book, finished my commitment to my writing club’s monthly newsletter for 10 years, and stepped down from the first 5 years creating and editing an online digital magazine for the California Writers Club.

During that time the membership increased to 1,900 statewide. I received two awards for my love of writing and service to the organization that started back in 1909—one of the most prestigious organizations supporting the craft of writing. www.CalWriters.org/publications.

I’m very grateful for the double honor. It helped to validate that I was ready. It was time to move on.

Rusty LaGrange, recipient of the
Jack London Award and

the Ina Coolbrith Award

I consider those delays as my learning curve helping me evaluate and manage how a commercial magazine would look and feel.

I learned a lot.

So my first issue is still rattling around in my head. It’s time to make this year—the 7th year since its inception—to break out and grab the attention it needs as my next personal project.

Please join me as a contributor or reader. Check out the Writer’s Guidelines, photographic guides, and featured departments I’ll fill with some of the West’s best writers. I still consider myself as a stagecoach driver with the Old West to deliver. And, if you wish to ride along for the next seven years, well, then I’d most obliged to have your company.

Thanx, 

Rusty LaGrange,
Publisher / Editor,
VintageWest Magazine,
for Southwest enthusiasts
760.646.2661

Getting Familiar with Digital Magazines

“I’m hunting wabbits … ehehehehe.”

In the digital magazine world, I do feel like Elmer Fudd the slow-witted hunter after the wascally wabbit. I have been searching for providers of digital magazines that offer horizontal page-flipping features. There’s quite a few out there — each with their own set of prices and standards.

I’m getting familiar with digital layouts, that don’t really have different mechanics, but respond much differently across digital devices. More readers are relying on their iPads, notebooks, book readers, and even cellphones to gain the flexibility of reading whenever and wherever they wish. That fact alone makes my hunt for the appropriate software vendor a meticulous one.

I want the best color, layout, device support, and reliability that will keep my VintageWest Magazine on the “shelves” for a very long time. Drawing advertisers is also critical to keeping my magazine on the shelves. Yet, without readers to keep flipping those pages, well, I just wouldn’t have much reason fo creating it each time.

And I hate doing my work twice. Hence, I have taken a bit more time to hunt for a digital interface and become more familiar with what they offer.

The good thing about this is my blatant use of practicing with a digital flip-page magazine for California Writers Club The Bulletin statewide publication. With the blessings of the Board, I was able to lift the news off an email vertical layout (like many of you receive in your mailboxes) to a horizontal layout on a web-based platform.

In non-techie terms, I created the newsletter but then updated it through the software that Aglaia Software provides its clients.

Voila! Instant magazine in digital format with pages you can turn (you can even hear the pages turn!!) and advertising that helps pay for it. many of you are already familiar with catalogues online … and this is no different.

I’m very excited.  Go here to see a sample of what VintageWest magazine aspires to look like.

A digital glimpse at the possibilities for VintageWest magazine

And with that good news I am off to read a contract and make some decisions.

 

Rusty

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Moving Through the Process

Step by Step

As with every new project, there is a learning curve and I seem to have tripped over mine. I’ve found out  that the software I can use for a flip-page digital, horizontal format is much pricier than I first thought. As I’m moving through the process, there are many more extra features that you might see in an advanced version. So I need to work through more levels.

Process Begins at VintageWest magazine

Marketing and Ad Campaign Begins the Process

Software is proprietary in this case. They can set their price — which they have a right to do. But for a start-up, that can seem daunting. This is a “shoe-string” operation, and with that, I also need to run every aspect of the magazine business.

So while I get some money together — I’ll have time to study the features that will allow my readers to view VintageWest Magazine on different devices, as well as view and search on its pages with ease. No one wants to attempt reading a double page on a 3″ screen without having the conversions working.

AD CAMPAIGN BEGINS THE PROCESS

I’ll need to begin my ad campaign for digital photos and classes, allow for a variety of ad sizes and prices, and talk-up how color enhances all advertising facets. If you are a potential advertiser, jump on over to Advertising Page and check out my rates. You’ll find some good deals on combination ads with subscriptions in other websites. I have a partnership agreement with HighDesertBlogging.com so if you see something there, you may save some money.

Personally, I don’t really like to read on a Kindle. I enjoy holding and ruffling the feathers of each page, holding the heft in my hand, and avoid hitting myself on the head while I’m attempting to stay awake. It’s not that topics are boring but I find it very easy to slip into a “food coma” right after breakfast — even after lunch. I just can’t keep my eyes open or my di

Once I get on a production schedule it will be easier to manage my workload and my time.

Until then, keep in touch and I’ll keep you up-to-date.

 

Rusty,

Editor / Publisher

 

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It’s Gotta Get Done — Progress Continues for Policies and Terms of Service

For the past few days, between working on a guest presentation for our local museum association and writing, I’ve been working on the interior bones of VintageWest magazine. Those interior parts that make the magazine safe and legitimate for the writers, photographers, and bloggers who wish to support me in my efforts to pack the pages with things we love about the West.

Although it’s taking me a bit more effort to complete, it’s not a hard job to do. The time it takes to establish the rules of this business to include the “terms and policies” for the “subscribers” who will want the best coverage and protection I can offer is worth it. Authors’ rights and the industry’s worry of fraud and identity theft looms even in small publishing houses as well as the big ones. i want policies in place prior to the open door policy of a Call to Submit online.

I’ll soon be offering a Call to Writers to submit their work to VintageWest magazine.

If you wish to be notified as early as possible. sign in with your email address. I’ll be establishing a” hot link” page for those who do become published. This will be a free service whether I’m able to provide compensation or not for published work.

Send to [email protected]

Talk later,

Rusty

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